How to Keep Your Home Tidy When You Have Pets

Whether you have one or five furry children living under the same roof as you, chances are your home can do with a good, thorough cleaning. However, if you're living a busy lifestyle, it might be difficult to always take a few hours out of your day or week to make your home livable again. What if there was a way to do the little things right, every day, and that could make the house cleaner overall and give you less work on thorough cleaning day? If this is your first time living under the same roof with a few fur-babies, here are a few tips that can help be your beginner's guide to keeping your home tidy—even when you have pets:

For a clean home, keep your pets clean

Although your pets might not necessarily like bath time, helping keep them clean can, in turn, be a saving grace for your home. The last thing you would want is to clean your home thoroughly only to have your dog wipe his dirty paws from the muddy front lawn all over your just-mopped floor. Brushing your dog or cat on a weekly basis can help you get rid of any stray fur clinging on that can land on furniture. Bathing your pets properly (and helping them dry afterward) can also help maintain the smell and dirt around the house.

Invest in a quality vacuum cleaner

Not only is this essential if you have carpet in the house, but a pet vacuum cleaner can also be a great tool to use on your furniture and anywhere pet fur may land. You will find the best ones here. This can also help clean the air since fur normally leaves an odor.  If you have thick, carpeted flooring, a high-quality vacuum that deep-cleans can help get to the bottom of it all and suction up all the debris and dirt that may lead to a smelly house.

Give your pet's possessions a cleaning

Wipe down toys with disinfectant wipes or other cleaning supplies (pet-friendly, of course) on a regular basis. This can help eliminate odor. This also includes washing your pet's bed and bedding, blankets, car harnesses, or anything that is machine or hand-washable. Not only will your family thank you for this—so will your pet!

Clean up an accident as quickly as you can

Even though you might have your hands full with a task on your way down the hall—or you might literally have your hands full, acting quickly to a pet uh-oh can help eliminate the time and opportunity that the mistake has to leave its odors in the house, floors or furniture. For the best results, you can opt for an enzyme-based cleaner to reduce odors afterward.

Invest in an air purifier

Whether you're going the extra mile and running an air purifier in your home to help get clean air through the walls or going the more affordable route and simply opening the windows, cleaning the air can do wonders for not only odor but also pet dander and hair throughout your home. You can invest in so many different types of air purifiers that are specifically made for the homes of pet owners. These have unique features that can help deodorize where it matters the most.

Organize your pets' things

Not only should you regularly be cleaning your pet's possessions, as we mentioned earlier, having a place where all your pets' toys, bedding, and snacks go can help with organization. Although they may like to litter the house with their toys as they play, teaching them the trick to put it away afterward may be a hard one to master. However, at least having a place where the humans can pick up and put the dog or cat's things away after they're done playing can help. This can also create a sense of belonging for your fur child—all the humans have dressers, bedrooms, and spaces they can call their own, so, why not them?   We hope that this article has helped give you a few tips that you can implement on a daily basis that will help keep your home clean—even with pets!

Matt is the founder of PetHairPatrol. He lives in New York with his two golden retrievers: Ben and Jerry. Once he opened a carton of yogurt, and immediately there was a dog hair inside. That’s when he decided to find the best ways to get rid of pet hair and start a website to share his knowledge. He has researched and reviewed hundreds of products that help you keep your home clean – even when you have furry roomies. He loves running and Italian pizza. He hates pigeons. And obviously, pet hair!