Having a pet brings love, laughter, and loyalty to your home. But they also bring hair, messes, and sometimes smells. If you have pets, you’ve probably had to deal with the problem of keeping your home clean while still making it comfortable for them. With a few clever fixes and smart habits, you can have the best of both worlds: a clean, fresh-smelling home that your pet will also love.
These pet-friendly home hacks will help you keep your home clean and organized, which is good for your pet’s health and your own sanity, no matter if you have a playful puppy, a curious cat, or an older pet who likes to nap in sunny spots.
A Clean Place for Your Pet
You can start by making a space specifically for cleaning and wiping paws. Set up a cleaning station that doesn’t need much upkeep near your front door, back door, or mudroom. This will allow you to quickly clean your pets ‘ muddy paws, wet fur, or dirty coats before they track dirt through the house.
Here is a list of things you can keep in your cleaning station:
- A shallow mat or tray for wet or muddy paws
- Pet-safe wipes or a towel
- A spray bottle with diluted pet shampoo
- Hooks for bags, leashes, and harnesses
Having a space to clean your pet will help you keep your floors safe from long-term damage and keep dirt from getting inside by making cleanup easy and available.
Choose Pet Safe Materials
Make sure your surfaces are strong and easy to clean when you design your space. The materials you choose for your couch and floors can have a big effect on how well your home holds up to having pets.
For tables and chairs, you can choose leather, canvas, or tightly woven fabrics that are easy to clean and don’t hold hair. Try to stay away from velvet and chenille. Both of these fabrics hold hair and are difficult to vacuum.
For your floors, instead of carpet or soft wood, choose tile, vinyl, or sealed hardwood. For your pet area, you can find rugs with a low pile and washable materials to make it easy to clean up after them.
Choose furniture with covers that can be removed and washed. Try to use machine washable throws or slip covers to protect surfaces. You can wash a cover much more easily than you can deep clean a couch.
Taking Care of Fur
Keep up with grooming and cleaning to stay ahead of shedding. It doesn’t matter how much you love your furry friend, their hair gets old quickly on every surface. Is there a secret? Try to be proactive.
Brush your pet often, at least once a day during times of heavy shedding, to keep their fur from getting on your couch. Think about buying a strong pet vacuum with attachments for stairs, corners, and upholstery. Use rubber gloves or a squeegee to get hair off of rugs and furniture. And for quick touchups, keep lint rollers in important places so that they are available.
If shedding is a big problem, you might want to get a robot vacuum that runs every day to pick up hair and dander.
Removing Pet Smells Naturally
You can get rid of smells without using harsh chemicals. Even if your pet is very clean, they can still leave behind smells that are different. Fortunately, you can get rid of pet smells without using anything dangerous.
Try these natural ways to get rid of smells:
- Put baking soda on carpets and furniture, let it sit for 15 minutes, and then vacuum it up
- Use an air purifier that has a HEPA filter to get rid of pet dander and smells
- Clean pet bedding once a week and crates and carriers regularly
Put activated charcoal in bowls of white vinegar in places where people can’t see them to get rid of smells that won’t go away
Try to avoid using air fresheners that aren’t natural, as they can bother your pets. And only use essential oils if you know they’re safe for your pet, because many essential oils or not.
Make Spaces for Your Pet
Set aside certain areas in your home for your pet’s meals, play, and rest. Try to set clear boundaries for your pet that will help keep things clean and make your life easier. Set limits with rugs, beds, or baby gates.
Here’s an example:
- Put a mat under the food and water bowls to catch spills and keep the floor from getting damaged
- Put a toy basket in a corner to hold bones, chew toys, and balls
- Pick a quiet spot for your pet bed, crate, or cat tower, where your pet can sleep without getting in the way
When pets know where their things go, they’re way less likely to spread toys and messes all over the house.
Keeping Your Walls and Baseboards Safe
Protect your surfaces from scratches and other damage. Cats like to rub against walls. Sometimes dogs scratch at doors or baseboards. These little habits add up to visible wear and tear over time.
To keep your surfaces safe, try covering areas that get a lot of contact with clear plastic corner guards or removable wall decals. You could put down washable rugs or runners along paths that pets use a lot to keep the floor from getting scuffed. Another option is to use pet-safe cleaning sprays to wipe down the walls often to keep oils and smells from getting stuck.
Clean Up the Toys
Keep your pet’s toys in order and switch them out when needed. Even the cleanest house can feel messy when toys are all over the place. Put your pet’s toys in bins or baskets and switch them out every so often to keep things interesting.
Try putting a decorative bin or basket in each main room of the house. This can keep things interesting, switch up the toys every week by putting some away and bringing them back out later. To keep bacteria and smells away, wash soft toys on a regular basis.
Cycling through your pet’s toys can help keep your house clean and give your pet a new thrill when they find old toys again.
Wash Beds Once a Week
Cleaning the whole house regularly keeps it cleaner. Pets spend a lot of time in their beds, blankets, and carriers, so it’s not a surprise that those places get dirtier, dirtier, and smellier quickly.
Try to choose bedding that can be washed in the machine for easy cleaning. Every week, wash your pets, blankets, bed covers, and towels in hot water. You should also clean food and water bowls every few days, either by hand or in the dishwasher.
Keeping your house fresh and free of pet smell is easy with cleaning, bedding, and other things on a regular basis
Plan for Accidents
Getting ready for problems with the right tools and attitude. Pets that are well-trained can still have accidents from time to time. Put together a kit that’s ready for you to act quickly. Your kit can contain an enzyme cleaner to break down pet waste and stop future marking. Paper towels or microfiber cloths to soak up quickly. And a mini carpet cleaner for spot treatments.
Taking action quickly will stop stains from setting and keep smells from getting worse. It’s always best to clean up accidents as quickly as possible.
Make it Fun for Your Pet
When your pet is happy, they’re less likely to act out. Animals that are bored or anxious are more likely to dig, too, or have accidents. Keep your pet busy with walks or playtime every day, puzzles, feeders, and toys. You can choose toys that have windows that are safe to look out of or places that are warm to sleep in.
Pets are more relaxed and less destructive when they have a lot of things to do and places to relax inside.
Conclusion
You can have a clean home and a happy at the same time. It’s possible to have a home that looks great, smells fresh, and works well for both people and pets when you have the right systems, materials, and routines in place.
It doesn’t need to be perfect, it’s about making smart, long-lasting changes that make life easier every day. Try using these pet-friendly home hacks to help you spend less time cleaning and more time with your furry friend. A clean home is great, but a clean home with a wagging tail is even better
