Blog 3 Steps to a Clean Home if You Have Pets - MyHome
3 Steps to a Clean Home if You Have Pets
Posted on Thursday, August 16th, 2018
Pets are family to many of us – they’re not just part of the furniture; they keep us healthy, and they teach our children about unconditional love and caring for others, but having pets inside means a lot more cleaning up! Studies show just how good pets are for people, both mentally and physically(1). How? One theory is that pets boost our oxytocin levels, (the love hormone, or cuddle chemical), lowering blood pressure, and increasing immune function among other benefits. Often older people feel less alone with their pet in the house, and at Myhome we know pet lovers don’t treat their fur babies as if they’re just part of the furniture.
At Myhome, we understand how much pets can give to family life and how important they are, so our cleaners understand having a carpet with cat and dog hair embedded in it or cat-scratched furniture – nope, all part of life to us. But we also know that living with pets means a lot of extra cleaning. Pets can’t clean up after themselves, many breeds have lots of fur and dander, and they also bring in dirt from outside. So, let’s look at some tips to help you cope because having pets is worth it.
3 Tips for a Hassle-free, Clean Home – Even With Pets.
1. Choose Pet-Friendly Floor Coverings and Furniture
You’re off to a flying start if you already have the right furniture, floors and other accoutrements that make living with pets in the house a lot easier. Carpet is a great dust and dander collector, and it’s much harder to clean than wood floors, laminates, polished concrete, vinyl or tiles. But if the carpet is already there, you can lay rugs down on areas of high traffic because you can scrub mats or rugs clean, or air them outside if they’re not too heavy. If they fit, you can throw them in the washing machine if the manufacturer recommends it.
Then there’s the furniture – the right materials can make cleaning quick and easy. If your pets are allowed to jump on the furniture, leather is a good option, but keep Rover’s nails clipped, so he doesn’t scratch the surfaces. If you already have your furniture, and the dog or cat came afterwards, try buying some covers made to cover the furniture and protect it from the pets – these covers can be washed as well. Windows, blinds and curtains can attract pet fur, especially some of the finer fluff on some types of cats, so try to get non-synthetic varieties, so they don’t act like a magnet for fur.
2. Only Use Pet-Friendly Cleaning Products
Many pet owners, especially those who own long-haired dogs or cats, can’t believe how much fur they pick up from the carpet with the vacuum cleaner. Even by vacuuming once every two days, the canisters can be filled. On rainy days the muddy paw prints can trail through the house and dirty all the floors, carpeted or not. With all the extra fluff, fur, dust and dirt brought into the house by your pets, and accidents notwithstanding, you’ll want to stay on the ball when it comes to cleaning up after your pet or pets.
But what you use to clean up with is essential, because there are cleaning products that are definitely not safe to use if you have pets. Of course, most people would be well aware that rat poison and the like are a definite no-no around animals. Many pet owners won’t even buy such toxins just in case a puppy gets hold of some and eats it, because the results are usually fatal. Animals might be put off by smells, but they still don’t know that they should keep away from harmful chemicals.
Puppies still in the chewing stage are especially vulnerable, because corrosive cleaners can make their skin red raw, cause pain, itchiness, fever, and watering eyes. These chemicals can cause damage to their teeth, their throats and digestive tracts. Household cleaning products have been known to kill some animals in severe cases. Pet owners need to be very wary when using pool chemicals, dishwashing products, lime and rust removal chemicals, oven and toilet cleaners. If you think your pet won’t go near these substances, you can never be sure, so it’s best to replace the dangerous chemicals. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and use natural cleaners. Try some other natural products that are on the market, based on vinegar, lemon juice and bicarb soda. The baking soda, lemon and vinegar cleaning solution is an old one, but these ingredients are safe to use if you have pets in the house, and these products get the cleaning chores done. Making your own cleaning solutions can save you money, and you can feel confident that you aren’t putting your pet’s health in any danger.
3. Give Your Pets Their Own Special Place to Sleep
To keep the fur and dander in one area, even if it’s only at night, give your pets their own, special place to sleep. If they have their own space, night-time accidents can be confined to one area and quickly cleaned up in the morning. Your pets won’t tend to damage any furniture, your favourite belongings, or floors while you’re sleeping. Also, if you need to go out for a short time, you can put them in their space until you get home – this is especially pertinent for puppies who might miss you and so chew your shoes or your favourite things to be near your scent. This also applies if you have guests over, mainly if they aren’t the kind of people who are happy about being near your pets.
Allowing your pets to sleep or just relax in one area, with enough space, food and water while you clean up means you won’t scare them with the vacuum cleaner as you remove the fur and dander from the floor. Even if you follow all these steps to keep your house clean when you have pets inside, there can be left-over odours from little accidents. So why not call Myhome professional cleaners? They have pet-friendly products and cleaning systems that can get right down deep into carpets fibres to remove ingrained dirt and dander and leave your carpet smelling like a rose, and dry in just one hour. This company has developed the Myhome Dry-Touch System, which uses the latest technology to bring your home unparalleled levels of cleanliness. The Dry-Touch system is unique to Myhome and guarantees you the best results. Why not enjoy all the benefits brought to you by your fur babies and hire Myhome for the not-so-enjoyable cleaning part?
Myhome staff members have all been through a comprehensive training program, and they’re fully aware of the high standards expected of them when they come to your home to clean. Our staff have all been chosen after a strict selection process; they’re all employed on a full-time basis, and they’re all fully insured. Myhome is an innovative company, and we’re always looking for ways we can improve. We developed, in association with Unilever, the Tri-Colour Cleaning System for home cleaning – this is a meticulous program that makes certain your home is cleaned to the very highest standard. Call Myhome on 13 22 31 for a free, no-obligation quote. Or just fill out the contact form and a member of the Myhome team will contact you shortly.
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Filed under: Residential Cleaning
