But that doesn’t mean that your beloved furry friends have to give you a messy home. Fur flies, odors linger, dirt gets trampled into the carpets and rugs, and sometimes your pets might even have accidents that leave stains and spots. Through it all, you love your pets, just not the mess they leave behind.
You need practical solutions for cleaning up the fur, paw prints, and any other mess your family pet provides. Here’s what you need to know about how to keep your house clean with pets.
How to Remove Pet Hair from Carpets and Floors
It’s easy for pet hair to get embedded in the fibers of your carpets. When you are vacuuming your carpet, go over each area twice, alternating directions as you go to loosen stubborn hairs deep in the flooring. If pet hair is a particular challenge for you, you may want to invest in a specialty pet vacuum that’s equipped with strong suction and a HEPA filter.
If you’re still struggling to get the last of the pet hair out of your carpets, you can use a pumice stone to gather it. Gently scrape the pumice stone along the surface of your carpets to bundle fur. Light pressure will gather fur without damaging the fibers.
If you have hardwood, laminate, or other bare floors, you can use an electrostatic or microfiber cloth or dry mop to trap loose pet fur. This tends to work better than vacuums that can blow hair around instead of corralling it into one spot.
How to Remove Pet Stains from Carpets
Pet stains, both new and old, can leave your carpets and rugs spotted and dingey. You may want to consider using a neutralizing enzyme spray that “eats” the organic matter that causes the odor
For new stains that are still wet
Soak up as much of the spot as possible, then place a thick layer of paper towels over the area and cover with multiple pieces of newspaper. Stand on this padding for about a minute, then repeat until the area is barely damp. Rinse the area with clean, cool water then blot to dry.
For set-in stains
For these stains, you’ll want to consider renting a carpet cleaner from a nearby hardware or grocery store, but never a steam cleaner. Steam will permanently set the stain (and its odor) by bonding proteins from the stain to the man-made fibers. Use a pet odor neutralizer after the area is cleaned. If the stain persists, try using a carpet stain remover spray.
Also? You’ll want to skip using cleaning chemicals with strong smells like ammonia or vinegar, which might encourage your pet to mark the same spot again.
How to remove pet odor from carpets
More than just fur can get into your carpets if you have a pet at home. New and old stains can leave your carpets smelling less than fresh. Some smells may go away if you sprinkle baking soda on the spot, let it sit, and then vacuum the powder (and the odor) away. Enzymatic-based neutralizing sprays also help tackle set-in smells, but you may have to replace sections of your carpet or carpet padding if smells persist.
How to Keep Your House Clean with Cats
If you live with a cat, you know they make great companions and have plenty of personality, but can also create quite a bit of mess. Here are a few steps you can take to keep your house clean and fresh :
- Regularly brush your cat
- Vacuum every week
- Choose furniture with tightly woven fabrics that are easy to clean
- Wipe down your counters with germ-killing sprays often (especially before food prep)
- Keep cat food and water in an area where they won’t be disturbed and create spills
- Place your cat’s litter box in an infrequently used, isolated space
- Clean up spots as soon as they occur
Get Help from the Pros
At Excellent Clean Services, we know and love pets as much as you do. Through our professional cleaning services, we can help you keep your house clean, fresh, and pet-friendly. Whether you schedule a weekly house cleaning or bring us in for a monthly cleaning service for your home, our professional cleaners can combat pet odors, fur, and grime, and even do deep cleaning services for an extra boost.
While cleaning, we ask that you put pets away so we can focus on the task at hand: Our professional cleaning services visit anywhere you are in Cork or the surrounding area
Request a free quote today!