Friday, January 14, 2011

Clean Home with Pets


 I visit lots of homes as a pet sitter.  Some homes have no animal odor; others smell like a kennel.  What's the difference?  Below are some tips to keep your pet friendly home smelling fresh.

1. Bathing your pets:  at least once a month, or more often as needed.
  • If you have dogs, give them a bath. This will help remove loose hair from their coats before it gets on your furniture. Brush your cats with a pet brush such as the Furminator two or three times a week.
2. Furniture:  at least once a week.
  • Use your vacuum cleaner attachment to remove hair from furniture. A lint roller can also be helpful.
3. Floors: at least once a week.
  • Vacuum: Make sure vacuum is empty before beginning.  Using a crisscross pattern cover each area of the carpeting at least twice.
  • Hard flooring: Sweep well then apply regular house hold bleach (diluted) and mop. Rinse well, as bleach left on floor can burn your pet's paws.
4.  AC/Furnace: At least once monthly.
  • Change out your home's air filter once a month.  Write the date on the filter with a Sharpie marker and also on the following month's calendar.
5. Disinfect:  daily.
  • Use a sanitizer such as  Shaklee Basic G to sanitize surfaces in your home.
6. Air fresheners:  daily.
  • Use a good air sanitizer to kill bacteria and leave your home smelling fresh and clean.
7. Urine: Clean as needed.
8. Pet Bedding:  at least twice a month.
  • If washable, wash in hot water then spray for a fresh, clean scent.
9. Cat Litter Box:  scoop daily, change out at least weekly.
  •  A good scoopable cat litter needs to be scooped daily.  Completely empty and put in new litter at least once a week.  Clean the cat litter box when it is empty with soap and water. Rinse well with clear water.  Harsh smelling disinfectants can make your cat reject the litter box.  I recommend having one more litter box than cats in your home.  Keep a dustbuster near the litter box for quick cleanup of scattered litter.


Sunday, January 2, 2011

10 New Year's Resolutions for our pets

Happy New Year, Pet Lovers!

It's the time of year that we contemplate turning over a new leaf.  Getting rid of bad habits, adopting some good habits.  In thinking about New Year's resolutions for yourself, have you thought about making some resolutions for your pets?

I was going to write this, but I found an article online.  The article is found below!  Enjoy!

Ten New Year's Resolutions for our Pets