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.
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.
- Bissell® Pawsitively Clean™ Ewww™ enzyme-powered pet stain & odor remover is great for all urine odors. Also use it to clean cages for small animals.
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.
