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.

•  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.