Ah, the first days of spring! Crocuses blooming, fresh breezes, warm sunshine, and enough light that you can see every furball on the carpet and all the streaks on the walls and windows. That’s right, it’s time for spring cleaning!
With all the joy pets bring us, they also come with their own set of baggage. Most dogs love spring season – long days, warm weather and plenty of time to spend outside. As a result, dog owners usually face several additional difficulties and tasks when embarking on spring house cleaning venture, with all the dog hair, stains and smells around.
It might seem a little overwhelming to clean the whole house in one go, but with enough planning and support you should be able to pull it off. Here are a few handy tips to ensure your success during this process.
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6 Keys to Spring Cleaning Success for Dog Owners
1. Preparation and first steps
Before you start cleaning, walk around the house and develop a plan of attack to ensure maximum efficiency. Make lists of trouble areas that you're going to tackle first.
Block out a weekend for your spring cleaning project and eliminate all distractions. Clear your schedule, and stock the fridge with snacks. It’s time to get serious.
Consider boarding the dog for cleaning weekend. For a lot of pets, the bustle and unpredictability of a big cleaning project will be anxiety provoking. Dogs do not enjoy seeing you stressed with organizing and running the errands, even if you do.
Plus, you won’t have a lot of time or attention to spare. Let a pet care professionals from services like Rover.com take care of your pup for the weekend so you have your hands and mind free.
2. The supply run
If your house has carpets or rugs and you do not own the necessary equipment, you can always rent or hire a local rug cleaner – these guys will do all the work for you.
Look for environmentally-friendly cleaning supplies, for the respiratory health of you and your furry kin, and ask your rug cleaner to use asthma-safe products that won't harm you or your pets
Whatever you end up deciding to use, stock up. Once you’re in the middle of your spring cleaning, the last thing you’ll want to do is break your momentum with a run to the store.
3. Go through your inventory
Before you get to scrubbing the whole house, sniff around your home to find things that do not belong there anymore and throw them out; make upcoming house cleaning job much easier for yourself.
Here are some quick tips for things to look out for:
- Check your dog's spa equipment. What's old or never used? What can you throw away, and what you need more of?
- Go through your dog's toys. Your pet will never part with some of his dog toys, but others may never be used. Throw them out (or give them away) to save space.
- What about your doggy pantry? We love stocking food items for ourselves and our dogs (canned dog food that will never be used, old dog treats and medicine).
- Restock all necessary dog supplies. With warm weather already here, more dog walks are in order. Make sure you're ready with a good set of dog collars, tags, leashes dog shoes and whatever else may soon be need replacement.
Remember to check that your dog ID tags still have your pet's information on them properly visible (sometimes it gets scratched off or fades away).
4. Time to get scrubbin’
Now it's time to get to busy with actually cleaning out the whole house. You won't get away with a spray of dog stain eliminator anymore. Get excited.
Clean room-by-room and carry a bucket of all your supplies to save time. Move from the highest surfaces to lowest or you’ll end up cleaning the same spots over and over.
- Start with a dog bed. Just like you would clean and flip your own mattress, you should do the same for your pet's beds, crates, mats, pillows or any other area where he normally sleeps. Give the washing machine something to do as well.
- Scrub the pet dining area. It's important to keep your dog's dining place always clean and bacteria-free. Even if you're using dog feeding mats, it needs to be thoroughly scrubbed and reset all over.
- Finally, get to floors and upholstery. This is where you may want to hire professionals to do the job for you and have all those carpets, floors and upholstery done with pro equipment while you sip on your Mojito.
- Don't forget your car. If your dog spends time driving with you, clean out the car as well. It's probably full of dog's hair and stains, and now is the time to do it.
Pay special attention to your dog’s high traffic zones, and be sure to wash any dog beds and all bedding with hot water. In order to avoid fatigue remember to scrub with your non-dominant hand from time to time.
5. Treat yourself
Now that your house is sparkling from floor to ceiling, why not take a mini-vacation? After all, the only thing better than having a clean house is coming home to a clean house.
Find a cute AirBnB close by and book a couple nights, find a dog sitter to take care of your pet in the meantime, and rest your body and mind, which are both pretty tired by now.
You just cleaned a whole house and it's a reason to celebrate!
6. Continuing care
Now that you know first hand how much work it is to clean the whole house, start plotting ways to make it easier on yourself next year.
Schedule regular wipedowns of your doggy's high traffic areas. Did you find yourself cleaning up a whole lot of dog hair? Look for ways to mitigate any shedding issues and ask your dog walker to brush your pup weekly.
With the right set of tools and tips, reducing shedding in dogs is possible as long as you know what you're doing and use the right equipment.
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