If you have a pet, you understand how hard it can be to keep your house clean. There is pet hair everywhere, mud that gets tracked in, your furniture is scuffed up, and that wet dog smell that comes when it rains is horrible. While none of these are fun to deal with, having a pet is still rewarding. And luckily, there are several house cleaning tips for pet owners that can make your life easier and keep your home clean… How to Control Pet Hair in Your Home Pet hair clings and gets stuck to everything. Nothing is safe. If you have a pet you need to get used to your pet shedding hair on your furniture, floors, in every crack and crevice, and even on your clothes. There are a few things that you can do to manage the hair problem before it gets out of control however: Brush Your Pet Frequently In the summer you will want to do this daily as animals tend to shed more in warmer climates. Grooming regularly also allows you to check for fleas or ticks, and we recommend using a fine-toothed flea comb and combing through your pooch or kittie’s fur. Better still, kit out your pet with the Seresto flea collar, or use flea and preventatives such as Bravecto Chews or NexGard Chewables. Vacuum Daily Use a good vacuum that has a lot of suction. There are specific attachments that are designed just to remove pet hair from furniture. These work very well and can get a good amount of dog or cat hair off your couch. If you have tightly woven rugs, a rubber rake can be helpful with removing pet hair as well. Use a Towel or Blanket If your pet has a favorite seat in the living room, their own pet bed, or a favorite part of the house that he or she likes to lay in, put a towel or blanket down. If you have company, you can simply remove the blanket and all the dog hair that has accumulated along with it. Photo by sarandy westfall on Unsplash Launder Bedding Frequently If you pet likes to sleep in your bed (or even worse, pee in the bed), you’ll need to wash your sheets and bedding regularly. This will reduce the amount of hair that accumulates in your bed. Removing Hair from Your Clothing A lint brush is a pet owner’s best friend. Unless you like showing up for events, covered in dog hair, you will want to use some sort of pet hair removal tool. Lint brushes, such as the ones with disposable pieces of tape, work very well. The hair attaches to the tape and can be thrown in the garbage. It’s a good idea to use a lint brush or roller, too, before washing your clothes. After a while, hair can start to accumulate in your washing machine pump and it can seize up. Save yourself a couple of hundred dollars from getting a repairman to come out and quickly use a lint brush instead. Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash Keep a Towel Near the Front Door When pets come inside, they often have mud on their paws. If you can stop them at the door and wipe their paws with a towel, you will reduce the amount of mud that gets spread throughout your house. If you can keep a shallow bowl of water there, as well, you can really get your pets' paws clean. How to Remove Pet Odours A wet dog can really stink up the joint. If your dog comes in the house, after being out in the rain, try and dry him off right at the door. Otherwise, he will roll around on your carpets and all that water and dog odor will become embedded in your carpets. If this should happen, sprinkle some baking soda on your carpets. Vacuum up the baking soda after a half hour or so. You can also spritz some white vinegar on the carpets, but not at the same time with the baking soda. Be sure you vacuumed thoroughly, or you will have a fizzy mess on your hands. This is a good deodorizer. Controlling Scratches on Your Woodwork Try and keep your pets' nails as short as possible. If they are trimmed regularly, you will reduce the chances of them scratching your wood floors and woodwork that is throughout your house. Having a pet can be wonderful. By following these house cleaning tips, you can keep your home presentable, clean, and smelling nice year-round. Banner Photo by Autri Taheri on Unsplash