Cleaning with pets: hair, paws and odors

A home with a dog or a cat needs a little more cleaning, and a little more thought about what you clean with. Hair drifts into corners. Paws bring in mud, salt and pollen. Smells settle into rugs and fabric. None of it is hard to manage once you have a routine. Here is how to handle each one, which products deserve extra care around pets, and how to work with a cleaning team when your pets are home.

Pet hair

Hair builds up fastest where your pet sleeps, and wherever moving air pushes it into corners and under furniture.

• Vacuum often. In shedding season, two or three times a week in the rooms your pet uses most. A vacuum with a HEPA filter traps more of the fine dust and dander instead of blowing it back out.
• Use the right tool. A small motorized pet tool works well on sofas, stairs and car seats. On wood floors, turn the spinning brush off so it does not scratch.
• Try rubber. A damp rubber glove, a rubber broom or even a window squeegee pulls hair out of upholstery and rugs that a vacuum leaves behind.
• Microfiber on hard floors. A dry microfiber mop picks hair up. A broom mostly pushes it around.
• Brush your pet in one spot. Outside or on an easy-to-clean floor, on a regular schedule. Every hair in the brush is one less on the sofa.
• Wash bedding every week. Pet beds, the throw on the sofa, and your own sheets if your pet sleeps with you.
• Check your HVAC filter every month. Hair and dander clog it faster than usual. Replace it as often as the filter maker suggests for a home with pets.

Paws, mud and salt

Set up a paw station at the door you use for walks. You need an absorbent mat, an old towel on a hook, and a bowl of water or a pack of pet wipes. Thirty seconds at the door saves a lot of mopping.

• Winter. Salt and de-icers on sidewalks and driveways can irritate paws, and pets lick them off later. The ASPCA suggests wiping your pet's feet, legs and belly when they come in from snow and ice. Do it on the mat, before your pet crosses the house.
• Spring. Pollen settles on coats as well as cars. A quick wipe with a damp cloth after walks keeps it off your sofa and bed. Our pollen season guide has more on keeping it out of the house.
• Nails. Keep them trimmed. Long nails scratch wood floors and snag rugs. Our guide to cleaning hardwood floors covers how to protect the finish and how to tell when it is worn through.
• The garage. If your dog walks through the garage on the way out, check the floor for drips. The ASPCA warns that antifreeze can kill dogs and cats, and its taste can tempt them. Wipe up spills right away and store containers out of reach.

Odors

A smell usually means something is still there to clean. Covering it with a scent rarely works for long.

1. 1Find the source. Check pet beds, crate pads, rugs, the sofa where your pet naps, the litter box area and any spot with an old accident.
2. 2Treat urine with an enzyme cleaner. Blot up as much as you can first. Then soak the spot with an enzyme cleaner made for pet urine, and leave it as long as the label says. Enzymes break down what causes the odor. A regular cleaner can hide the smell from you but not from your pet, who may go back to the same spot.
3. 3Wash what you can. Bed covers, washable slipcovers, throws and small rugs.
4. 4Freshen carpets with baking soda. Sprinkle it on, let it sit for a while, then vacuum it up.
5. 5Keep the litter box on a schedule. Scoop every day, and fully change and wash it as often as your litter type calls for. A mat under the box catches scattered litter.

Pet-safe cleaning: what actually matters

Words like "pet safe" and "natural" on a cleaning label are not a guarantee. On their own, they do not tell you much. These habits matter more than any label:

• Follow the directions on the label. Dilute as directed, and use each product only on the surfaces it lists.
• Keep pets out until surfaces are dry. A wet floor ends up on paws, and paws end up in mouths.
• Rinse when the label says to rinse, especially on floors and around food and water bowls.
• Store products closed, up high or behind a latched door. Puppies and some cats will chew a bottle open.
• Keep the toilet lid down if your pet drinks from it, and especially if you use drop-in bowl cleaners.
• Ask your vet before using essential oils. Concentrated oils turn up in some cleaners, diffusers and liquid potpourri, and they can make pets ill. Keep simmering potpourri well out of reach, because it can burn a pet's skin and mouth. A "natural" label does not make a product safe for them.
• Sweep up dropped food. The ASPCA lists chocolate, grapes and raisins, and foods sweetened with xylitol among the people foods to keep away from pets. Crumbs on the kitchen floor are the easiest way for a dog to find them.

If you have a cat, leave lilies out of your flower arrangements. Prince William County Animal Services warns that true lilies, including daylilies, are highly toxic to cats. A cat does not even need to chew the plant: pollen licked off its fur can be enough to cause kidney failure. If lilies arrive as a gift, the safest place for them is outside your home.

Room by room with pets

• Entry and mudroom. The paw station, a washable mat, and a hook for leashes. Wash the mat every week in wet months.
• Living room. Put a washable throw on your pet's favorite seat. Vacuum under the sofa cushions, where hair and treats collect.
• Kitchen. Put a mat under food and water bowls, and wipe the floor around them every day. Wash the bowls often with hot, soapy water.
• Bedrooms. If pets sleep on the bed, wash the sheets and a top blanket each week.
• Stairs. Hair collects at the back corners of each step. A hand vacuum or a brush attachment reaches it.

Working with a cleaning team when you have pets

Tell your team about each pet when you book: their name, whether they are friendly or nervous, where they should be during the visit, and any doors that must stay closed. Mention escape artists by name. A gate left open for a minute is all some dogs need.

Living with pets means a little more hair and a little more mud. A good routine keeps it in check: vacuum often, stop dirt at the door, treat odors at the source and keep strong products out of reach. Your home stays clean, and your pets stay safe.

How we can help

A consistent team helps here. With our recurring cleaning, we aim to keep a regular team who knows your home. If cover is needed, we discuss the change with you and pass on the agreed pet instructions. A shy dog or cat has a much easier time with familiar faces than with a new crew every visit.

Pet hair does add time to a clean, especially in shedding season. When you tell us about a shedding pet, your price already includes extra time for it, and you can add pet hair cleanup to any visit. After a heavy shedding season, a deep clean gets the hair out of baseboards, vents, stair corners and the spaces under furniture.

Our supplies page explains what your team will bring into a home with pets. Want help with pet bowls, the litter box area or an accident? Ask us before you book, and we will tell you plainly what your team can and cannot do.

Sources

• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (opens in a new tab)aspca.org
• ASPCA, people foods to avoid feeding your pets (opens in a new tab)aspca.org
• ASPCA, cold weather safety tips (opens in a new tab)aspca.org
• Prince William County Animal Services, Lethal Lilies (opens in a new tab)pwcva.gov
• Oklahoma State University veterinary medicine, essential oils and pets (opens in a new tab)news.okstate.edu