Daily Maintenance Tasks for Pet Owners
Keep Your Carpets Clean and Odor-Free
Pets are members of the family! Our dogs and cats are delightful, loving contributors to the household. And they enjoy the soft warmth of clean carpeted floors as much as people do.
Like all members of the family, pets significantly contribute to the messes in the home. Figuring out how to keep your carpets clean with pets in the house is a common challenge for pet lovers.
The solution is found in 4 simple habits that will help keep your carpets and furniture clean, healthy, and looking great.
Before we discuss these habits, you should realize one thing: The more consistently you perform the tasks below, the better your carpets will look, and the healthier your home will be. It will only take a little extra daily effort.
Daily touch-ups are more efficient and require LESS effort than avoiding these tasks until your carpets look and smell really bad. By taking a little daily action, you’ll reduce the amount of work required overall to keep carpets in good shape between professional cleanings.
These daily routines will also keep your carpets ready for unexpected company. You won’t have to worry about dragging out the vacuum constantly, or feeling embarrassed when someone stops by.
So, hopefully you’re convinced that doing a little bit of maintenance each day has many benefits.
Let's discuss how to keep your carpets clean — as pet owners.
Habit 1: Brush & Bathe your Pets on a Regular Schedule
It may go without saying, but keeping your pet clean and well-groomed will go a long way towards maintaining clean carpet and upholstery.
Brushing your furry friends on a schedule will keep their shedding fur in the brush rather than all over the floors and furniture.
Bathing your pets regularly will help keep the carpets and furniture from absorbing their body oils and odors.
Of course every pet's grooming needs is unique. How often each pet needs their fur brushed, trimmed, and washed will depend on the length, texture, and density of your pet's coat.
Keeping them clean and groomed: It's good for them, and it's good for your healthy home.
Habit 2: Vacuum Regularly and Mindfully
Every day, do a quick visual scan around your carpeted rooms where pets are allowed to roam in your home, and manually pick up any visible pet hair. You can wrap some duct tape around your hand, with the sticky side out, and pat away the visible pet fur from the carpet.
For tips on how to get the most out of your vacuuming sessions, I’ve written an article with practical tips on the art and science of vacuuming:
How to Get The Most
from your Vacuuming
I recommend that households with pets vacuum your carpets more regularly — at least 2 to 3 times a week. Obviously, vacuuming will remove a great deal of pet hair, dander, and tracked-in dirt from your carpets before it can work its way down deep into the fibers.
If you're in the market for the best vacuum cleaner, I'd like to recommend purchasing a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter (short for High-Efficiency Particulate Air filter), especially if you or a family member suffers from allergies. These vacuums are great for improving your indoor air quality.
Vacuuming won't get 100% of pet messes, and it can't remove the oily dirt that accumulates and bonds to the carpet fibers over time — that's where a periodic professional cleaning with powerful Hot Water Extraction equipment comes in.
Habit 3: Clean Up Pet Accidents ASAP
Once pee, poop, or puke from pets sets into your carpet fibers, it can require a lot of effort and often takes a professional to remove the spots, stains, bacteria, and odors.
Therefore, you should strive to clean up pet accidents as soon as possible, once they’re discovered.
The moment you notice any kind of pet accident — and this applies to most spills in general — it's important to take action immediately!
So ... exactly what actions should you take immediately?
I’ve written some general guidelines for the 3 P's:
These articles contain general advice that I’ve written for you as a professional courtesy, but My Pro Cleaner cannot guarantee the effectiveness and safety of any DIY carpet cleaning job. It's also important to know in advance the kind of carpet you have, and to check the specific manufacturer's recommendations, especially if your carpet is still under warranty.
Note: Many carpets have stain protection that will give you a little extra time to take action before stains will settle in, but the carpet protector often only gives you a few extra minutes — not hours or days.
Please feel free to give My Pro Cleaner a call, and we’ll be happy to talk over your situation with you.
Habit 4: Wipe your Pet's Paws Before They Come In from the Yard
Next on the list is a little preventative maintenance. If your cats or dogs spend time outside in the yard, you might try to wipe their paws before they come into the house. Even if the ground isn't wet, gently wiping paws will stop dirty tracks at the door.
Most people wipe their feet on a rug — or even take their shoes off indoors. But pets need a little assistance.
Furthermore, if your pets are coming in from the rain, a little toweling off will go a long way towards keeping your floors and furniture clean. You can Google "Soggy Doggy Super Shammy" as a starting place for a premium super absorbent pet towel.
Keep your Carpets Clean — Even with Pets: Conclusion
Pets are part of the family, and it doesn’t have to be difficult to keep carpets and furniture tidy even with cats or dogs roaming around your house if you simply commit to a few carpet maintenance habits between your professional cleanings. Your dogs and cats will enjoy your soft, clean carpet as much as you do!
If you have any questions about this article, or anything related to cleaning carpet, upholstery, tile and grout, and maintaining a healthy home, please feel free to give me a call, and let's talk!
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