While it’s true that pets make our lives more enjoyable and provide us with loyal companionship, it’s also true that they are major contributors to a dirty home. But, while you may need to clean more deeply and more often when you share your home with pets, you must also be mindful of the products you use, and the way in which you clean.
Similar to babies and small children, pets are very vulnerable to such things as fragrances, fumes, and cleaning product residues, meaning that extra attention must be paid to the ingredients of your cleaning solutions, to ensure their safety and wellbeing.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when cleaning as a pet owner, so that you can keep your home fresh and clean, without harming your beloved furry friends:
Avoid solutions with lots of chemicals or strong fragrances
A lot of popular commercial cleaning products are not in the least bit child or pet friendly, so always check the ingredients for potentially harmful chemicals before buying them, or using them, and avoid using solutions that are highly fragranced. Look for solutions that are mild, and PH balanced.
Often, cleaning solutions that can be safely used around pets and children, will say so on their packaging and branding, making it easier for you to choose the right products.
Regular grooming can keep pet dander down
If you can take your pets outside and groom them on a daily basis, you’ll almost certainly notice a reduction in dander and hair floating about your home, and settling on the floors, furniture, and surfaces. It’s worth noting that dander – which is made up of skin and microparticles containing protein – can also aggravate existing allergies, or in some cases, cause them, as our immune systems mistake the proteins for dangerous pathogens.
Clean more often
While you might be able to get away with dusting and vacuuming once a week in a home without pets, this is rarely the case in a home with pets, especially during seasons in which they shed. So, try to increase the frequency at which you clean where possible, to prevent dirt and dander from building up and causing you health problems, while also looking unsightly and smelling bad, too.
Buy good quality tools
It’s really worth investing in cleaning tools of a higher quality when you share your home with pets, particularly those with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, such as a vacuum cleaner. It can also be helpful to use microfiber cloths that pick up dust, pet hair and dander, instead of transferring it all around your home in the manner of a traditional duster, or feather duster, for example. You should also use mops, sponges and cloths with high levels of absorbency so that all traces of cleaning solutions used on floors and surfaces your pet can reach, are not left behind for them to lick.
Keep your pets belongings clean, too
From toys and bedding, to feeding bowls and blankets, keep them as hygienically clean as possible, using natural products such as baking soda and vinegar, which won’t irritate your pets skin or be harmful when licked.
Sharing your home with pets can be a wonderful, but grubby (and often smelly!) experience. However, by following the advice and tips given above, you can enjoy a more harmonious, fresh smelling home, without having to compromise on hygiene, or banish your pets to the yard. Note that if you are considering hiring a cleaning service to help you keep your pet-friendly home clean and tidy, they will only ever use products and solutions that are safe to do so around animals, just as they would if there were small children or babies in the home.
