We all know the boundless and unbridled joy, love and laughter that dogs can bring into our lives. Which means we are also well aware of the havoc they can create! Even the smallest puppy can make a huge mess. And ultimately, even perfectly trained dogs are not known for having tidy manners. Ensuring your house and dog are both clean is a delicate art form. With that in mind, we here at The Pup Life would love to share some tips you can pick up, to both prevent and handle messes in a 2-part series. Here’s part 1!
Hack 1: Assign blankets or towels to your puppy
Blankets, towels and even rugs all help to create a sense of comfort for your dog to enjoy. But like our very own sheets and linens, they require regular cleaning. Providing your dog with designated towels or blankets for their exclusive use can help to reduce the likelihood of both fur and smells from transferring onto you. Also, launder these items apart from the rest of your stuff to further prevent fur from getting stuck or caught in your clothes or sheets.
Sheets can be also used to protect your upholstered furniture from drool, mud or fur. After all, the easiest method to get dog hair off your furniture is prevention. So simply drape the sheets over your furniture, and remove them when you have guests over. That will keep your couch or chair neat and tidy, and take out the fur in furniture! What’s more, these sheets are obviously much easier to wash and clean!
Hack 2: How to make mealtime a less messy time
If you dislike ants entering your dog’s food, simply place its food bowl in a pan of water. This not only helps to prevent such occurrences. Your dog can actually take a sip of water as well whenever it likes.
If your dog is a messy eater, it would be a good idea to have a placemat under its water or food bowl. So as to prevent water stains and protect your floor, or the need to track and clean up kibble across your house. If you are annoyed by how your dog’s food gets stuck on the inside of its bowl, here’s a little trick. Simply rub the inside of the bowl with olive oil before putting the good in. This not only makes cleaning a more efficient process. The oil is actually good for your dog’s coat!
And needless to say, you should wash their food bowls regularly to prevent stale food smells. Or daily, if they consume wet food.
Hack 3: Shedding solutions
Every dog owner knows that having to clean up fur around the house is part and parcel of having a canine companion. While getting fur off certain surfaces such as hardwood or tile is as easy as ABC with a vacuum, here are some other quick tips you can put to practice in other situations or to get a more thorough clean.
Never underestimate the humble duct tape. Its stickiness can be utilised to become a dog stray hair remover, and can potentially even be a faster alternative to vacuuming. Examples of this usage include wrapping duct tape around a paint roller cover, with the sticky side out of course, and rolling away to pick up stray dog hair. Another method would be to wrap a cloth with duct tape, making it an effective solution for removing stray hair in corners.
Also, rubber gloves make for a good dog stray hair remover as well, particularly to help you catch hair across upholstery. Simply put the gloves on and rub your hands across the upholstery. You find that all the stray fur will stick to the glove! Also, you do not have to use new gloves every time. To remove the existing hairs after every clean, simply submerge the gloves in water. The hair will float to the top!
Hack 4: The power of baking soda and vinegar
Using baking soda and vinegar, both together and separately, can help to solve all kinds of cleaning problems. Baking soda is widely regarded as an effective tool to naturally neutralise odours. Vinegar on the other hand, is used for much more than cooking. It is also a highly effective cleaner and disinfectant due to its acidic nature. Which is powerful and potent enough to eliminate bacteria. As well as to dissolve dirt, grease or grime.
For example, should your puppy accidentally pee on the carpet, a combination of the two can help the situation. Firstly, pour vinegar on the spot to neutralise the ammonia content in urine. Then sprinkle baking soda onto the stain, working it into the carpet fibres if you can. Next, simply leave the spot to be for a day and let the baking soda absorb the liquid. Then simply vacuum the spot the next day. The spot will be as good as new and fresh in no time.
Vinegar can help to create extremely effective solutions to clear off your dog’s nose prints on glass, or to repair scratches on doors and frames. For example, wiping off paw prints immediately may not always be feasible. So when dealing with dried up nose prints on the window of your home or car, simply create a mixture of equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle, then spray away and clean. When it comes to remedying scratches, simply create a mixture of 3 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar, then rub this concoction into the scratches for a quick and easy repair.
Additionally, with collars often being a breeding ground for odours and bacteria that stink, vinegar can be used to alleviate the issue. Simply remove the collar and soak it in boiling water with a little vinegar and lemon juice added, then place it out in the sun to dry.
Hack 5: Deodorisers
Sometimes, dogs get into things they shouldn’t outside and may end up bringing unpleasant smells back into your home. If you’re looking for solutions to this issue, you can consider using deodorisers, which can be spritzed directly on your dog (not in the face of course), and help to eliminate rather than mask those smells. Or maybe, it’s time for an appointment at The Pup Life Grooming!
