How to Keep Your House Clean When You Have Pets

How to Keep Your House Clean When You Have…

June 8, 2022July 2, 2022
by ruthmacpete

Spring may be over, but that doesn’t mean you’re done cleaning, especially if you have pets. Pets are cute but they can be messy. Whether it’s endless shedding, litter tracked everywhere, or a trail of muddy pawprints, they seem to leave a mess wherever they go. Thankfully, having a pet doesn’t have to be a never-ending chore. Here are some ways to minimize the mess and keep your house neat and clean.

Pet Hair
With the exception of a few breeds, like poodles, Sphynx cats, and hairless dogs, all dogs and cats shed, some more so than others. Although you can’t stop your pet from shedding, you can get the upper hand with a game-changing tool like the new Dyson Ball™ Animal 3 vacuum. The Dyson Ball™ Animal 3 was specifically designed with pet parents in mind. It’s engineered to drive deep into carpet fibers to capture dust, animal hair and ground-in dirt, and features advanced detangling brush bar technology to remove hair from the brush bar to maintain vacuum efficiency. It even includes a Pet Groom Tool, designed to remove your pet’s loose hairs and pet dander. If you prefer a cordless machine, the new Dyson Outsize +™ has the capacity of an upright vacuum, plus the freedom of cordless versatility with a laser cleaner head that reveals all those pesky hairballs floating across your floor.

Litter
Litter can be messy and smelly! To make kitty clean-up easier, pick a low mess litter, like ökocat Less Mess Clumping Low-Tracking, Mini Pellets Wood Cat Litter. ökocat is all-natural, made from reclaimed wood, and contains no added synthetic chemicals, dyes or fragrances so it’s a cleaner, healthier litter for your cat and you! The low tracking formula helps keep litter in the box where it belongs. For added mess protection, use a litter mat to trap those few loose litter pellets.

Dirty Paws
If you are tired of cleaning muddy pawprints, there are a couple of things you can do to keep you floors and furniture clean. You can use doggy booties whenever your dog goes outside, especially when it is wet or muddy. After all, you would never walk all over town in your bare feet and then hop into bed? Booties keep your dog’s paws clean and can be removed at the door. Another option is to keep pet-safe wipes by the door. A quick wipe after outings will keep their paws and your home clean.

Accidents
Anyone who has pets can attest that they are often messy roommates. Whether it’s litter box accidents, hairballs, vomiting or potty issues, it is inevitable you will need to clean up after your pet sometime. Besides cleaning up the accident, it is important to use the right product. Choose a cleaning product that is safe to use around your pet and that is formulated to neutralize pet odors.

The fact is accidents are inevitable when you have pets. With Ruggable rugs, you don’t have to stress if your pet has an accident on your beautiful new rug. Ruggable rugs are the first washable rugs. They are stain and water resistant and entirely machine washable, so you can just stick your rug in the wash and voila, it’s like the accident never happened. Ruggables are available in different styles and sizes to fit your decorative tastes.

Couch Potatoes
My dogs are canine couch potatoes. The couch is “paws down” their favorite place in the house to nap. It doesn’t matter that we have a gazillion comfy and cozy dog beds strewn throughout the house, they prefer the couch. Living in a pet-friendly household, we don’t mind sharing the couch, but we do mind having our couches smell like dog. Fortunately, there is an easy solution that makes everyone happy. Paw.com makes PupProtector throw blankets to keep your pets cozy and your couch clean. PupProtector throw blankets are waterproof to protect your couch from drooling or other pet accidents, and are 100% machine washable. And they come in a variety of fashionable styles to match your décor.

Cleaning Safety
Just a word of caution regarding cleaning and pets, you need to be careful with cleaning products around your pets. Always keep them stored safely away from pets and children and remember if you clean the floor or counter, make sure it’s dry before you let your pets walk on it. Remember pets often lick their feet and can ingest any chemicals that get on their paws.

Let’s face it accidents and messes happen, especially when you have pets! But the fact is pets are family and they make our lives so much better. With the right products, cleaning up after your dog or cat doesn’t have to be a hassle, giving you more quality time to spend with your furry friend.

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Green Pet Living: How to Help Your Pets Go…

April 22, 2020
by ruthmacpete

With COVID dominating the news, it is easy to overlook that April 22nd is Earth Day. However, in many ways, COVID has directed a new spotlight on the importance of the environment. The spread of new viral diseases from wildlife to humans highlights the negative impact of deforestation, habitat loss, the illegal wildlife trade, and climate change. Likewise, stay-at-home orders have resulted in less pollution and visibly cleaner air and water. This Earth Day, besides thinking about how you can reduce your carbon footprint, think about what you can do to reduce your pet’s carbon pawprint. Here are a few simple changes you can make to ensure that your pet is living green too.

• Waste Management. Anyone who has ever had a pet knows that they create lots of waste. It is estimated that 10 million tons of waste from pets fill landfills yearly. What can be done? Instead of using plastic bags to pick up and dispose of your pet’s waste, try using recycled biodegradable pet poop bags. If you have a cat, consider switching from a clay-based litter to a biodegradable litter, such as ökocat. By switching to a biodegradable litter, you can cut down on the estimated 2 million tons of clay litter that end up in landfills. If you brave you can also try teaching your cat to use the toilet. It sounds crazy but cats can accurately be trained to use a toilet. Kits are available that help you guide your cat through the process. It may be a lot of work at first but think about never having to clean a litter box again? Now if we could just teach them to flush!

• Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute. Always pick-up after your pet and follow the backpacker’s motto of leaving only footprints. Leaving your pet’s waste behind is not only rude; it can pollute water sources when washed into the storm drains that empty into streams and lakes.

• Buy Green. Purchase pet beds, furniture and toys made from recycled or sustainable materials such as hemp. Environmentally friendly hemp can be used to make almost everything, like leashes, collars, beds and toys. Nowadays it is easy to find recycled pet products at large pet retailers all across the country.

• Buy in Bulk. Buying pet food and pet supplies in bulk not only saves money, it also conserves fuel and lowers emissions by saving you extra trips to the store. Consider buying a plastic bin to keep your pet’s food fresh. Some of the larger pet retail stores also sell litter in bulk- where you bring in your container and they fill it up. This saves packaging and also you a lot of money-as you get to buy the litter at a big discount.

• Pet Overpopulation. Make sure your pet isn’t adding to the pet over-population problem by having your pets spayed or neutered. Shelters spend millions of dollars caring for homeless pets. Be sure you aren’t contributing to this problem. Consider also donating your old towels, blankets to a nearby shelter-this helps you declutter, helps the shelter cut costs, and gives a needy pet a nice blanket to sleep on. If you have the time think about volunteering at a nearby shelter.

• Recycled Pets. If you are thinking about adding to your family think about getting a pet from the shelter. There are tons of “recycled pets” in need of a good home. While adopting one of these deserving pets may not lower emissions or save fuel, it can save a life.

One silver lining of COVID has been the realization of what we can accomplish if we work together for a common goal. In a short span of time, stay-at-home orders have produced tangible results, such as cleaner air and water. Across the globe, scientists have measured lower gas emissions and pollution levels as industries, transportation, and businesses have closed. In New York, pollution was reduced by nearly 50%, and in China, emissions fell 25% due to COVID restrictions. Although results are only short-term, they highlight what we could accomplish if we act as global citizens. This year, think about what you, and your pet can do to make our planet greener.

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Pet Essentials During the COVID-19 Pandemic

April 15, 2020August 12, 2021
by ruthmacpete

While everyone across the country is following stay-at-home orders and stocking-up on household essentials, it is important for pet parents to plan for their pets too. Buying groceries and supplies either online or at a store is challenging during COVID-19, so it is important to plan ahead and make sure you have everything your pets need. Here are the main things you should be sure to have on hand for your pets during these challenging times.

Food
There is nothing more essential than food. While there are no current shortages in pet food, COVID has impacted our typically easy access to food supplies. People are following stay-at-home orders and making fewer trips to the store. Even online shopping has been impacted as a surge in demand has overwhelmed delivery services. Pet parents should plan for these disruptions by ensuring that their pets have an enough food to last for at least two weeks. Plan ahead and don’t wait until the food is almost out.

Medications
The same principles apply to medications and supplements. While veterinary clinics remain open, it is best to minimize errands as much as possible. For critical prescription medications like insulin and heart medications, make sure you do not run-out by either ordering refills weeks in advance, or keeping a surplus supply to last a few. The same is true for medications that impact quality of life, such as flea and heart preventatives, arthritis medications, and nutritional supplements.

Litter

Fortunately for cats, toilet paper shortages do not apply to cat litter. However, running out of litter would be a disaster, especially during the quarantine. In order to avoid this messy situation, make sure to buy at least a month’s supply. Cat litter does not expire and can be stored indefinitely. Consider choosing a litter like ökocat® that is made from reclaimed wood so it is not only lightweight for easy storing but it’s a cleaner and healthier litter too.

Grooming products
With non-essential shops like barbershops and hair salons being closed, many of us are resorting to cutting and coloring our hair at home. The same holds true for pet groomers. Make sure you order grooming supplies, like clippers and scissors, and grooming products, like pet shampoo, to keep your pets clean and looking great. While it might be tempting to use your own shampoo on your pet, human shampoos can dry out your pet’s skin and coat. It is always best to use a shampoo made specifically for pets. VetDerm Solutions Super Hydrating & Conditioning Pet Shampoo is contains shea butter, aloe, oatmeal and green tea to cleanse, hydrate and soothe your pet’s skin.

Toys
The quarantine is making everyone a little cabin crazy. Although our pets are enjoying having us at home, they are missing going to the dog park and getting exercise. Besides taking your dog out for a walk, consider buying new interactive toys or chew to keep your pets engaged and busy. In pets, boredom can lead to chewy and other destructive behavior.

The COVID pandemic has been an eye-opening experience. Besides highlighting the vulnerabilities of our economy and healthcare system, it has exposed how ill-prepared most of us are for emergencies. The COVID pandemic is a good reminder to be better prepared for future emergencies, and of course, to include your pets in your plans.

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