Between wet paw prints on your clean kitchen floor, plucked furniture and unmentionable mess left behind curtains, having a pet can be something of a nightmare, particularly if you are the kind of homeowner that has a place for everything and likes everything in its place. So what can you do to ensure that your family and pets cohabit peacefully?
Be prepared
Getting the place ready for your new arrival before they set a paw, fin, or wing inside your home is essential. Where will they be sleeping, eating and playing? Do they have a designated area within your home, or will they be snuggling down with the rest of you? While keeping a small mammal, fish, or bird will be relatively easy with these questions in mind, a dog or a cat might be a little more problematic.
Now is the time to create an area for them, such as dog crate in a corner or a basket in a cleared out cupboard; this will create a safe space for your new pet, as well as ensuring that mess is somewhat limited. Make sure that food and water bowls are settled onto wipe-clean mats, and use puppy pads if you are toilet training a young cat or dog. Also try to always keep mats by your doors so that humans and animals can wipe their feet when they re-enter the house after a muddy walk; having a dedicated towel to hand can also be a good idea as it will stop soggy feet in their tracks.
Cleaning tips
There are dozens of products on the market, but keeping your home clean needn’t mean spending a fortune on separate lotions, potions and spray bottles. Lemon juice, gentle detergent and baking powder, as well as water and a soft sponge are fantastic when it comes to eradicating pongs, cleaning spills and wiping down surfaces. If you don’t have a lint roller, simply rub particularly furry areas with a damp cloth to clump the hair, or use sticky tape – perfect!
Maintaining a pest-free home
Regularly vacuuming your home is not only good for collecting fur, discarded pet food or shredded bedding. Bugs and beasties that may enter your home on a dog or cat’s fur can be discouraged or even eradicated if you’re regularly clearing the areas in which eggs are likely to be laid; this includes carpeted areas, heavy curtains and around the bases of furniture. Of course, one of the best ways to keep your home pest-free is buy flea tablets for your dog and also invest in wormers, as well as checking for ticks and creepy crawlies after you have been for a walk. Flea sprays and powders can be applied to problem areas too, so it is important not to be disheartened if you do discover a tiny pest amongst your pet’s fur; it happens to all of us, and a good awareness of cleanliness is the best way forward.
Whether it’s a dog, a couple of cats, a hamster or two or a tank filled with fish, having a pet in your home can bring endless enjoyment and companionship as well as helping you to relax after a long day at work. What happens though when you begin to realise just how much mess your new pet is bound to create? Does even thinking about pet hair and spilled food make your blood run cold? The good news is that bringing a new animal into your home doesn’t need to involve overhauling your cleaning routine or even learning new habits – it’s simply time to get a little more organised.