How To Clean Up 5 Common Pet Messes In Your Home

Our pets are part of our family. We enjoy playing with them, cuddling with them, and they are the perfect companions. But sometimes, life with our furry friends can get a little messy. What are the best ways to remove pet hair or to remove pet stains from your home? We’ve got some tips just for you.

Pet Hair

As any pet parent knows, pet hair can get everywhere! Whether it’s your clothes, your furniture, or your carpets, it can be frustrating when you just cannot seem to be able to remove all the pet hair from your home.

A rubber broom will be your best friend. These brooms are perfect at collecting pet hair. Use a rubber broom to collect as much pet hair as possible and then it is time to vacuum. A vacuum cleaner designed specifically for pet hair will be able to pick up more hair than a regular vacuum, and will come with special features, like a turbo feature and a rubber nozzle.

To reduce the shedding of pet hair, it is a good idea to always give your pet plenty of brushing and bathing, which will help with the amount of pet hair all over your home. Giving them a designated area will also help.

Pet Urine

Pet urine is one of the nastier pet odors. They’re hard to spot and can be harder to clean up. This useful guide on all things pet odor helps you tackle some of the most nasty pet odors.

Whether you are working on housebreaking your pet or they just had an accident, pet urine happens to every household with a pet. It is best to clean it up as soon as possible, because as it breaks down, it becomes smellier. 

An enzyme based cleaner, made specifically for this, will help to remove any stains or smells. These precuts are made specifically to break down the urine to eliminate stains and smells and will leave your home smelling fresh in no time.

If you can smell the urine, but are not sure where it is hiding, investing in a black light is a good option. These handheld devices only cost a few dollars and will help you hone in on the source of the smell by using UV light.

Pet Feces

Sometimes, even to the most well trained pet, accidents happen. If you find pet feces, scoop up as much of it as possible. If the stain is hard to remove, use a damp paper towel and pinch the carpet fibers to pick as much as you can.

Next, you will want to apply an enzyme based cleaning solution. These solutions will break down the smell and lift the stain. Make sure that you do not rub the carpet, as rubbing will push the mess further into the carpet. Instead, dab on the stain with a paper towel.

You may have to apply the solution more than once, and keep dabbing at the stain until you can no longer see it. Once the stain is gone, use a sponge to rinse with cold water and blot dry.

Pet Vomit

If your pet gets sick, try to pick up as much as possible with a paper towel. Then sprinkle on cornstarch or baking soda to soak up any excess. After the powder has soaked it up for about 10-15 minutes, vacuum up the mess.

Then you should apply an enzyme based cleaning solution. Use a clean cloth or paper towel to blot the stain until the solution has been absorbed. Once the solution has had time to soak, use a wet/dry vacuum to clean up the mess.

Pet Odor

As much as we love our pets, they do get a little stinky sometimes, which can stink up your home! To eliminate pet odors in your home, allow for air ventilation. When possible, open your home’s windows to let in some fresh air. Also, try to keep your home dry as opposed to humid, because humidity can make the odor worse.

Make your home as pet friendly as possible. Design a dedicated sleeping area and clean the sleeping area often. Wash the bedding or blankets that they use in warm or hot cycles in the washer.

Avoid using fragrances or essential oils, because some can be harmful for pets. Even just a few drops of essential oil can be dangerous, so it is best to keep essential oils and fragrance away from our pets. 

Giving your pet a bath and using a pet friendly shampoo and/or perfume or baby powder (which can be found at your local pet store) can make your pet smell fresh and clean in no time!

Cleaning up after pets is the least fun part of having them. But if you keep a steady pace, clean up the mess as they occur, it would become less overwhelming. If you wait till the stains set in and the smell gets intolerable, then you’ll dread the cleaning even more.  

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About the Author: Ori Yen has a health obsession with keeping both her pets and home clean and tidy. She shares more advice on pet behavior, pet care and cleaning tips on the blog Clean Pet Club.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay