Keeping an indoor pet, especially a puppy, makes family life even more fun and exciting. However, pets are prone to occasional mishaps and misdeeds that can require extra work for the pet parents. To keep your home fresh and clean while caring for your pet, here are a few tips that could reduce stress and clean-up time.
Train Your Pet Completely
When you first get an inside pet, take time to thoroughly house-train it and teach it basic commands for obedience, such as “stop” or “come”. Don’t let the puppy chew on shoes or pillows. A well-trained pet is less likely to have an accident than one that is only partly trained. Be consistent in monitoring your new pet and discipline each act of disobedience. If the puppy keeps having toileting accidents, try to figure out why and correct the issue. It may be a lingering scent of urine that brings the puppy back to the same indoor spot for toileting despite being taken outside several times daily.
Use Effective Pet Cleanup Products
Shop for pet stain products that are designed to clean, sanitize, and deodorize pet stains due to toileting accidents, injuries, or illness to keep your home spotless. You may need two or more applications of the cleaning products to completely remove the stain, but keep at it to prevent your dog from establishing a habit in the same area. Read product labels to find carpet cleaner for pets & stains. Excess fur shedding may require extensive vacuuming and laundering of pet bedding along with professional furniture cleaning. Vacuum fabric-covered areas to which discarded fur clings to prevent a buildup. Flea infestations carried inside from your pet’s walks and toileting should also be managed by using products that can eliminate the fleas without harming people or pets.
Clean Accidents or Messes Promptly
You may be busy when a toileting accident occurs and not see it right away. But check periodically for such accidents so they can be cleaned immediately. When you find an accident, some experts believe it doesn’t help to scold the pet or rub his nose in it, as he might not remember having the accident and will be confused about the punishment. The sooner you can clean pet toileting accidents, the less likely they will be leave to a visible spot or scent that could bring your pet to the same area to continue toileting there. When training the puppy, make a routine evening inspection to find accidents that may have been missed during the day. It helps to crate a puppy at night so he can’t wander around and have accidents, but he will need to be toileted every couple of hours until he is older and well trained.
Deodorize Your Home
House smells are inevitable especially when you have pets. The key to a spotless and fresh smelling home are regular house cleaning routine and properly removing bad odors. To deodorize your home, avoid masking the odors like using your favorite air spray perfume or candle warmer. Instead, make sure the whole place is spic and span first like what we have discussed earlier. Next is to get odor absorber or eliminators like air purifiers or plants that can purify the air. Lastly, keep air fresheners and perfumes to add a nice smell to your spotless home.
Hide Temptation
Although a perfectly-trained animal can ignore or resist temptation, make things easier on your new pup. Hide or place out of the puppy’s reach the kids’ toys, newspapers, magazines, or other chewable items that may tempt the puppy to make a mess. Avoid setting potted plants on the floor for the same reason at least until the puppy is fully house-trained to be toileted outdoors. If you see the pet sniffing around where he shouldn’t be, call him away from the area and block it off or clean it carefully to keep your pet away from there.
Provide Frequent Toileting Breaks
Puppies in particular need frequent toileting breaks, as their small organs cannot hold much before the toileting urge is felt. Small puppies that are only a few weeks old may need to go outside for toileting every hour or two at first until they are old enough to hold their bowel movements and urine. Try to develop a schedule of taking your pet outside around the same time each day, which will help with house training. If you use indoor toileting pads for your pet, keep them in the same spot for consistency.
Pets bring love and companionship into our lives. Occasionally, they also bring a little extra cleaning work. Most will agree they are worth it. Train your pet well, clean up messes pronto, and use products that are made specifically for pet cleanups so you can enjoy your spotless and fresh home while living with your furry family member.
