Most dog owners claim that their happiness quotient has increased after becoming dog owners. But how many of them can honestly say that their home has become more appealing after getting the dog?
If you are a pet owner, you must already be aware of the fact that dogs can create a lot of mess in the house.
Maintaining a clean and neat house when you have a pet is a lot of work. But if you are someone who cannot live in a cluttered environment, avoiding a pet is not your only option.
Our home organization experts have listed a few tips below to help keep your home clutter free even when you live with a messy dog.
1. Make Rules for the Dog Since Day One
When you get a puppy home, it looks cute when they try to get on your furniture or reach out for a snack on the kitchen counter. But you have to keep in mind that dogs grow really fast.
If you do not take these behavior issues seriously, it ingrains their minds. They understand it is ok to do so because you have no objection.
As the dog grows bigger, all these cute activities suddenly become the reason for the mess in the house. But training your dog at this point becomes trickier because suddenly changing rules will confuse the pet. Hence, creating a list of rules is essential even before you get the dog home.
You have to implement these rules from day one, such as having no access to the kitchen, not jumping to take food from the countertop, and not chewing any of your furniture.
When the dog learns all these rules from day one, it helps him understand what is not appreciated. Hence, this will help to keep your home clutter-free.
2. Clean the Dog
If you wish for your home to be clean when you live with a dog, instead of just cleaning the house, you also need to focus on the dog as well. If your dog is dirty or is not washed regularly, then the mess created by the dog will obviously increase.
This is why you must brush your dog regularly to get rid of the loose hair so that it does not stick to the furniture or fall on the floor.
They shed throughout the year if you own double-coated dogs such as a Golden Retriever or Labrador Retriever. Hence, you must regularly brush them with good quality brushes to ensure your house stays cleaner.
You may assume brushing your poodle regularly is unnecessary, as it is a hypoallergenic dog breed.
Well, they may not shed as much, but dirt can get stuck to their coat. This is why brushing a poodle using the best poodle brush is also very important, to keep the dirt away from their fur and keep it tangle-free.
Also, your dog needs to be bathed at least twice a month to remove all the dirt from its fur. It is essential for the dog’s hygiene.
3. Go for Pet-Friendly Designs
When kids or pets are in the house, you have to make smart choices that make it easier to maintain the house.
You cannot opt for ultra-white furniture pieces or carpets, for example, which will obviously be high maintenance and can quickly get dirty and messed up with pets around.
Similarly, when you use too many cushions in the living room, it is bound to end up on the floor as your dog starts running around. This only increases your work. You will be arranging the cushions again and again throughout the day.
Carpeting the entire house when a dog lives there is not a very good idea. It will become filthy, and a lot of pet hair will stick to the carpet. Use carpets in certain parts of the house to add warmth and coziness.
For most parts of the house, go for floorings that are easy to maintain, such as tiles or hardwood flooring, when you have a pet in the house.
When choosing the couch’s fabric, you should select the material wisely. Choosing fabrics such as velvet attracts a lot of pet hair. It may look luxurious, but you will have to vacuum it repeatedly. Instead, go for a leatherette couch on which pet hair does not stick and is extremely easy to clean.
4. Steer Clear of the Tail
When you have a large breed happy dog at home with a waggy tail, you need to keep everything at a level higher than the dog’s height.
If the height of the console table or the TV unit is low, the decor items on it may fall on the ground with your dog’s wagging tail. When the dog is really happy and does its happy dance, it can easily knock over things with its strong wagging tail.
Hence, consider the placement of the items in your house based on the reachability of the dog. Considering these minor aspects while designing your home can help easily maintain the house, even with a pet.
5. Invest in a Good Vacuum Cleaner
You cannot skimp on purchasing good quality vacuum cleaners when you live with pets. Their hair, dander, and dirt can easily create a lot of mess in the house. A powerful vacuum cleaner can remove fur and effectively clean the house.
The frequency of vacuuming your house when you live with the pet increases a lot. Thanks to technology, you can invest in a good quality robot vacuum cleaner that can clean for you. You just need to set the time when you wish your house to be cleaned, and the vacuum cleaner automatically does it for you.
The advanced robot vacuum cleaner also comes with a mopping feature, which can be handy with pets in the house.
With pets in the home, your furniture also can get dirty as their fur starts sticking everywhere. This is why you should also invest in a good handheld vacuum cleaner that can be accessed quickly, is light, and can quickly help you clean a few areas other than the floor.
The Bottom Line
Do not give up on a clean and clutter-free home. Even if you have a dog. Work on the design of the house and make it more pet-friendly along with training your dog to avoid creating a mess in the first place to enjoy a tranquil, clean, and clutter-free home.
