As a pet pawrent, one of your biggest concerns is probably to ensure that your house doesn’t smell like a pet toilet or closet. If your dog is properly house trained, they most likely won’t be leaving pee and poo presents indoors; and there are also ways to reduce the odour of a cat litter tray. But pets and their paraphernalia do need to be cleaned and maintained to keep your house smelling clean and fresh all year ‘round.
Cleaning your pets’ feeding bowls
Imagine the agony of having to eat from the same dirty dish EVERY DAY! Disgusting, right? Your pets feel the same way. Cleaning their food and water bowls is essential because they store some of the most harmful bacteria. With regular cleaning, you can ensure that your pets are protected against these pathogens.
Clean their feeding bowls with warm water and a mild detergent. You can either hand wash your pets’ bowls with the daily dishes or place them in the dishwasher alongside your own. Do not add bleach (even in small amounts) when cleaning their feeding bowls: cats and dogs have been known to show mild to severe reactions to bleach.
Cleaning your pets’ bed and blankets
It’s important to wash your pets’ bedding at least once a week. When playing and going about their outdoor business, your pets gather a lot of dirt and bacteria, which gradually accumulates where they usually sit and sleep.
Cleaning your pets’ bed is easier if it has a slip-off cover, which you can simply hand wash or place in a washing machine with cold water and mild soap. It is important to use pet-friendly soap and detergent so that you do not irritate your pets’ skin.
For those beds and cushions that do not have slip-off covers, products such as the Animal Zone Cat Urine Odour Removal Spray and the Marltons HygienePro Fabric Deodoriser are good at removing bacteria and bad odour from pet bedding.
Cleaning their litter space
Make sure you pick up your dog’s mess every day. This will reduce the number of flies buzzing around the place and will also keep your garden looking neat and tidy. It will also reduce the chances of pet poo pathogens being brought into the house. If you’re still house-training your dog or if he needs a refresher and sometimes messes in the house, use the Simple Solution Original Training Pads to better manage and clean his toilet space.
Cats, on the other hand, will religiously use their litter boxes or designated waste spots, so it’s important to keep their waste area as clean as possible. Regularly replace the litter in the litter tray. To do this, throw the old, used litter out (chuck it in the garden if it’s biodegradable), wash and disinfect the litter box, let it dry thoroughly and then pour in new litter.
If you make use of air purifiers to get rid of the smell that is left behind by your pets’ waste, make sure to regularly replace these too.
Cleaning their apparel and accessories
As regularly as you groom and bath your pets, you should also clean their apparel and accessories such as their leads, collars and harnesses. Since they wear their collars every day, these attract dirt and bacteria. You wouldn’t wear a shirt day in and day out without washing it, so the same rule should apply to your pets’ apparel and collar.
As they go about their daily activities, your pets’ apparel and accessories accumulate a lot of dirt and shed fur, and this can lead to your pet getting sick or developing skin conditions as a reaction to the dirt and germs that they are exposed to.
Be sure to regularly wash your pets’ clothing and accessories using cold or warm water and a mild detergent. You can also use your pets’ shampoo as a detergent to wash their clothes.
Cleaning your pets’ toys
Your pets’ toys are a hub for bacteria, yeast and mould. Without thorough and regular cleaning, your pets’ toys could easily make your pet sick. It is important to take extra care of your pets’ teething and chewing toys as the bacteria carried by these toys can be harmful to them if they ingest them.
The best and most effective way to disinfect your pets’ toys is with a warm water and vinegar solution. The vinegar will kill the germs and bacteria and you need not worry about harming your pets with disinfectant chemicals such as bleach (which is very bad for pets). Rubbery toys can be placed in the dishwasher, while fabric toys can be hand washed or placed in a laundry bag in the washing machine for easy cleaning and then hung on the line to dry.
Making your house extra clean and pet-friendly is beneficial for your pets’ health and also goes a long way in protecting you from pet pathogens as well. Browse the Pet Hero Cleaning and Odour Control section to find the best safe pet cleaning products that will keep your home and your pets’ beds, toys and living spaces clean and germ-free.
