Having a pet is an absolute joy… and often a mess! They are some of the best friends you could ever ask for, but DANG do they love to make messed wherever they can! Thankfully, most messes are only temporary, especially if you use some sneaky tricks to make sure that it’s like they never happened. We collected a few of the best ones we could find, so check them out!
1. Lavender on everything
The essential oil lavender has some awesome uses for the pet-parents out there. With a few drops, you can keep away doggy smell with a few drops on the shoulder blades, and it can also help keep ticks and fleas away. You can also mix it with water and spray it in the car or on cushions to git rid of smells.
2. Digging deterrent
Does your dog dig in spots they aren’t supposed to? Well, since dogs are sensitive to citrus (too intense for their noses), scatter some orange or lemon peels around the area you don’t want them to dig. It also helps their paws to stay clean if they aren’t digging!
3. Litter-tray hack
Litter boxes smell bad; we get that. Next time, try sprinkling a thin layer of baking soda on top of the liter to help neutralize odors between changing. The soda absorbs most of the smells that we aren’t fans of.
4. Lint-rolling regular
This is a pretty common hack, but we’d figure we’d share it anyways. A lint roller can take off pet hair on more than just black shirts! You can wipe it across furniture, pet beds, and more! You can also keep a small one with you for emergencies.
5. Pee cleaner
You don’t own a pet if they haven’t left you a yellow gift in the house somewhere. There is an easy home-remedy to helping get the stain AND smell out. Mix equal parts water and vinegar (total of 4 cups, roughly), and add four heaping teaspoons of baking soda. Shake it up in a bottle and spray the area after you blot it. Leave for 10 minutes, then wipe again.
6. Reed diffusers
If you don’t know what a reed diffuser is, it’s those wooden sticks you see in jars at people’s houses. The incense climbs up the reed through capillary action and diffuses into the air. It’s great for pet smells and deodorizing.
7. Easy pet bowl cleaning
This may sound a bit weird, but misting some low-fat cooking spray onto the empty bowl keeps things slick. If your dog presses hard into the food while eating, you know just how stuck it can become. This helps the food release so you can just rinse and pop into the dishwasher.
8. Nail trimming
This one may sound funny, but keeping your pup’s nails trimmed is an easy way to keep things clean around the house. They can damage the hardwoods, pulling up threads, and scratching leather. With a regular trim, you can ensure things aren’t damaged over time from the pooch.
9. Automatic vacuum
If you have a pet and have a little extra money to splurge on an automatic vacuum, it’s totally worth it. A Roomba or some similar brand is sure to pick up all the pet hair that will inevitably accumulate all around the house. If you have hardwoods, you know how much hair can pile up around the hard surfaces.
10. Food trays
A neat little trick to catch loose food and water is to slip a tray under the bowls that your pets eat out of! Instead of having to sweep after every mealtime, you can simply dump the crumbs from the tray into the trash without any extra cleanup!
11. Prepare in advance
Dogs WILL track mud and dirt into your home, there isn’t a way to avoid it totally. The simplest trick to *ahem* stop it at the door, is to keep a bucket of water and a towel at the door. Before you let them in, dip their paw in the water and give it a quick wipe with the towel to remove most of the dirt!
12. A bit shocking
If you have a pet that can’t resist chewing on cables, you are in luck. They have created chew-resistant electrical cables and coverings that you can slip over most cords to stop them from gnawing on them! Better safe than sorry with this one, or your dog may be in for a bit of a shock!
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