For anyone who loves their pet, you know just how much these darlings can lighten up our home and bring joy to our lives. But for anyone who owns a pet, you also, unfortunately, know just how much they can stench up your place and bring chaos into your house. Lucky for the average homeowner, it only takes the work of 15 minutes to keep your home smelling fresh as daisies, here’s how…
Make a Clean Sweep
Your first order of business should be to sweep—or vacuum—after your pets. The furrier the pet, the more likely they’ll carry dust and debris from the outside into your home. Not only does dust pile up, but it can also have a plethora of bacteria and germs tagging along, making your home a veritable breeding ground for microscopic menaces.
Science supports this too, with a recent study from North Carolina State University, VetStreet.com reports, saying that homes with pets (particularly dogs) carry more bacteria and types of bacteria than pet-less homes.
The first step to clearing your home of pet smells is to literally clean up after their tracks. Vacuum every day, and be sure to equip yourself with the right attachments. In particular, pay attention to the floors, baseboards, carpets and mats, furniture like couches and chairs, cushions, and generally wherever your pet spends the most time in.
Even if you don’t do a full spring clean vacuuming, getting rid of this debris everyday goes a long way in clearing your house, of the grime and smells your pet carries.
Enzyme Cleaner is Your Best Friend
Who would want their homes smelling like Eu de Animal Droppings?
It’s a no-brainer to clean up after your pets the moment they finish making their mess, but some messes are easier to clean than others, and some messes are easier to overlook than others. But even if your pet goes in their litter box, or has a specific spot in the yard, you shouldn’t leave the cleaning for later because that is precisely how odour (and bacteria!) accumulates and worsens.
Scoop up your pet’s mess and immediately deposit them in a covered landfill (this, of course, goes without saying that if you don’t have a landfill, it would be prudent to dig one up or get a large enough pot for this purpose). Wipe down their puddles until the area is completely dry. Then once you no longer see any traces of what they did, the real work begins.
Use an enzyme cleaner to get rid of the invisible traces. For more recent messes, wipe down the area with copious amounts of water, and allow it to dry somewhat. Afterwards, liberally spray the spot with a liquid enzymatic cleaner to not only get rid of the lingering odour but also to destroy the remaining organic materials that would allow infestation and odour to worsen over time. For older messes, leave the enzyme cleaner on for longer. A good estimate should be around 30 minutes, or when the cleaner has mostly evaporated. Afterwards, blot out the remains with a dry, clean cloth or blow dry the spot.
It is important to use an enzyme cleaner and not just regular soap, as the former has properties that will break down the proteins in urine, faeces, vomit, and biological waste that a regular cleaner cannot. This particular practice is also used by veterinary clinics and hospitals and is guaranteed effective by experts.
Bust Out the Baking Soda
Baking soda is a true wonder of the kitchen. Its wide range of uses, from food prep to clean up, should make it a staple in your home. For pet-odour-eliminating purposes, open a box of baking soda and leave it close to your pet’s haunts, making sure to keep it well out of their reach. The baking soda will snatch up the stench right out of air and leave your pet-favourite spaces smelling significantly better. Also, find time to sprinkle your carpets and other fabric surfaces with baking soda and allow it to sit overnight for maximum effect. Vacuum it up the next day.
But remember: the baking soda you put out to soak up pet smells should not be the baking soda you’d throw into your cake. In addition, a goodly amount of the powder is needed for this trick to work, so simply sprinkling a mound near your pet’s spot isn’t going to cut it. Leave an entire box open, making sure to replace it frequently, like once every month or when you notice the smell is becoming stronger again.
Clean with Vinegar
For hard surfaces like floors or countertops, a vinegar solution is your best bet. Fill a spray bottle with pure vinegar then apply to the surface. Do NOT wipe it off; allow the vinegar to soak through and evaporate on its own to take away the persistent odours with it.
Clean litter boxes or cages with this solution, too. After emptying the box of all dry waste, scrub it first with soap and water, then pour vinegar onto the box and allow it to rest for about half an hour. Afterwards, scrub it again with soap and water, rinse carefully, and air dry. If the smells remain, consider the enzyme cleaner option.
As a bonus: once you’ve refilled the box with fresh litter, sprinkle baking soda as well so as to absorb the incoming smells.
Have a Pet Wash Day
Pet Wash Day should be the one day of the week where you wash everything pet-related: from their beds, to their chew toys, to pet-smelling carpets and furniture, to your pet themselves. Of course, you don’t have to do all of this in one sitting, but the key is to commit a good amount of time into this so you don’t rush the process and still have the smells linger after you’re done.
Bring in the Professionals
Unfortunately, not all situations can be salvaged with a DIY, and animal stench can really get out of hand. In this case, it is best to leave this to the professionals, not only so your home can be cleaner, but also to make it safer and healthier for all its occupants. After all, bad odours mean bad microorganisms are also lurking about, and you certainly don’t want your house to be a breeding ground for diseases.
Pristine Home can make your home a cleaner and safer place to be, both for you and your pets. Not only this but given how hectic everyday life can be, hiring professionals to do this for you saves you a great deal in time and effort, that you can instead spend together with your animal babies. After all, at the end of a long, hard day at work or in the office, nothing quite beats simply snuggling and bonding with your beloved pets.
