Daily hygiene is an important part of human life. When it comes to cleaning the house and making it a refreshing, livable space for your family, one is always ahead of the game. Similar is the case with pets. It’s important that you don’t forget to take care of your furry friends as well. They’re just as important as the rest of your human family members and deserve as much care.
There are many tips and tricks you can use to make your pet’s lifestyle as hygienic as possible. From eco-friendly cleaners that will save you time and money to DIY hacks, there’s a lot of stuff you can educate yourself in. It’s also quite important to know just how often you need to clean their toys, beds and things like that. So further, we’ll be taking a look at how you can do so with ease.
1. When it’s time to toss it in the wash
If you’re new to this whole taking-care-of-a-pet thing, the first thing you’ll need to know about is when it’s time to toss their bedding and sheets in the wash. It’s no secret that our furry friends shed a lot of hair they also tend to smell if not regularly bathed. So, by keeping these two factors in mind, you can easily determine when to toss their stuff in the wash; when it starts smelling, and when it’s accumulated a lot of hair. By this design, it’s evident that you need to wash their bedding and other belongings at least weekly to help maintain a healthy and hygienic lifestyle for them.
2. Washing beds and recliners
Pets are just like a part of your family, but that doesn’t mean you can toss their belongings in a regular washing cycle. The first and foremost thing you need to watch out for is the hair. If you simply toss the bed in a wash, the hair will never fully get out, and become a stubborn part of the fabric.
So, first of all, before dampening the bed, you need to remove all visible hair with a lint brush. You’ll notice that no matter how hard you brush, there’s still some hair stuck to the fabric. To take that out, you have to put the bedding and sheets through a 10-minute heat-free tumble dry in your dryer. It will loosen up all that extra hair so you can easily remove it and put it in the washer. After that, you can soak the bedding in hot water and wash it with perfume-free detergent. Hot water is good for disinfecting but always check the label for the highest water temperature you can wash it in.
3. Washing all the toys
Typically, pets either play with rubber/plastic or plush toys. Both have very different cleaning routines so buckle up and take a look:
- Rubber/plastic toys: Such toys are relatively easy to clean because you can usually pile them in together. To start off, you’ll need to fill a vat with one part water and one part distilled white vinegar. After that, you can soak all the rubber/plastic toys in this mixture, scrub accordingly, soak in simple water and let dry.
- Plushies: Plush toys can either be hand or machine washed, but first you’ll need to brush off all the hair once again. If you’re using the machine wash, make sure to use the gentle cycle so you don’t end up damaging them.
4. Cat climbers
Cats are energetic creatures and so, having a cat climber in your home is a necessity if you want to keep them satisfied. However, these climbers may seem like a daunting object to clean. But the thing is, if you follow some routine steps, it can become an easy task. First off, you’ll need to vacuum away all that stubborn hair. Then it’s time to break out the warm water and mild, un-perfumed laundry detergent.
You’ll have to scrub the carpeted areas with a cloth or scrub brush dipped in the water-detergent mixture. Then keep it up after with a simple damp cloth to ease out all the soap. Leave it to air-dry after.
5. Sanitizing the litter box
Litter boxes need to be regularly cleaned and sanitized because cat/dog feces can be a health risk for your family. To clean your pet’s litter box, you’ll first need to remove all the sand, then scrub it with warm water and mild un-perfumed detergent that doesn’t leave any chemical residue. Wash it off, let it dry and fill the litter with clean sand. Make sure you’re wearing a disposable mask and gloves while cleaning.
6. Food and water dishes
You don’t reuse dirty dishes to eat your next meal, right? Similar is the case with pets. Their food and water dishes need to be washed daily for them to remain healthy. Bacteria grows quite quickly in food/water bowls, so it’s important that you take care of them regularly. They’re easy to clean with dishwashers, but if that doesn’t sound appealing, you can definitely handwash them with warm water and mild dish soap.
Taking care of pets is a hard job almost like taking care of small children. So, if you’re a busy person with barely enough time to keep up with life, then it’s worth looking into the benefits of hiring a professional cleaning service especially if you have pets to care of. That said, we hope some of these tips can help you take care of your furry friends more easily.
This post was written by Anita Edwards
Anita Edwards is a professional writer and editor. She works as blog editor at Spekless, where she shares her own and her colleagues’ tips for cleaning. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and going on day trips with her children.
