If you have a pet, studies show that you’re far happier than those without pets. Yay, your life’s paw-some!

But having a pet also means getting stains on your carpet, seeing balls of hair on your sofas and cushions, and always having toys lying all over your living room.

If you’re someone who already has a pet or who is planning to welcome one into your life, here are 10 secrets to having pets and a clean home, yes, both at the same time.

1. Always keep a stain remover in handy

You may have spent a lot of time toilet training your cat, dog, rabbit, or even a bird, but sometimes accidents happen. Your pet may have eaten something they shouldn’t have or they have a stomach bug. These vomit and urine stains are tough to clean. That’s where a stain remover comes in handy.

As pet urine is strong and the uric acid often lingers, it’s better to clean it thoroughly as soon as possible. First things first, blot up the excess urine. Then make use of the stain remover. Stock up on a stain remover that contains enzymes that neutralize the uric acid.

What if you ran out of the solution? Oops, no worries. Here are 2 DIY solutions you can try out:

• If you have foam-based shaving cream, spray the stain with it, let it foam a bit, and wipe with warm water.
• If you have white vinegar, mix one cup of white vinegar with one cup of water and two teaspoons of baking soda.

2. Clean your pet’s paws before they enter the house

Your pet loves playing in the park and in those muddy puddles. That may be fun to watch. After all, who doesn’t like seeing a dog jumping about wagging its tail?

But having your pet enter with those dirty paws would mean stains on the carpet, on the floor, and the sofa. Just think how many hours you’d have to spend scrubbing all those things.

Instead, clean your pet’s paws before they enter the house.

Another solution is to invest in washable rugs and doormats. Keep a doormat near your home’s exterior doors and ensure these doormats soak away water and dirt. You can also have double protection and a washable bathmat that’s really absorbent on the inside of your house.

This way, your pet just has to walk in and most of the dirt and debris will be taken off. When these mats get too dirty, just pop them in your laundry.

3. Invest in latex gloves

You may be thinking of investing in a lint brush. While it does clear off all your pet hair from your sofas, cushions, and carpets, cleaning that brush is a headache. Instead, buy a pair of latex gloves and simply rub your hands along your furniture and car interior to get rid of pet hair. It actually does work!

The fur comes on the gloves and cleaning the gloves is a breeze — you just have to place your gloved hands under the tap and the water will clean the fur off.

4. Have an automatic vacuum

Does it ever feel that you are just done vacuuming and it’s time to vacuum again? This can be the case even if you have a non-shedding pet. And it’s not just the fur that the vacuum cleaner gets rid of, it’s the dirt, debris, pet dander, and the leaves your pet brought in while rolling over in the park.

An automatic vacuum moves throughout your home consistently and gets all your work done. It’s the best investment for those of you who like having a clean house but hardly have the time to vacuum the floors every day.

5. Groom your pets regularly

While it is not a healthy practice to bathe your pet every week or so, especially if you have a dog, you can create a grooming schedule that keeps your pet clean and healthy.

For example, giving your pet a proper bath every four weeks or so with pet shampoo, brushing your pet regularly to keep its fur clean, and removing excess hair. Wash off your dog or cat’s paws often to ensure they are clean.

This makes sure your pet is clean and so is your home.

6. Regularly clean your pet’s things

Whether it is your bird’s cage, cat’s or dog’s bedding, fish’s tank, or any small pet’s enclosure, you need to regularly clean these things. Dirty cages can make your home smell bad and they may also have a build-up of germs and bacteria that could result in infection or disease for your pets. A dirty cage and bedding will even cause discomfort to your pets.

If you have fish, cleaning the tank once in a while is a good idea. These tanks can smell dirty and even be a potential health hazard for your fish if not cleaned often.

Other things you need to keep clean are your pet’s toys, their food bowls, and even pet leads.

Pro-tip: Clean your pet’s bedding on a sunny day so that you can put them to dry in the sun. This will take the bad smell away.

7. Let in fresh air

Many people make use of certain essential oils to get rid of pet smells but some of these oils can be hazardous for pets, especially those who are particularly sensitive to strong smells. The best way is to let in the fresh air, especially in the mornings by opening your windows. This deodorizes your home naturally and it doesn’t impact your pet’s health in a bad way too.

8. Give pedicures to your pets

Do you have pets with really long nails? If yes, you might see scratched leather, punctured upholstery, or long nail marks on your wooden floors. That’s why it’s so important to regularly cut your pet’s nails. Here’s a guide on how you can do just that and keep your home’s surfaces new and shiny.

9. Have a fixed place to keep your pet’s toys

Every time you go to a pet store, you can’t help but buy new toys for your pet. These toys keep accumulating and suddenly, you find these toys lying everywhere in your house.

Instead, buy a toy box or storage essentials where you can keep all these toys in one place. This will reduce the clutter lying around your home. And guess what? When you have a fixed place for pet toys, you can even train your pet to drop their toys in the box.

10. Hire a cleaning service to deep clean your home

You may have an automatic vacuum or latex gloves to keep your house clean. But there will always be some spots that you miss or some tough stains that won’t go away. Your home may require deep cleaning at least every month when you have a pet so that there’s no growth of bacteria or unwanted smell clouding your home.

Doing this deep cleaning by yourself means scheduling a lot of time away from work, family, and playing with your pets. Instead, let the experts handle this responsibility. They will clean every problematic area in your house and before you know it, you’ll have a spotless house from top to bottom.

Book your deep cleaning service today at Homero and have a clean home for you and your pet.