How to have a clean house with pets

Having a pet at home is a big responsibility, especially if you have kids. When we have a pet living with us we obtain many benefits (mainly emotional) but, like everything good in life, it has one drawback: your house will get dirtier.

To prevent this from happening we are going to give you some tips to keep your house clean if you are living with a dog.

More than one has backed out after deciding to adopt a dog due to the

inconvenience they consider it’s having a dog and keeping the house clean. It is true that in a home the more people you have more the dirtiest it will get, but the fact remains that if we all do our part the problem is minimized.

So do not regret the decision of adopting a dog or giving a dog to one of your kids, simply because of the cleaning.

Here’s is what you can do...

Cleaning takes a day: The saying “Do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today” is very true, so do not put off the time to clean; you have to clean daily or every second day. This will prevent dirt from accumulating and it becomes a habit once you start doing it…

Deodorize: When we enter a house one of the first things we perceive is its aroma. You don’t want your guests to notice you live with a smelly pet? It is not a good idea to fill the house with fresheners that only mask the smell with another. It is better to put in practice some of the many tricks that exist to combat this problem, like opening all windows in your home and letting the air circulate and freshen your house.

No ammonia: A big mistake we can make is to clean our house with ammonia. Don’t do this since its smell is similar to dog urine. Your dog's urine is a combination of ammonia, bacteria, hormones, nitrogen and uric acid. It's the uric acid that creates a lingering smell even after you've cleaned up after your dog. It can be especially potent when the air is humid.

Hair all over: One of the worst moments is when your dog is shedding. While you cannot stop a healthy dog from normal shedding, you can reduce the amount of hair in your home by brushing your dog regularly. Also, check with your veterinary because sometimes excessive shedding is due to health problems.

Keep dog’s belongings clean: We tend to buy our dogs lots of toys and they chew, bite and leave saliva on them. Wash your dog’s toys, blankets and bed once or twice a week.

Education: For everything in life education is essential, for housecleaning as well. Train your dog to make his needs outside. It requires a lot of patience, but if you love your dog, you’ll appreciate him even more for not giving you one more headache.

One last tip, be patient. "Do not forget that when you're living with a dog, you have an animal, so do not forget their limitations."