If anyone can tell you how to clean after pets it’s me. I feel as though my life evolves around cleaning up after Bella and Charlotte (incase you’re new around here they are our two Great Danes). On a normal day one is tracking mud across the floors while the other one is dripping water from their cheeks after slurping from their dog bowl- or possibly the toilet. So today I am teaming up with Bona to give you all my tips on how to keep your house and floors clean with dogs and pets- starring Bella and Charlotte doing what they do best.
Having pets definitely adds to your normal everyday chore list but I would not trade a forever clean house for these two. They are worth the dog hair, the mud, and the toilet water. But having a clean house is very important to me. If you come over to my house it will be very obvious we have dogs because they are our welcoming committee. What I don’t want is it to be obvious because you smell dog or see traces of our dirty but cute inhabitants. So I have 5 simple step to keeping my house fresh and clean with dogs.
1. Vacuum: I vacuum daily! I have a very neutral home with dark hardwood floors. The amount of hair that accumulates from two dogs over 100 pounds is really crazy. How they are not bald I do not know.
2. Get a good quick and easy mop: I absolutely love my new Bona Premium Spray Mop. Bona sent me their Premium Spray Mop & Hardwood Floor Cleaner and I have to say it’s pretty amazing! I have been using their Microfiber Mop for years where I would spray the cleaner on the floor and then mop. But this spray mop is my new secret weapon for keeping up with my two little dirt devils.
Here are some features that I love about this particular mop:
Bigger is BETTER: it has the largest plate in the industry. A 16.75” mop makes for a FAST and easy cleaning experience.
EFFICACY: It combines the Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner and the Bona Microfiber Cleaning Pad in ONE easy to use device to provide quick, easy, and efficient cleaning. Pull the easy lever, the cleaner sprays across your floors, and you mop. Wam-Bam-DONE.
Powerful WASHABLE pad: It features a unique design with dual zone cleaning action. The dark blue outer fibers break up grime while the inner light blue fiber trap and absorb all the dirt. It has 2.5x more absorbency than Bona’s previous pads.
Storability: The retractable handle and hook allows for easy storage. It is also very simple and easy to assemble.
Refillable: Every mop comes standard with a full-size cartridge of cleaner. The next generation Spray mop comes with a sturdy bag in bottle cartridge design with a wider opening and a flat bottom making it easy to refill. So you are producing less waste.
Versatile: You can use the Spray Mop with the whole suite of Bona cleaners. Did you know they have a formula made specially for tile and laminate?? I use it on the floors in our camper- I use and stand behind both formulas. So remember Bona is not limited to just hardwood floors even though that is our area of focus in my home. Make sure you are using the correct formula for your specific floor material.
I found the BEST PRICE on the Bona Spray Mop- CLICK HERE.
3. Wipe their paws: On rainy days I keep an old towel by the door and wipe their paws off when they come inside. I also cover my door rug with an old towel. The goal is the get as much wetness and mud off before they track it everywhere. I also place old sheets over my furniture on extra nasty days to help prevent cleaning mud from fabric.
4. Wash Bedding and toys regularly: Although this sounds like a basic tip how long as it been since you washed your pets toys? Gross right?! I try to do this every other week. Toys, beds, blankets, and bedding are scent traps and can leave your house smelling like a kennel. Beds, blankets, and bedding trap scents and oils from their hair and skin. And their toys are covered in slobber- dirty dog breath slobber. Wash them!
5. Bath them regularly: Give them babies a bath. Different breeds have different grooming requirements but all dogs/pets need regular routine grooming. A fun bath tip that I use is putting peanut-butter on the wall in the shower. Keeps them occupied and hopefully prevents a jail break aka your wet soap covered dog running from you around your house.
Thank you so much for stopping by and reading and thank you Bona for sponsoring this post and allowing me to share something I stand behind and love. I truly hope this helps those of you who might be struggling with keeping your house clean with pets. Trust me I feel ya! Do you have dogs/pets? If so what are some of your tips for keeping your house clean?
With love,
Outtake: Craziness behind these photos. It also takes a village to photograph the pups.