Cleaning Up After Multiple Dogs

Today I’m going to write about how I keep my house squeaky clean, despite sharing it with my two dogs, Kitsune and Fenrir.  I know that the messes they make can be one of the major downsides people find in keeping pets.  I can understand why.  Clean homes are just more comfortable!  And dogs, especially if you don’t figure out a good cleaning schedule that works for you, can be quite messy creatures to live with.

Finding Time with a Busy Schedule

I think I wrote recently about how busy I get especially around this time of the year.  For a while now I’ve been working on a couple of different projects for work, all of which get very busy during the lead-up to the fall/winter holidays.  I’ve been taking on as many extra hours at work as I can.  For the last couple of weeks especially I’ve found it a bit of a struggle to keep up with my writing/blogging after spending so much time in front of the computer screen for work.  Of course, besides boring stuff like working and blogging, I always make sure I spend time caring for my puppy loves and my partner.  Spending dedicated time with them each day makes my heart so happy.

With all that, who has time to clean!?  But cleaning, I guess, is important too.  I always want to make sure my little pack can feel safe and comfortable in our home.  A big part of that is keeping it nice and clean.

I’ve found, especially lately, that I really have to make sure to set some time aside each week to clean.  When I don’t plan it into my schedule, I tend to get too preoccupied with doing other things while neglecting the cleaning.  Since the busy season started with work, I’ve been making a point to set a good chunk of time aside during the weekend to get some deep cleaning done.

Checklists Can Help!

It may sound lame, but I actually write myself out a “To Do” list at the beginning of each week.  It’s not only for cleaning tasks, but I write down all the rooms of my house on the list.  For some people, checking completed tasks on a list can feel satisfying, and making yourself a To Do list can help motivate you to complete tasks that you otherwise might be likely to let slide.

Check out that tail wag! <3 Kit is the cutest.

Whether it Needs it Or Not!

With multiple pets, I think the key (at least for me) is to clean things before they get to the point of really needing it!

One of my dogs in particular, Fenrir, sheds quite a bit.  I hate when I slack off on the cleaning for so long that our house gets covered in doggy fur tumbleweeds.  Cleaning up after a heavily shedding dog, especially when they’re blowing their coats, can feel a bit like trying to brush your teeth while eating Oreos!  It can certainly feel like a futile task at times.  But I find it’s much easier to vacuum, and just generally keep the house clean, when I tackle smaller messes verses letting the fur fly and waiting for the house to get really messy before I attempt to tackle it.

Cleaning this way sometimes feel pointless, because it means I’m often deep cleaning rooms that don’t feel particularly messy in the first place.  But it usually means that I get to spend less time cleaning in general.  And the house stays at a more constant level of cleanliness rather than only feeling really comfortable right after a big cleaning day.

Keep Those Dirty Dogs Clean!

One thing that I’ve always felt made a huge difference in how clean my house stays is the fact that I groom my two dogs often!  Our grooming/bath schedule has morphed a bit throughout the years.  I currently bathe Kit and Fen each every other week.  Did you know that as long as you are using high quality products, bathing your dog frequently should not dry out their fur or skin?  Besides baths, I brush my dogs often, at least a few times a week.  For Fen especially, it really cuts down on how much fur he’s shedding around the house.

Funny fact!  When I was a kid, I guess I must have met quite a few stinky dogs.  I didn’t think I was a “dog person” because I didn’t like how they smelled.  I also didn’t like petting dogs and feeling like my hands were dirty/greasy after.  I’m proud to say that there are no stinky dogs in the Paw Pack house!  And because my dogs don’t smell  like stinky dogs, neither does my home!

Besides my dogs themselves, I also make sure to keep their bedding and toys clean too.  Their toys I probably only clean once every few months, or as needed.  Their bedding, though, I usually throw in the wash once or twice a month.

Natural is Best

When cleaning, especially surfaces that my dogs have access too, I like to use mostly natural cleaners.  Vinegar and baking soda can make great, pet safe, cleaners and bonus points, they’re cheap too.  A good vacuum, rug cleaner, and steam mop are worth their weight in gold in a pet household!

Comment below!  How many pets do you have, and what’s your pet friendly cleaning routine like?  Do you have any tips I didn’t mention for how you keep your house clean with pets?