Cleaning Dog Messes and Other CATastrophies
Stephen and I decided when we got married that we won’t have any pets until our children are a bit older. The reason for this is that we want to learn how to be a good spouses to each other, then learn how to be good parents. If we get a dog before we have a baby, I will feel like I am putting my child at a risk and I won’t feel at ease to give the pet away either. So why am I writing about cleaning pet messes? Funny story!
Our friends went for a holiday and had this Jack Russell dog and a 2 year-old cat – Joe and Alice. I love these two. They were always so sweet when we went to visit and for this reason we offered our “services” when our dear friends left for their romantic trip to Brisbane. So here is what I learned from having pets for a whole week!
1. A clean dog means a clean carpet. Every time you take your dog for a walk, make sure you have thoroughly cleaned it and washed his paws before you let it inside. This will ensure the good looks and the cleanliness of your carpets.Dirty paws spread germs, bacteria and dirt all over the place! What we did is, whenever we took the dog for a walk, we had a bucket of water ready at the doorsteps of our door. We gently washed the paws of our Joe and, dried them with an old towel and let him run inside.
2. Because the cat is a bit hairy, we had to take it out on our balcony every other day and brush her hair. She was used to it, because her owners do that regularly, so that was pretty easy.
3. We vacuum cleaned everyday. Stephen has asthma, and therefore we had to vacuum clean and wipe the floors and the sofa everyday. I also sprinkled some baking soda on the carpets to keep them dry and fresh. Baking soda neutralizes nasty odours and absorbs excessive moisture, which prevents dust mites. You could also use some vinegar to wash the carpet – it kills germs, bacteria and neutralizes the pet odour in an instant.
4. Make sure you close the doors and windows. We were afraid that one of our fluffy new friends might try to go back to its home earlier, so we had to make sure we close all doors and windows. After all, we were given the cat and dog to take care of them and not to lose them.
5. Wash the feeding bowls after each use. Don’t use harsh cleaners though. Animals are more sensitive to chemicals. We made a mix of baking soda and water and washed the bowls in it. It is perfectly safe, cheap and does the job perfectly.
6. Cleaning cat vomit. EWWW! I know! But it happens. Apparently the new place affected our sweet cat and she vomited on the hardwood flooring in our bedroom. Cat vomit needs to be cleaned immediately after it occurs. It smells horribly and is unhealthy. In addition, we didn’t wanted it soak in our hardwood, so without much water, we just collected the vomit with paper towels and we sprayed the area with our hardwood cleaner to get rid of the smell.
7. Learn when your fluffy friends are conspiring against you! Don’t leave them alone in the same room for too long without supervision.
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