Every person with a pet, whether they want to admit it or not, knows their life wouldn’t be the same without their furry friends. Pets bring so much joy and quickly become an important part of any family. There are a few downsides to having a pet, rising costs, the time commitment, and my biggest headache, the mess. My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel sheds all year round and depending on how my OCD is, I can find myself spending hours-upon-hours cleaning up.
Some say that, if you spend 10,000 hours doing something, you’re an expert. I may not have cleaned up for that amount of hours, but I’ve had dogs for 25 years, but I’ve got lots of go-to tips for clean-up. Here are my go to tips for even the most OCD of you.
1. A Healthy Pet Makes for a Cleaner Home
Regular vet checkups aren’t just good for your pet, they’re good for your floors, too. If your furry friend has allergies, stomach issues, or other health problems, it can lead to a whole lot of mess. Trust me, I’ve been there.
About 20 years ago, I had two beagles. One of them kept getting sick, constantly. I’m talking both ends, all the time. It took multiple vet visits to finally figure out she was allergic to chicken. Once we cut it from her diet, the mess stopped almost overnight.
Keeping your pet healthy helps prevent accidents, stomach issues, and other surprises that make cleaning up harder than it needs to be. If something seems off, don’t wait. A quick checkup can save you a lot of scrubbing later.
2. Schedule Regular Grooming
My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel sheds like it’s his job. We brush him three times a week and take him to the groomer a few times a year. Sure, it adds up, but I figure it saves me hours of chasing fur with a lint roller. And that trade-off is totally worth it.
Regular grooming isn’t just about keeping your pet looking cute, it’s a real lifesaver when it comes to shedding. Whether it’s a simple bath or a full deshedding treatment, staying on top of grooming keeps that undercoat from ending up all over your floors, couches, and clothes.
This is especially true for double-coated dogs like Labs, German Shepherds, and Border Collies. The same goes for heavy-shedding cat breeds like American Shorthairs, Norwegian Forest Cats, and Himalayans. If you’ve got a pet shedding lots, consider a pet hair vacuum.
3. Use the Right Food and Water Bowls
I’ll admit, I’ve fallen for the cute novelty bowls more than once. I had a “Darth Doggy” bowl that even played sound effects: “The bark is strong with this one.” Funny for the first few minutes… until my dog nudged it across the room, spilling food and water in his wake. Lesson learned.
If you’ve ever watched your dog drink water like it’s a competitive sport, you know the aftermath, slobber trails, puddles, and wet paw prints everywhere. The right setup can make a big difference in how often you have to clean up that mess.
A raised food and water station can help your dog eat more comfortably, especially for older pets or breeds with long necks. Add a mat underneath, and suddenly cleanup becomes way easier, no more soaked floors or stray kibble rolling under cabinets. Skip the gimmicks and invest in solid, non-slip bowls. It’ll save your floors, and your sanity.
4. Keep Pet Beds Clean
Full disclosure, we hit a phase where our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel refused to sleep in her bed after we washed its cushions. Full-on pouting. So for a while, we stopped washing the cushions… and yeah, the stink took over. Even worse, it started to cling to her fur. Our fix was to buy a few sets of cushions and rotate them, so there’s always something in the bed that smells familiar. No more pouting, and no more stink.
Let’s be honest, a pet’s bed can get pretty grimy, and if you’re not washing it regularly, it won’t just smell, it’ll spread that stink to your pet and your whole house. Whether it’s a plush cushion in the living room or a fancy little cot in your bedroom, keeping their bed fresh once a week makes a big difference.
That means washing blankets, cushion covers, and any stuffed toys they love. It keeps odors down, helps control fur spreading from their space, and honestly, cuts down on some of the strange smells pets can introduce to a home.
5. Stay on Top of Cleaning
How often I clean really depends on how my OCD is doing. On good days, I’ll do a quick vacuum and a bit of dusting, usually in less time than it takes to play a few tracks on a vinyl. But if I let things slide, my dust and fur allergies kick in (yes, I have a dog and allergies, go figure). That’s when I break out the big guns for a proper deep clean.
What I’ve learned is this, doing one solid hour-long clean each week is key if you want your house to feel truly clean with a pet. I still do small touch-ups during the week, vacuum here, wipe there, but that’s just maintenance. The weekly deep clean is what keeps things under control.
My usual routine is one big clean every week. I sweep the hardwood floors daily and vacuum the carpets a couple of times a week. The kitchen floor gets mopped often, since it’s where our furry friend comes in and out the most.
Out of all the tips, this one’s probably the most important. A deep clean resets the house. Quick cleans are helpful, but they miss things, and those missed bits pile up fast.
6. Cover Your Furniture
When I had beagles, I never thought I’d be the type to use furniture covers, but here I am, older and wiser (and more tired). Getting dog hair out of fabric is a pain, especially once it’s matted in. These days, I just don’t have the energy to scrub it out on my hands and knees.
My current dog sheds a lot, and let’s just say I’ve reached my limit for how many times I can be side-eyed by my wife for fur-covered chairs. When you’re the one who insisted on getting the dog, those promises to “handle everything” actually matter. So, I picked up a few proper pet covers, and they’ve made life so much easier. The other option was to replace our fabric furniture with easy-to-wipe surfaces, which isn’t the cheapest option (unless you’re a pet owner looking to redecorate).
The truth is, your pets, especially cats, pick a favorite chair or couch and claim it as their own. Instead of vacuuming that same spot every single day, just throw a blanket or towel over it. It protects your furniture, gives your pet a cozy place to relax, and saves you a ton of cleanup time.
Wash the cover once a week, then toss it back on. If your pet sleeps on your bed at night, you can either close the bedroom door during the day or use a washable bed cover to keep fur off your bedding.
Living with pets means dealing with messes, it’s just part of the package. But by having a plan and trying to put preventative elements in the right place, you can keep the time needed to clean up down. After 25 years of owning dogs, I’ve learned that staying ahead of the mess is way easier than playing catch-up.
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