There’s nothing better than the love of a furry friend. However, for pet owners with carpeting, keeping your house clean can be a real challenge. Muddy paws, pet hair, dander, accidents, and claws are just some of the reasons why carpet and pets don’t mix. Not to worry, though, because, with pet-friendly tips, you can fully enjoy your four-legged family member without having to worry about sacrificing the cleanliness of your home.
How do You Deal with Carpet and Pets?
Watch the paws
Those little (or big) paws can pick up a whole of dirt and grime. When your furry friend goes outside, they can bring with them lots of mud, sand, grass, dust, and various other debris into your home. When this happens, dirt and debris can then get trapped in the fibers of your carpeting.
To keep the mess to a minimum, keep your dog or cat’s paws clean. Before your cat or dog comes inside, make sure you wipe their paws. Keeping a soft towel near the doors can be an easy way to remember to wipe down their paws before allowing them to come into the house. It can also help to place a mat near the door and train your pet to sit down on the mat and not to move until their paws have been wiped clean.
Keep the Body Clean
Paws aren’t the only cause for concern; so is your pet’s entire body. The cleaner your cat or dog is, the cleaner your carpeting will be. Make sure that you keep him or her tidy and well-groomed. Doing so will help to lessen the amount of dirt and debris that your furry friend carries in his or her coat. This will help cut down on the amount of dirt and grime that will get transferred into the carpeting.
As an added bonus, keeping your furry friend well-groomed will ensure that he or she smells fresh and clean, and is even more enjoyable to cuddle.
Double-duty décor
Consider covering high-traffic areas on your carpets with area rugs and runners. Not only will these additions help to protect the underlying carpeting, but they are a lot easier to clean. Plus, if need be, replacing rugs and runners out is a lot easier and cheaper than replacing the carpet in an entire room.
Bonus tip: covering those high-traffic areas with area rugs and runners will also add some color and interest to your home’s interior décor.
Vacuum regularly
If you want to keep your carpets clean, you’re going to need to regularly vacuum. Cat and dog hair, dander, and the dirt that he or she tracks indoors can build up quickly in a carpet’s fibers. By vacuuming/cleaning your carpet on a regular basis, you’ll remove the build-up, which will help to keep your carpets cleaner and smelling fresher. Of course, this will also help to extend the life expectancy of your carpeting.
Mind the furniture
The carpeting isn’t the only part of your home that you’re going to want to vacuum. You’re going to want to vacuum the furniture, too! Even if your furry friend doesn’t go on the furniture, hair, dander, and dirt can travel up onto your couches, chairs, and bedding via the air whenever he or she shakes or scratches.
Any dirt or hair that collects on the furniture will eventually make its way down onto the floor and will become embedded into the fibers of your carpeting. As such, vacuuming the furniture regularly will also help to keep your carpets cleaner.
Be mindful of accidents
Even the best-trained dogs and cats can have accidents from time to time. When accidents happen, you want to act fast. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you always have pet stain carpet cleaning products to remove pet stains from the carpet (HGTV) as soon as they happen.
This includes pet stain removers, and perhaps even handheld steam cleaners. Pick up any solid pieces as quickly as possible, and be sure to dry the area completely afterward. The key to minimizing the damage caused by pet stains on carpeting is treating them as soon as you possibly can. The longer they sit, the more damage they will cause!
Related Articles:
Dealing With Pet Stains On Your Carpet
Carpet Land Omaha, Lincoln & Sioux Falls | Best Prices on Carpets, Flooring & More
We make shopping for carpet & flooring in Omaha, Lincoln and Sioux Falls easy! Take advantage of our FREE estimates and consultations today. Our incredible buying power at Carpet Land allows us to deliver the lowest flooring product prices in town, so shift your focus to finding the perfect flooring for your home. We look forward to working with you. Contact us for your FREE Estimate TODAY.
Click here for Carpet Land Omaha, Lincoln, & Sioux Falls Flooring Buying Guide.