Oh, my gosh, y’all.
Sometimes, I fear we’ll drown in a sea of black fur. It’s so funny, too, because it pools in piles and collects in the same places every stinkin’ time. It’s like the fur has favorite places to party, and it’s organized a non-stop rave here.
I’m just waiting for the day tiny disco balls and black lights to show up in the mail.
But I simply refuse to drown in it and have come up with some tips and tricks to keep the furry conga line a bay.
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Take time to brush your fur baby.
Brushing your pet often will help cut down on the fur that wants to jump off and have a shindig with your floor. We use a regular ole pet brush like this one and a mitt like this one. It only takes a few minutes a day and your pet will (usually) love it! Better yet, if you have small children, train them now to brush their pets. (I totally failed at this, but I’m working on it!) They love it when they are little, so get them into the habit now.
Brendan really thinks it’s fun and you can see how happy Hot Shot is!
UPDATE, Y’ALL! I’ve had several readers comment on the prong collar. We DO NOT keep that thing on him all the time. I LOVE my dog and we only put it on him when we need to, i.e. some walks and when he’s acting particularly brutish. He’s an ALPHA male, and occaisionally needs a little bit of containment. Otherwise, he’d be on a farm in Georgia and not here in Virginia with us. #explantaionover
Get a Swiffer or other light weight vac and hit the hot spots where the hair collects everyday.
UPDATE: We just bought this Shark Navigator Liftaway and it’s the best vacuum I’ve ever owned. I almost went for a Dyson, but this guy was so much cheaper, and the liftaway features are crazy-awesome for getting under things and doing stairs.
My worst spots are along the baseboards in the family room where Hot Shot tends to spend most of his time. It also gets bad around the bottom of the stairs and in the corners of the dining room.
That vacuum is a dirt devil and it’s similar to a Swiffer, but it’s corded and a little bit more powerful. I love my Swiffer for a quick swish around the house, but this new Dirt Devil does just a little better job.
UPDATE: I knocked over this dirt devil and total trashed the canister, so we ended up purchasing this Shark Navigator Life Away DXL and it’s AMAZING! I’ll write up a post about all the things it can do and let you know why it’s may favorite vacuum that I’ve ever owned. But for now, I’ll just say that it makes vacuuming so much easier.
Once a week, do a thorough vacuuming of each room.
If you can’t do the entire house in one day, pick one room each day to vacuum. This will help you keep from getting completely overwhelmed. And don’t forget the closets. The cat loves to crawl in mine and hide from the dog… or Brendan.
Hair everywhere!
Use those vacuum attachments.
That skinny, little wand is great for getting into tight spaces. I use it where the carpet meets the baseboards because the dog hair loves to collect there wedging itself in tight where the big vacuum can’t reach.
And the small brush works amazingly well on the baseboards. In our house, the cat hair in particular just loves to stick to the baseboards. OY VEY!
Check your refrigerator every few days.
With both a cat and a dog, I get hair in the bottom of my fridge. Sometimes, I’ll be wiping out the first or second shelf and find some. How does it get there?
Who in Zeus’s name knows, but I have to be on the lookout or it will take over, and that’s so gross.
I use a TON of paper towels to clean the kitchen, but I’m thinking of moving to microfiber cloths like these. I’m starting to feel bad for the environment. Somewhere there is probably a landfill with “Gwen’s Paper Towels” on it.
Here’s a few rebellious hairs even after I’ve cleaned out the fridge. Boy are they stubborn!
But I championed on and won. I mean, who wants to have a side of chilled dog hair with dinner? Yuck.
Do a little bit everyday.
If you break it up, it won’t seem so crazy. And working on it a little at a time will help keep the mounds of furry fluff at bay. If you are like me, pet hair just goes with loving your anmials. Of course, you can always get a non-sheddy dog and a hairless cat, but our animals picked us and there’s no going back at this point!
I mean, just look at our kitty. We found her in a tree, and she wouldn’t leave us!
Yes. She’s here to stay!
So, those are my top tips and tricks for how to keep from drowning in pet hair. Do you have furry pets that shed buckets of fuzzy hair all over creation? Do you have any more ideas that work for you?
Let me know down in the comments below!!!
MORE CLEANING TIPS and Tricks
(LOTS of natural ways to clean and easy natural cleaners to make)
How to Freshen a Really Stinky Bathroom
The Ingreditens for a Naturally Fresh Home
The All Natural and Sneaky way to Freshen a Room
How to Clean a Dirty, Totally Nasty Shower
DIY Family Friendly Shower Cleaner
How to Clean and Freshen Your Dishwasher
How to Freshen an Old, Stinky Vacuum
How to Freshen an Old, Stinky Pair of Shoes
How to Freshen a Stinky Toilet
5 All Natural Ways to Rid Your World of Ants
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