Dealing With Pet Messes During the Dog Days of Summer—and Beyond
Can you believe that less than three months ago we were still shoveling the remnants of the winter of 2017-18 off of our sidewalks? It’s crazy when you think about it: snow in April, followed by two months of rainy season, and somehow we already find ourselves in the midst of the Dog Days of Summer!Dog Days Defined
So… what does that even mean, anyway? I was curious about the origin of the phrase “Dog Days,” so I looked it up. (Hey, I’m a writer, that’s what I do.) Turns out, it doesn’t actually mean that it’s so darn hot that we all just want to lie around panting like dogs. Apparently, the phrase “Dog Days” originated in ancient Greece and referred to Sirius, the dog star, which in July would appear to rise just before the sun. Those of us who have pets, however, know that the Dog Days of Summer could also refer to that time of year when our dogs or cats are just finishing up the shedding season, losing their winter coat just in time for the summer heat.Pet Hair and Other Messes
Yes, it’s pretty embarrassing to have guests come into your home, sit on your sofa, and walk away with a fresh coat of dog or cat fur sticking to their pants… Unfortunately, shedding is only one of many ways our furry friends can mess up our homes. Personally, we have a little non-shedding Havanese dog, so one might think we don’t have to worry about cleaning up after him. One would be wrong. For one thing, our dog does not like to put his precious little paws in the wet grass when he goes outside to do his business in the morning. Instead, he seems to prefer to muddy those precious little paws in the mulch—and then track his precious little footprints right across the kitchen floor. He also likes to spend a lot of time lounging on the back of the couch in the living room, waiting for all of his neighborhood dog friends to walk by so he can say hi by way of frantic barking— which he cannot do without pressing his paws and his nose all over the windows. The other thing is, even though he himself is supposedly a hypoallergenic breed, every time he goes outside, he cannot help but carry allergens like tree and grass pollen back into the house in his fur and on his feet.The Three Pet P’s
If you don’t have a pet but are considering getting one, here’s some unsolicited advice. Maybe you think you can handle a little stray fur, muddy paw-prints, nose prints on the window, etc. But if you’re extremely particular, you’d better think long and hard about whether you can handle what I call the three pet p’s: pee, poop and puke. Here’s the thing: no matter what pet you own, you are going to have to deal with the three p’s at some point. Your cat is going to puke up hairballs on your bed, and her kitty litter is going to need to be scooped every single day. Your dog is going to get into the trash someday, eat something he shouldn’t, and have diarrhea all over your guest room carpet. Even the goldfish your kid won at the carnival is going to get really smelly and gross if you don’t clean out its poop-filled bowl pretty frequently. How you handle your pet’s bodily fluids is actually really important. My husband is a Realtor, and although we both grew up owning cats, he refused to let us bring any into in our new house after seeing more than one real estate deal go sour because of the permanent odor of cat pee. Also, once your dog has an accident somewhere in your house, he’ll be drawn by the lingering scent of that as a place to pee again in the future. So, you really do need to clean up the scene of a pet accident promptly and thoroughly. The best way to do this is to use some kind of an enzymatic pet stain cleaner. There are tons of these on the market. Experts also suggest soaking the area in a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water, followed by a baking soda treatment, to help completely eliminate the odor.Hiring Outside Cleaning Help
One thing you should NOT do when you need to clean up any of the three p’s is ask your Eldersburg, MD house cleaning crew to do it. They’re not equipped to handle it and it is just not a service they should be expected to provide. If you want professional help cleaning pet stains, hire a professional carpet cleaner, many of whom do have special enzymatic treatments that they use on pet stains. For all of your other pet messes, you can definitely count on Immaculate Clean! They’ll vacuum up the excess pet hair, dust away the allergens, mop up the paw prints on the floor, and wipe the nose prints from the windows. As a bonus—they love pets and will keep your furry friends company while they clean!It’s All Worth It
Animal lovers understand that dealing with the occasional mess is a small price to pay for the cuddles, the purrs, the unconditional love, the true joy and companionship that a pet brings to our lives. No matter what kind of pet you own, relax knowing Immaculate Clean can help you keep your home clean so you can enjoy the Dog Days of Summer this year!Snow, Ice and Mud, Oh My!
Winter is here. And, so is the snow. While it looks beautiful when it’s fresh-fallen and white, we all know how dreary it seems when the ice builds up and the snow turns black along the roads and driveways. And, guess what? The same is happening to your floors. Yes, that’s right. All of the snow and ice is being dragged into your house, as are all of the removal chemicals and compounds. Salt, sand, and other de-icing materials can wreak havoc on your hardwood and carpets. So, what do you do? Start Outside If you don’t want everything getting into your house, then start by removing snow, ice and mud from your sidewalks, driveway and front porch. The simplest thing to do—in the long run, that is—is to start shoveling as soon as the snow stops falling. The longer it sits, the more likely it will stick to the surface. Of course, shoveling is not always what you want to do at 5:30am, when it’s still dark and negative temps outside. So, keep some de-icing materials on hand. Salt and sand are the obvious choices, but people recommend everything from bird seed to coffee grinds. Everything has its pros and cons, so research what works for you. Just remember, whatever goes down outside, will most likely make its way into your house. Moving In The first step in your house, both literally and figuratively, is right inside your door. Make sure you have clean doormats inside every door. The doormats work in two ways: first, they allow people to wipe their shoes (and preferably offer a place to remove them) and; second, they keep the moisture and grime off the floors. The best mats have a rubber or plastic bottom which prevents the elements from seeping through. Keep a few extras on hand so you can rotate them when they get dirty. Dawn Fiscella, owner of Immaculate Clean, also suggests adding a few, inexpensive mats and runners to other high-traffic areas. Hallways and frequent walkways can be protected with anything from a decorative runner to a plastic mat that you throw down on the worst weather days. Of course, as Fiscella notes, these things can come in handy during the wet and muddy spring months as well. They may really be worth the investment. Keeping the Floors Clean Inevitably, despite the shoveling and doormats, stuff is going to make its way to your floors. Especially, when you have a dog and kids running in an out from playing in the snow. So, here are a few tips for keeping these areas from being totally destroyed this winter: Hardwood and Other Hard Surfaces- Sweep floors regularly to prevent abrasive elements from scratching them.
- Use regular cleaning products (we suggest Mr. Clean Professional Floor Cleaner) with a little added elbow grease.
- Wipe spots up immediately and use a soft rag directly on the spot before doing an overall clean.
- Vacuum regularly, just like with the hard floors. Not only does it pick up dirt, but the vacuum will also suction up some of the moisture.
- If mud gets on the carpet, let it dry. Break it up with something hard and then vacuum up the leftover debris.
- If a spot remains, follow the instructions from What’s Hiding in Your Carpet on spot removal.