You may not mind your furry buddy on your couches or on your bed, you may not even mind your pet curling up on you to take a nap. You probably don't even notice the pet hair or smell in your home, but your guests probably do. To keep your house smelling more like a home and less like a kennel, follow the tips below.
Start With The Source
Your pet is the source of those pet odors in your home. If you start with the source of the smell, you can move on to cleaning the rest of your home. Begin by giving your pets a good bath. If your pets aren't too keen on baths, you may want to leave it to a professional groomer. Be sure to brush your pets often to get rid of excess fur and dander as well. Brush your pets on a weekly basis and you'll notice a difference in the amount of fur you have laying around your home.
Clean Carpets
Clean and deodorize the carpeting in your home. You can deep clean your carpeting by using a carpet cleaner, or rent a professional-grade carpet cleaner from your local grocery store. You can deodorize your carpet by combining a mixture of 1/2 cup baking soda and your favorite scent of essential oil (about 20 drops), place the mixture into a container with holes in the top, then sprinkle it all over your carpeting. Allow it to sit on your carpeting for about 15 minutes and then vacuum it up. If your carpeting has a lot of pet stains on them, the carpet and padding may need to be removed and replaced. If the smell has gone all the way into the sub-floor, you may need to paint the sub-floor with an odor blocking paint and replace the old carpet with new carpet and padding.
Wash Walls
Wash the walls around your home using soapy water. You may see some areas that your pet has rubbed themselves on and appear dirty. Cleaning these walls will help remove smells. Simply mix dish soap and warm water into a bucket and wash the walls with a rag. Wipe them dry with a clean cloth.
Change Furnace Filters
Most likely if you have pets in your home, you probably have quite a bit of dust and dander. This means that your furnace filter is probably pretty dirty. Be sure to change your furnace filters every three months or more often if needed. Change your air filters throughout your home as well if you have filter racks in your return air grills. You can place a few drops of your favorite scent of essential oil on the air filters, which will help circulate that scent throughout your entire home.
Keep your pets groomed and your home clean to ensure your home smells less like a kennel and more like a home. For more information, talk to a pet odor specialist like Chem Dry Springfield.
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