2 tips for pet owners who want a clean-smelling home
Most domestic animals that are kept as pets (like dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and guinea pigs) tend to be quite malodorous. If you are frustrated by the fact that despite cleaning your home regularly, your property still smells unpleasant because of your pet, here are some tips that could help you with this problem.
1. Having your curtains professionally laundered on a regular basis
One of the reasons why pet owners' homes can sometimes smell bad is that they don't bother having their curtains washed. If you're concerned about odours, it's important not to skip this particular household chore. The reason for this is that if your pet has free run of the house, they will end up coming into contact with the curtains on your windows on a regular basis.
They may, for example, take naps on the windowsill or on the floor next to the bottom of the curtains, or dig their claws into the fabric. If they are very young or elderly, they may also have the occasional toilet accident on the ends of any long curtains in your home. The mere act of your pet rubbing against the curtain fabric could be enough to make the material smell, as your pet's whiffy fur, coupled with any dirt they may have previously rolled in, will be transferred onto the curtains.
In short, if you don't wash your curtains, your home will probably smell awful, regardless of how frequently you clean other areas of it. Due to how bulky curtains are, this is a job best left to a professional. Find a business in your town or city that provides bulk curtain laundry services, and have them launder your curtains on a regular basis; this will help to prevent pet-related dirt and grime from building up on the fabric and making it smell unpleasant.
2. Act fast if your pet has an accident on a carpet or rug
If your pet occasionally mistakes your carpet or rug for a toilet, it is vital to clean up any mess they create as quickly as possible. If you're in the middle of another task when this happens, you might think that it's ok to leave it for a few minutes; however, the longer the urine or waste is left to sit on the carpet or rug, the harder it will be to completely eliminate the smell created by this mess.
This is because these materials are extremely absorbent and will retain the smell of any malodorous substances that are spilled on them, even if you scrub them with cleaning chemicals at a later stage. This lingering smell will then waft through your home every time you open a window and allow a breeze to pass through the carpeted areas.
As such, you should clean up any toilet messes your pet created immediately.
