Are you all feeling the Thanksgiving holiday hang over? I feel like all I’ve done for the last week is eat, eat, eat! But, I’m not complaining one bit. Each day was filled with quality time with loved ones that we don’t get to see very often. And laughing, eating and making new memories together. What’s a little carb overload when it comes to enjoying the best moments in life?
Per usual tradition, we hosted Thanksgiving dinner for my extended family and my in-laws. I’m so thankful to the helping hands that cleaned up soon after our family dinner. I have no idea the state my house would be in, if not for my aunts, mother in law and mom!
This time of year is exciting for everyone in our family, including our two furry members. Bailey and Buddy get so excited for the extra love and attention from our guests. Add in three little boys and you can probably guess that our house is in a constant state of “CLEAN ME.” Here are a few of my simple tips on how to keep your house clean with dogs:
Set A Maintainable Cleaning Schedule
In addition to our weekly and bi-monthly cleaning schedule, we try to pick one weeknight to do a “clean-up.” I’m not sure if it’s the cold weather or just excitement from all of the guests, but this time of year is when Bailey, our beagle terrier, seems to shed more fur! While it sounds like a lot, it seems like it’s the only way we’re able to stay on top of all of the extra holiday traffic and clutter from decor and gifts.
Thankfully, our boys are still at an age where they eagerly ask to help us with chores and cleaning the house. I love using our Bona PowerPlus, that keeps our hardwood floors clean through all of the messiest holiday moments. Bona PowerPlus is their most cleaning system and easily loosens heavy build-up from dried up cake frosting to the pups’ mud and dirt paw prints. The hardwood floor deep cleaner has an oxygenated formula that penetrates for a deep clean that is a must have in this household of two dogs!
Brush & Groom Them Regularly
I’ve noticed that there’s a major difference in the shedding when I am regularly brushing Bailey’s fur. While it doesn’t completely do away with her shedding, it helps to cut down the hairs on our hardwood floors significantly. Grooming Buddy, our yorkie, helps to keep the mud and dirt that he tracks in from outside at bay. We keep his fur a little bit longer during the winter, so he gets groomed more often by default, which helps with keeping our dog-friendly house clean.
Get Everyone Involved
I love that I can get the boys excited about a boring task like cleaning the hardwood floors. My husband loves cleaning the floors with our Bona PowerPlus Mop, especially the cleaner that breaks up all of the dirt and grime from the dogs. The boys are usually fighting over who gets to help with what task. But for now, they’re both usually all about doing their chores with caring for our dogs and home.
Wash / Steam the Dishes
I wash the dog dishes weekly, so that they’re drinking and eating from fresh bowls. I also try to run the dogs’ water and food bowls in the dishwasher regularly, too. This helps to eliminate odor from leftover dog food particles and water build up.
Use Dog Towels
We keep dog towels by the door to the backyard. We use the towels to wipe their paws off from their walks and time outdoors regularly. It also comes in handy on rainy days, when they have to go potty and need to be wiped off right away. This definitely helps to keep our floors cleaner than just letting them walk in and out and minimizes the outside odor being tracked in as well.
While our house can always be in a cleaner state, we’re able to maintain our hardwood floors and festive holiday decor even with our two dogs running around! Our Bona PowerPlus Mop is definitely a must have item for keeping our hardwoods free of dog fur and dirt throughout the year, but especially during the holidays as we entertain our friends and family.
How To Keep Your House Clean With Dogs
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