One of the top questions in my DMs week after week is how we keep our house so clean with a big dog living in it. I am a bit obsessive about it but that’s what it takes to keep your house clean with a fur baby. I love my Bootsie boy but I also love a clean house. Luckily, I’ve found ways to have both!
1. Wipe his paws
We wipe Bootsie’s paws with a towel every single time he comes into the house, no matter what. If we don’t, he tracks in dirt and who knows what else. Every few days, we do a full-body wipe down with just the towel. If he’s really dirty, we’ll use natural wipes, but he’s not a huge fan so we only do it when necessary.
2. Brush him daily
I brush Boots down once a day to avoid shedding. We’re lucky that he inherited his mama’s Pit Bull coat, but he still has a little Shepard in him so shedding is definitely still an issue. I find that if I brush him daily, it cuts down on shedding by almost 50%. We have this brush and it does the trick. Boots loves getting brushed so it’s a win/win. We try to have him groomed once every two months or even less, because it’s not great for his skin. But between wiping him down and brushing him, he never even smells bad.
3. Get a great carpet and upholstery cleaner
The Bissell Pet Pro Carpet and Upholstery cleaner is a game changer. We use it monthly on all of our rugs and on the couch as needed. It is like a bigger, fancier Magic eraser for upholstery. We also have this smaller pet stain eraser which is more affordable at $130. We use it for quick spills and accidents. Bissell makes the best pet products!
4. Roomba. Everyday.
I run our Roomba every day on the first floor. And every single day it fills up with dog hair. It blows my mind! Our floors would be covered in hair if I didn’t.
5. Washable rugs
We have a Ruggable rug in our playroom next to the door where he walks in and out of the house most often. And all of our other rugs are washable, especially with the pet stain eraser.
6. Wash his beds regularly
Bootsie has four beds around the house (yes he’s spoiled!) and they definitely start to stink if not washed regularly. I wash the removable outsides of the beds every two weeks to keep them fresh and clean. I also keep a blanket on each of his beds and wash them weekly.
7. Don’t allow him on furniture
Although it might seem strict, we don’t allow Boots on any of the furniture in the house except our bed with a blanket under him. This cuts way down on things we need to clean. His fur still gets on us and on the couches, but it’s far less than if he were sleeping on them daily. Per the tip above, we keep beds for him in almost every room so he can be comfy wherever he goes. I know a lot of people would disagree with this decision, but we’re so happy that we trained him not to climb on anything.
Photo by Julia Dags.