Springtime welcomes warmer weather, longer days and the motivation to give your house a good clean! For pet parents that also means some much-needed cleaning, organisation and decluttering of their pets life too. 

Here’s a spring cleaning checklist for every pet parent with some great natural ways to keep your home clean.

Removing Pet Odours and Stains

Deodorise couches, carpets, and pet spaces with baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda over the carpet and other vacuum-able surfaces to absorb pet odours. Make a ready-to-go mixture using your favourite pet-friendly essential oil. Fill a salt shaker with baking soda and add a few drops of oil, mixing thoroughly. Let it sit on the chosen surface for 10 to 20 minutes before vacuuming thoroughly.

Bathing

There’s no better way than dog shampoo, but you can do your pup a favour by picking a brand that offers better ingredients. Look for shampoos with no chemicals, unnatural fragrances, or unnecessary ingredients.

You might also like to try our recipe for an Apple Cider Vinegar Tea Body Rinse.

Floors

Many of the conventional cleaning products that promise an easy and sparkling floor and clean odour free carpets can be bad for our health and the environment. You can instead try these natural solutions to help you with your pet spring clean:

• Hard Floors
  • For a hard floor cleaning solution use ¼ of a cup of mild liquid dishwashing detergent added to a bucket of warm water (for damp mopping). 
  • For scuff marks use a sprinkle of baking soda on a damp sponge and rub. Go over the floor twice, first to dissolve the dirt and then again, after rinsing the mop and wringing it thoroughly, again to rinse. The floor can then be buffed dry with a towel by attaching it to a mop.
• Carpet
  • For carpeted floors try vinegar. Vinegar is known to remove tough stains, especially those from pets. It has some great deodorising properties and will tackle any tough stain. Water is needed to dilute the vinegar because it can be quite potent. Vinegar is safe to use on most fabrics and is effective against many stains.
  • To help deodorise and tackle bacteria and viruses lurking in your carpets add some lavender essential oil. This is one of the most versatile essential oils and is safe to use around children and pets.

Bedding 

Most beds can go in the washing machine, so consider cleaning with vinegar and essential oils also. However, there are detergents touted as just for pets. As long as you use a mild detergent without dyes or fragrance you can safely wash your pet’s bedding and toys in your washer. To help neutralise odour, add one cup of baking soda to the wash water. Do not use liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets which may irritate a pet’s skin due to the added perfume. Line drying bedding and toys will help to freshen and dissipate odours.

Food Bowls

Natural products can also be used to do the job on your pets food and water bowls. To keep your dog’s stainless steel, ceramic food and water bowls clean, combine equal parts of baking soda, warm water and salt to create a thick paste. Apply some to awash cloth and scrub the inside and outside of the dish using a circular motion. Rinse well with warm water. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar is also great to use on bowls and utensils.

These can be used to clean up other surfaces, as well, such as cutting boards, dirty spots on laminate floors and crusty countertops.

Pet Toys

Use a solution of 50% white vinegar to 50% water and allow them to soak for 30 minutes. Remove and use a nail brush to scrub the dirt off, rinse with freshwater and allow to dry. Cloth toys can be washed in the washing machine using a vinegar/ water solution and left to dry in the sun.

Leashes

Most collars and leashes can be thrown in the washing machine with a safe detergent or soaked using a vinegar/ water solution. 

Recipe: Pet-Friendly All-purpose Cleaner

As you have probably already guessed from these natural pet cleaning solutions, vinegar is nature’s secret disinfectant. Use vinegar to clean surfaces, floors, bowls, and anything else used in raw feeding. Don’t use full-strength vinegar, as that would be overpowering. Instead, use a vinegar and water dilution. 10-15% vinegar to water is suitable for cleaning, and the smell will dissipate quickly.

If the smell of vinegar is too potent for your taste, try this easy-to-make all-purpose cleaner that uses lemon juice instead. The baking soda cuts through grime like a knife; the lemon juice contains natural enzymes that break down organic matter. You can use this on most household surfaces and you can safely use it around animals.

Ingredients:

• A clean, empty spray bottle or bucket
• 3 cups of very hot water
• 2 tbsp of baking soda
• 2 tbsp pure lemon juice (freshly squeezed or bottled)

Method:

First, pour the water into the bottle or bucket. Next, add the baking soda, making sure it completely dissolves and mixes throughout the water. Finally, add the lemon juice, again making sure you mix it well. Spray on soiled surfaces and wipe with a clean, damp cloth. When you’re done cleaning, pour any remaining mixture down the drain.

Doing the research and thinking through what’s best for you and your fur family is usually the best practice when it comes to choosing cleaning products. Hopefully, you will find some of these DIY and natural methods helpful during your spring cleaning quest.

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