How do you keep your house clean?? W/multiple pets and/or longhaired dogs?

[crazedACD]

Originally Posted by misfitz

I love a clean house but am still trying to figure out how to balance cleaning with working full-time.

I'm a major procrastinator, so for myself I just make sure I get what I need done right after I get home from work before I sit down to 'relax'. Once you get in a habit, stick to it. Maybe some sort of list for the daily/weekly stuff would help?

[Michiyo-Fir]

I vacuum every other day at 11 pm lol...

Also for hairy feet, I trim the bottom of the paws, and a little bit around the "ankles" area so it's nice and short and no hairy feet are sliding around my floor picking up lots of stuff.

[Paige]

I also have this awesome broom thingy that rips ALL the dog hair out of the carpet. I dont know WHAT it is. It was given to me but man alive does it work! I do that first. vaccum second. I never just run the vaccum over it because Ive broken so many from my dogs hair. Nope. The dog hair has to be pulled up first, swept and picked up, then I go over it for the tidying touch.

[PlottMom]

I'm actually cleaning my house right now, because I'm leaving for four days lol

[Red.Apricot]

I ask my boyfriend, and it's magically done when I get home. ;]

Naw, really we just sweep and mop a few times a week. Brushing Elsie more often helps a lot.

[ihartgonzo]

As a groomer, taking her in for a grooming (at a reputable groomer) will help SO MUCH! It's worth the $20-40. You'll get her paws, sanitary area and any excess fur trimmed, a really deep cleaning bath, a forced air blow dry & a thorough de-shedding treatment. When dogs come in for a de-shed, they leave with NO fur coming off of them and they look gorgeous.

I bathe my dogs twice a month, and do the whole de-shedding treatment. I brush them a few times a week during the shedding seasons. It's most important to do one or two really thorough de-sheds a month, then keep it up with short daily brushings. Food is super essential in keeping the shedding minimal!!! Feed a raw diet or a premium kibble and supplement it with salmon oil.

My dogs really don't shed much at all, and both of them are double-coated. Gonzo used to shed tons before I got him on a really good diet and a good grooming regimen. I vacuum once a week, swiffer the hardwood once a week, and wipe them off with a towel or waterless bath wipes before they come in if they've been to the park or got nasty.

[misfitz]

Originally Posted by crazedACD

I'm a major procrastinator, so for myself I just make sure I get what I need done right after I get home from work before I sit down to 'relax'. Once you get in a habit, stick to it. Maybe some sort of list for the daily/weekly stuff would help?

The sad part is, I work from home. So I'm a)home all day making a mess and b)get to watch up close and in person as the hair and dust build up again on the floor or couch that I just cleaned yesterday. Lists are helpful. Also helpful is coming to terms with the fact that, yes, I really do need to sweep every. Single. Day.

I ask my boyfriend, and it's magically done when I get home. ;]

I ask mine and he laughs at me. Oh well, at least he can cook.

Gonzo, you are so right about the de-shed. My old groomer did that, and I didn't realize what it was or what it was called, but it really helped. I need to find a good groomer in my new neighborhood. I tried a local grooming/daycare chain but wasn't impressed - I don't think they even used the forced air dryers. I could have done that myself.

Diet is important, too. Sienna is on raw, but the only thing my cat will eat is canned Friskies or dry kibble. She did shed noticeably less when I switched her to an all canned food diet, but she still sheds easily 2x as much as the dog.

[mrose_s]

We gave up.

Lol, its not that bad. It could be better but we manage, its a cluttered house as is (4 people, 4 dogs and a cat in a three bedroom house (4th bed is in the loungeroom)) so we sweep about every second day and mop every week or so. The three girls don't shed that badly but Buster makes up for them all.

[OwnedByBCs]

I don't. LOL. I vacuum once the carpet stops being white because of hair, I swiffer the hardwoods when they need it, same with the stained concrete in the basement. It works. Lol.

[Doberluv]

Big house -- small dogs with small hairs..