UGH, the dreaded task of keeping things clean while living with dogs. Well, let me tell ya on a daily basis I live with 6 dogs. No, I am not a dog hoarder nor am I crazy….ok I’m a little crazy, but in a good way. I live with 6 dogs all the time because I run a cage-free boarding business where clients can board their dogs at my house in a home environment while they’re away on vacation. Their dog gets to lounge around on my couches, follow me to the bathroom, and even stare at me while I fold laundry. Just as they do at home. If you want to check out more of my cage-free boarding fun you can go here.
So 6 dogs live here daily, on weekends I have anywhere from 10-15 dogs! Did your mouth just drop, don’t worry mine used to too! My biggest challenge I think is not making sure all the dogs are happy and well-loved, or that they all get along. It’s keeping my house clean and not smelling like a kennel. So if I can keep a clean house with 10 dogs in it I am sure if you follow my routine of keeping your house clean and smelling fresh will be a sinch.
First and foremost have really good organic bleach-free cleaning products. Why? because dogs lick things and the last thing you want is them licking bleach. Get dishwasher-safe bowls, and be sure dog beds have easily removable covers for washing. Also, have a stack of DOG ONLY towels and blankets. Don’t just have one have about three. I have about 15 LOL
Once a week or after a big group of boarding dogs go home I always do a demo day. Demos days in normal dog houses should be on your routine schedule for every 2 weeks. Or at least once a month depending on the number and size of dogs. I wash all the dog bedding, blankets, bowls, water dishes, toys, rugs, mats, and anything that is used daily by the dogs.
A few awesome mats I like for when dogs walk through the back door after being outside is a microfiber one that is sold on Amazon. It’s super-absorbent, tough, and can handle a lot of washing machine cycles. Also, it’s nice and wide so my dog cant step over it when they come in, it helps keep the mud and dirt out of the house.
Another helpful item is a dog water mat that goes under your dog water dish. Water on the floor that doesn’t get cleaned up right away will seep into the floor and cause lifting and water damage so this is a must-have if you have nice floors.
If you want a list of all the products and cleaning tools I use along with towels, blankets and other dog-friendly items you can get it by filling out the boxes below
While everything is in the wash I put the dogs outside and vacuum really well (don’t forget about the couch). Once I am done vacuuming I then wash the floors with a veterinary-grade pet disinfectant. No, you don’t need veterinary grade just a basic hardwood floor cleaner will work. Keep dogs outside until floors are dry unless you like paw prints. While the floors dry I lint roll the couch and then I like to take this time to sit on the couch with a glass of wine and catch up on my Grey’s anatomy series. Once the floor is dry I then go around and wipe down the baseboards and any mud splatter or dog boogers or other disgusting mess my dogs have made on the walls.
I also clean the hair off the vents and wipe down surface areas. By this time the mats should be dry so I place them at the back door entrance so the dogs have to step on them before coming into the house, I place the water mat down and slowly start putting everything back into place. Last is to put the dog beds back together, If they’re not dry or still washing just put a clean blanket over the stuffing trust me your dog will be ok for one night. Then spray some heavy-duty fabreeze, light some pet odor eliminator candles and relax with the rest of your wine you opened from earlier, and enjoy the clean house for about 12 hours!
Dogs are dirty, harry little creatures but man we love them Bonus Tip I use dog blankets on the couch, I have trained my dogs that they can only be on those specific blankets on that specific part of the couch. It helps keep the couch clean, or invest in a couch cover that’s what I do, AND I have blankets as well. At the end of the day is someone complains about your dirty dog house, kick them out you don’t need people like that in your life!
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For a list of all the cleaning products and items I use that are dog-friendly like mats, bowls, beds, blankets, etc.