Having a
few furry friends around the house can be a great source of comfort, fun, and
even a stable daily routine. While pets are like family for many people, they
come with a unique set of responsibilities, and some of them might require a
bit of extra care. Depending on the layout of your house, some additional home maintenance might be in order as well. Here are some of the ways you might need
to think about maintaining the home differently if you have pets.
- Stains
If your
pet is both an indoor and outdoor animal, it's good to get into the habit of
wiping paws before you let them into the home properly. This can cut down on
tracking dirt or mud into the house. However, pets can still get into things or
leave marks on furniture or floors when you least expect it. It's best to wipe
up stains as they occur, and some products do this while trying to
eliminate animal odors at the same time.
- Air
Quality
This tip
applies partially to your pet, but it works for the home as well. If you have a
pet with fur for insulation, it can be relatively easy for it to overheat when
it gets too warm inside the house. Providing some means of cooling down can help both you and your
friend. One of the easiest ways to achieve this effect is via air conditioning.
A good conditioner gives you the added benefit of circulating some air around
the place, potentially making it less stuffy as it cools things. Your pet may
seek out colder surfaces like tile floors, but anything you can do to help is
also good.
- Soft
Spots
You don't
necessarily need to make your pets stay on the floor the whole time they're in
the house. If they are just as comfy on that sofa as you are, you can invite
them to sit on a blanket. Blankets provide a barrier between your couch's
surface and a pet that may leave dander or other things on it. They are still
soft enough to be comfortable for your animals, and it is relatively easy to
shake them out or clean them as needed.
- Vacuuming
Even during seasons in which shedding is not typical for your pets, they will still leave errant hair or dander where they go. You may find that you need to vacuum common areas more frequently than you did before you had pets. That said, you don't need to expend a lot of extra effort here. You could look for a robotic vacuum to do some of this work for you.
There are
numerous health and attitude benefits to having at least one pet. However, you
can probably match up each of these pros with at least one con for the home
that you have to take care of regularly. Using a few of the tips above, you
might be able to cut down on the time or labor involved in keeping a house with
pets looking and feeling like a proper home.
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