There is FUR EVERYWHERE!

[Evening Mist]

I give up. I can't keep up. I spend 3 hours a day cleaning my house. Really and truly. I vacuum every room every other day. And I still fill the canister on the vac. with fur. I sweep the hard floors twice a day. Dh brushes the dog a couple times a week. The cats both have short fur.

And I think it smells funny. I can spend the whole day cleaning, and then go out for a walk. When I re-enter my house, I can tell we have animals from the smell and feel of the air. How can this be true an hour after I've vacuum, scrubbed, polished, laundered furniture covers, cleaned, scooped the litter box every day, etc....?

Argh. I'm ready to shave them all.

Anyone wish any foolproof tips? Can anyone suggest an air freshener?

 

[SnowOwlMoon]

I sympathize--I have a German Shepherd, and an Airedale/German Shepherd mix. Once, I thought I saw a dead mouse by the dryer--it was a hairball from the dogs. We have hairballs the size of small tumbleweeds, and everything is coated with a layer of gray-brown hair. My desk at work has dog hair on it--and the dogs have never come to work with me! It's stopped bothering me, actually. We have covered the "good chair", because that's the one the German Shedder likes to lay in, and the sofa, because the dogs sit up there with us to watch TV. A good way to get fur off upholstery is to put on a latex kitchen glove (the kind you wear to wash dishes), and just rub your hand over the upholstery. The hair comes right off. Other than that, invest in a good vaccuum cleaner (this subject comes up on German Shepherd forums a lot: "Which Vaccuum Cleaner Works Best."), and accept fur as a fact of life.

I've never been a big fan of air fresheners. Because of allergies, my sense of smell is a little off, and some floral scents in air fresheners smell bad to me, so I seldom use them. I like to keep the windows and doors open as much as possible during the warm months, and let the house air out naturally (but I know in some climates, that's not possible). Otherwise, I burn lavender or herb scented candles. Something that does help is to sprinkle your carpet with baking soda, rub it in well, then vaccuum it up. Also, when you shampoo your carpets, add an enzyme cleaner such as "Nature's Miracle" to the water. That will help neutralize odors. (I mention Nature's Miracle only because that's the one I use, and am familiar with--it's not a plug for the product!)

Something that will make a difference in pet shedding and odor is their food. It really does make a difference! Feed a high quality food to both cats and dogs--not supermarket stuff--and you will undoubtedly notice a difference in their coats and odors. Diet makes a HUGE difference!

 

[hotarugari]

Sounds like your pets need some aftershave.

 

[IvoryRain]

I'll make answers in both regards - cats and dogs:

Cats:

Cats are great, but they are smelly critters. Believe me, I know!

I think the first thing to address is the litter box. What I've found to be the best is to use clumping litter and to NOT fill the pan more than an inch deep, and to scoop once a day, do a complete change once a week and bleach the pan either once a week or every two weeks. You want to avoid putting it in dampish places, like a bathroom or possibly a laundry room. Another thing is to find whats best for you - a covered box (make one by modifying a rubbermaid container - keep the top on and cut into the side) that can contain odors until you clean or a box in an open area that gets a lot of circulation. Either way is fine, it just depends on your home setup and space available.

As for cleaning, open your home up for a period of time. Clean all fabrics - bedding, laundry, rugs and carpets and even do a cleaning of furniture and curtians. Use a light or natural cleaner -citrus, bleach based, arm and hammer. Heavy cleaners like pine smells or floral smells trap odors, actually. A dehumidifyer will also help with smells - you'd be suprised at just how much so!!

You may want to take up brushing the cats twice a week or more, as well as using a product like Stop Shed: http://www.farnampet.com/tips/allergy_articl.htm

Here is another neat link to check out:

http://www.petsmart.com/pet_library/care_guide/ch5/shedding.shtml

 

[IvoryRain]

Dogs:

Dogs are great (my favorite) but the hair is awful!

One thing I like is the damp cloth method of cleaning. Dampness makes hair retreival easy to do - just dont rinse the towel/rag off in the sink! You'll be amazed at how much hair you can pick up!

There are floor sprinkles you can get (that carpet freshner stuff) that is supposed to help with loosening hair. I use it once in a while but air the house out afterwards. Make sure to vaccuum it up, as paws can be sensitive!

Herer is a link that could help with the dog hair issue:

http://wonderpuppy.net/canwehelp/shed.htm

Regular brushing helps, and grooming in hot or humid weather also helps keep hair control in check!

 

[Evening Mist]

You know, everything was fine all summer with AC running. I think it circulated the air better than the heater does. I open windows as often as I can, but it is starting to get too cold.

I have a good vac. and I vac. at least every other day. I wiped down all the furniture weekly with a wet rag. I just finished stripping all the covers of the familyroom furniture and washing them. I did the drapes not too long ago. I really actually don't mind cleaning a lot -- I just wish that I could feel the difference! By the end of the day, there is hair everywhere again.

I have a good system for the cat box and it doesn't smell badly. I use the crystals and scoop everyday. I have to keep it in the laundryroom (the only place) but I don't notice it when I walk in there.

I will try the baking soda in the carpets and I will buy some scented candles. I used to burn them all the time... I forgot how much I like them! So thanks!

It is time for the dog to be groomed. I'll have to schedule that. Dh brushes him, but he's way to big and silly for me to bathe or groom him.

 

[HeatherJay]

I have two kitties and they can get pretty stinky. I kept blaming my husband but it turned out to be the cats. I changed their food and that took care of their horrible gas (who would have thought such a small animal could smell that bad!). As for their litter box, I have a covered litter box so I don't have to look at all those yucky little clumps and I scoop daily. Also, I use the Arm and Hammer litter box deodorizer. It's cheaper than the crystals (only about 2 bucks a box) and it gets rid of the smell.


As for air freshner, I have a potpourri burner that I love. You know the little tiny crock pot kind? You pour in the liquid potpourri and plug them in. It makes my house smell yummy and it doesn't get so hot that my kitties or my kids would hurt themselves if they touch it.

Thanks for the tips on cat hair...it's been bugging me lately and I had no clue how to pick it up

Love, Heather

 

[hiz_child]

There is also a spray(don't remember what's it called) that you can spray on your dog to make it stop shedding so much. Probably any pet store would have it.

 

[Blessedone_74]

This may sound crazy, but I have a Shepard/Lab mix and she sheds like crazy. My hubby sometimes take the shop vac hose to her, lol. She loves it. She just lays there all sprawled out on the floor and let's him go to town.

 

[forjesus]

My blue heeler sheds more than any three dogs I have ever seen. The tumbleweeds are right, they are everywhere.