Keeping hygiene with pets in the house

Keep damp dogs confined in one area preferably with an easy to clean floor for example the kitchen. Courtesy photo

Some people are attached to pets. When uncontrolled, these pets reach the extent of sharing household items such as seats and utensils. Unlike humans, pets come with certain unhygienic tendencies.
While there is a section of pet lovers who keep cats in their homes for the sole purpose of hunting and keeping rats at bay, Jane Asiimwe keeps hers because her grandchildren love playing with it when they visit during the holidays.

Use a hooving machine
“I love seeing it around but I hate the fact that when it sleeps in the sofas, it leaves fur there. It is hard to clean off using bear hands apart from when I take out the cushions and use a scrubbing brush or a hooving machine to clean them,” Asiimwe explains.

Training your pets
John Paul Senyonga of J and Paul Dog World in Bweyogerere says pets such as dogs sometimes have tendencies such as defecating anywhere. He says they do this after noticing that no one is watching them, a characteristic he says is common with most, if not all dogs.
“When your dog is trained, it will actually become obedient by knowing where it is supposed to sleep and where to ease itself just like a normal human being. If you had constructed a small kennel in the living room corner and it is where it is supposed to sleep, you can never find it sleeping in the sofa,” Senyonga explains.
With a kennel inside the house, he advises creating spaces in it to maintain ventilation so as not to suffocate the pets.

Asiimwe says: “When I chased my cat away from the sofas the very first time, it ran away but returned after some time. When I chased it away more often, it found its resting place outside the house. That is how I was able to restore hygiene to my sofas,” Asiimwe says, adding that when not controlled, cats can scratch the sofa chairs with their sharp crows.

Use detergents for cleaning
Like washrooms, pet resting places especially kennels, Senyonga says, should be regularly cleaned to keep hygiene. He recommends using strong detergents such as JIK as it kills germs instantly. He adds that pet kennels should be cleaned twice a day; in the morning and afternoon due to the rapidness with which pets germs spread.
When pets such as dogs and cats are not cleaned, with time, they develop a smell especially when they have a lot of fur.

To keep your house smelling good, Senyonga recommends using dog shampoo not only to wash the pets but also clean where they rest. Washing and spraying them with disinfectants such as Alfapol and inside their kennels, he adds, also keeps elements such as fleas, which appear as a result of poor hygiene, at bay.
According to redvacuums, an online site that guides on keeping a house clean and pet friendly, brushing pets regularly and grooming them reduces the amount of hair they shed in a significant manner.
This is because any weak or broken hair is likely to get stuck in the brush rather than falling on the carpet, furniture upholstery or even the floor. Regular brushing and grooming are recommended by veterinarians too. It is also advisable to carry out the brushing activity after having covered the carpet or floor with newspaper or a sheet of plastic.
This minimises the chances of the stray hair falling on the surface and enhances the cleanliness.

Choose furniture wisely
The website also states that having pets around furniture that is not tightly woven is likely to result in frequent damage and repairing. In addition, cleaning up such surfaces is also not as easy, compared to furniture with smooth surfaces and tight weaving.
So, it is highly advisable for pet owners to invest in pet-friendly furniture, even if they do it one item at a time. This will not only help prove to be a cost-effective investment but will also improve the overall look and appeal of their house. Most importantly, it will make them free of the stress of keeping the pest away from the furniture to ensure its safety.

Caution
Taking care of the hygiene of your pets is a first and major step toward keeping your home clean. Taking care of your pets’ fur coats and giving them a good grooming every so often will keep the loose hair to a minimum, so consider that before you move forward with your cleaning efforts. Give them baths often enough to keep dander low and have them clean, healthy and happy.