If you’ve got a furry friend, you probably have a love-hate relationship with spring. Although it’s a wonderful time to open the windows and put away your winter boots and coat, walking your dog can often be a muddy mess.
The professional cleaning experts at MOLLY MAID suggest trying these tips to help you and your pooch take a cleaner stride into spring:
Mud and dirt
Mitigate the mess of dirty paws this spring by trimming the hair around your dog’s paw pads regularly (or have the groomer do it). This will prevent mud from clumping to their feet. Prior to your walk, fill a small, low container with warm water and place it at the front door, along with a towel. When you return from your walk, place the container outside and dip each of your dog’s paws into the water one by one. Dry each paw with a towel thereafter. This will prevent your dog from tracking mud into your home.
Bath time
Although you may think giving Fluffy a bath on a regular basis is a good thing, it can actually cause her skin to become itchy and flakey. Instead of giving Fluffy a bath with soap and water, try using a towel dampened with a solution of one part white vinegar and one part water to wipe her down. Dry thoroughly thereafter. Next, sprinkle a little bit of baking soda onto her coat and rub it through her hair. This will help neutralize the smell of white vinegar. Let the baking soda sit for one to two minutes, then brush out.
Dog hair
As you shed your winter coat to greet the warmer weather, so does your dog. Therefore, it is important to brush your dog on a regular basis to keep shedding under control. The best place to brush your dog is outside if the weather permits. Does your dog spend most of its day lounging and shedding on your favourite couch? Don’t panic! Simply use a damp rubber glove to gather the hair into a pile, and then vacuum it up. You can also run a squeegee across your fabric couch cushions to clean up the dog hair as well.
The dog bed
While you’re cleaning and removing dog hair from your favourite couch, clean your dog’s bed too. Use the furniture attachment to vacuum any hair and dirt off of your dog’s bed. Make sure to vacuum the bed regularly to keep it clean. For a deeper, more thorough clean, remove the fabric cover from your dog’s bed and launder as normal. You can also add a cup of baking soda to the laundry cycle to neutralize the dog smell.
The dog collar
With the amount of mud spring brings, your dog’s collar is bound to get dirty! To clean your dog’s collar, fill a small bowl with hot water and add a bit of dish soap to it. Rub the inside and outside of the collar together to scrub away dirt. Rinse the collar under clean running water and hang it to dry. Make sure the collar is completely dry before putting it back on your dog.
Toys
Give your dog’s toys a good spring cleaning this season to help keep them squeaky clean and germ-free! Wash plastic toys in the sink with soap and warm water. Run any tennis balls that need a thorough cleaning, through the washing machine in a garment bag. Let the tennis balls air dry, or run them through the dryer inside a pillowcase.
Image by PicsbyFran from Pixabay
