How can you not love that face?
But that fluffy tail and underbelly with all that fur? That part is much harder to love.
After years of living with pets and struggling to keep up with the seemingly endless amount of fur shed each day, I discovered these five sanity-saving tools to keep our home from becoming one giant dust bunny.
If you have company coming or there is so much fur you can’t tell what color the couch is, in less than five minutes, you can roll that fur away and no one will even know you allow your pets on the furniture.
The Mega Roller is much less cumbersome than getting out the vacuum cleaner and fussing with the pet wand attachment and is just as effective.
If you often break your own “no pets on the furniture” rule (or if you own a cat) the Evercare Mega Lint Roller is a must-have household item.
Tip: Since our pets are quite social and tend to jump into unsuspecting laps, we also keep a regular-sized lint roller on hand for guests to use and have one stashed in the glove box in each car for when we go out.
2. Roomba
We bought our first robotic vacuum six years ago after my husband found me sitting on the bathroom floor and crying into the dust pan. With two cats and a giant breed dog, it didn’t seem to matter how often I swept, the fur seemed to be uncontrollable. Although a Roomba is an expensive investment, it has been worth it in our household for several reasons:
1. I haven’t cried into the dust pan in quite some time. (Well, not because of pet fur anyway!)
2. I can be in the other room working while Roomba zips around and cleans up.
3. Our house gets vacuumed every. day. When I first saw how much fur and dirt filled the bin each day, I was horrified! I still do a weekly heavy duty vacuum with the upright, but the house is definitely cleaner on a day-to-day basis with the Roomba.
Tip: A word of warning about using the auto-schedule feature while you’re out of the house: if your pet has an accident, Roomba will actually make it worse. Trust me. I know...
3. Dust Mop
When the Swiffer first came out, I was obsessed with it. You could find me Swiffering all over the house. But then, I started to realize 1) how much money I was spending on refills and 2) how wasteful it was to throw away the little sheets after a just a few uses. So, although I still think Swiffers are very effective at minimizing pet fur, a washable dust mop will do as good of a job while saving you money and helping our environment.
4. The FURminator
It took several years of hemming and hawing over the $50 price tag on the Furminator before we finally made the investment, but it has been worth every penny. Unlike traditional grooming brushes that cover the surface layer of fur, the Furminator pulls out the thick undercoat where much of that winter coat is hiding. Over the years we have used this brush on both short and long haired cats and dogs. Surprisingly, it makes the biggest difference on our short haired pets.
If possible, I highly recommend using the Furminator outside because the fur gets everywhere! On more than one occasion we filled an entire grocery bag with dog hair after a brushing session. Be sure to have a broom and dust pan nearby for a quick post-Furminator clean-up!
5. Kitty Pass
This final item doesn’t directly deal with pet fur, but it does address the litter box problem cat owners face. It is very difficult to find a good spot in the home for a litter box. The Kitty Pass door tunnel allowed us to put our cat’s litter box in the least intrusive spot in the house without having to keep the door open at all times. It helps to contain the smell, gives our cat some privacy, and keeps our dog out (that alone makes it well worth the investment!)
The Hard Truth
Keeping a clean and tidy house while sharing it with our furry friends requires constant effort. However, from one pet-loving neat-freak to another: these tools just might keep you from crying into a dust pan on the bathroom floor. Or if nothing else, help you clear a spot on the couch so your guests can relax the next time they come for a visit. (Even pet-friendly guests appreciate a clean spot to sit.)
If you have a sanity-saving pet recommendation of your own, I’d love to hear it! And if you have a fur baby at home, be sure to give him or her a little cuddle for me.
Until next time,
