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I can’t seem to achieve a clean home with both kids and pets! 

I feel like it’s just a fact of life at this point. But, I still relentlessly try to keep it presentable for the rest of the world! So, when Jenny contacted me about offering a few tips to you all (and myself) about how she manages a clean home, I couldn’t resist. So, I’ll pass it over to Jenny…

A Bit About Jenny

Jenny Perkins is an Animal Behavior Specialist and a passionate writer. She loves to write about the nutrition, health, and care of dogs. She aims at providing tips to dog owners that can help them become better pet parents. She writes for the blog Here Pup.

*****Guest Post*****

Are you a worried parent who has to deal with kids that can be difficult to handle and pets that can be mischievous? Well isn’t that the story of most households? Parents of either two or four-legged kids struggling to manage all the chores while keeping their sanity intact and a house that smells like flowers and has every corner sparkling! It can get stressful, but that is when we look for hacks to get things done quickly! So all troubled parents, here are six fantastic strategies that you can utilize to keep your home clean without putting in days and weeks worth of effort.

Prepare Cleaning Solutions at Home

With pets and kids, you need to be all the more careful since the commercially available cleaning solutions may contain products that can be toxic. Of course, it is crucial to have the right supplies on hand, but you can create efficient solutions at home without spending a fortune. Here are a few multi-purpose cleaning solutions that you can quickly formulate yourself:

Floor Cleaners

A cup of warm water and ¼ cup of vinegar- mix it, and you have a cleaning agent to mop the floors.

Carpet Stain Remover

Mix about 2 cups of water with 2 cups distilled vinegar and four tablespoons of baking soda. If you spot any pet accidents, immediately blot the stain and spray it with this magic solution that will get rid of the odor and the bacteria due to the disinfecting properties of white vinegar.

How to Wash Pet Bedding

Add ¼ cup vinegar to a tub of hot water along with a mild detergent to soak and rinse the pet bedding. You can use the same ingredients to wash the beds in the washing machine as well.

Invest in Easy to Clean Upholstery Fabric

If you are thinking to give a makeover to your house, make sure you opt for easy-clean design options. For instance, if you allow pets on the furniture, it is essential to select the type of fabric that is stain resistant and can be cleaned easily. The best choices that are aesthetically appealing as well include microfiber, denim, woven textiles, leather, and canvas. Microfiber and denim are cost-effective and durable. Leather gives the fanciest look but is heavier on the pocket.

Purchase the Correct Tools and Gadgets

Investing your money in the right gadgets can make all the difference in saving the time and effort that goes into a cleaning session. Our furry companions shed quite a lot of fur which can be a nuisance, but not when you have a vacuum cleaner specifically designed for the task. Also get a few of the handy supplies such as a lint roller, fabric sweeper, de-shedding gloves, and grooming tools that help keep the dogs coat healthy and reduce the amount of loose fur you’d find around the house.

Set-Up a Cleaning Station

How do you deal with a pooch with muddy paws standing at the door soon after you are done with mopping the floor? Well, this is when you need a dog cleaning station that has towels, wipes, a spray bottle and a heavy duty floor mat. Now you need to dip your dog’s paws in water and wipe them before bringing him inside.

Plan a Clean-Up Hour Every Night

Cleaning is a tedious chore that most people tend to run away from. In our household, I assigned the responsibility to my husband (who by the way is a TOTAL perfectionist and clean freak.) But he played smart and worked out ways to bring everyone together to help out. We now have a cleaning session every night for 30 minutes where the entire household including the kids performs their designated tasks. Somehow it doesn’t feel that bad to work when everyone else joins in. You can try the same, figure out age-appropriate chores for the kids and begin mission cleanup.

Kids can handle quite a lot of responsibilities from feeding (make sure you keep an eye, so they don’t end up feeding dangerous foods to the dog) to making their own beds, organizing closets and cleaning pet messes.

Prioritize Your Cleaning

With pets and kids in the house, you can’t expect things to always work on a schedule. There will be good days and the times when you feel like failing, what is important is to adapt to the situation and change your plans accordingly. Always remember that not all cleaning is created equal so prioritize the critical tasks that you need to get done without overburdening yourself. Be happy even if you complete about 80% of the chores; don’t be too hard on yourself.

Remember that decluttering is your best friend. Get rid of the stuff that you haven’t been using and organize everything in labeled storage boxes and designated areas to make things accessible and easy to put away.