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1. Make a habit of using your vacuum frequently to ensure dust, dander, and pet hair doesn't accumulate and stink up your home. Fortunately, Bissell's Cleanview Swivel Pet has a special brush that penetrates carpet to suck up pet hair as well as specialized attachments specifically designed to swallow fur in hard-to-reach areas, like the stairs and in corners. AND! Bissell donates a portion of its sales to its pet foundation, which aims to find homes for the millions of fur babies in shelters around the country. (I'm not crying, you are! 😭)
2. Wipe away muddy paw prints and pee puddles on hardwood floors and tile with a Swiffer WetJet. Consistent cleaning is one of the biggest ways to prevent your house from stinking, and this'll make it so easy.
3. Toss your linens — this means bed sheets, pillowcases, couch cushions and covers, and blankets — in the washing machine to rinse away pet odors. Doing this on a consistent basis prevents the fabrics from developing any unwelcome smells. You can even throw in the dog bed if it's machine-washable!
4. Try a detergent booster to boost your cleanser's stain-lifting abilities. Reviewers swear by it for dissolving stubborn stains and odors that detergent couldn't handle on its own.
5. Attack stains with an odor-eliminating spray that's safe to use on furniture you can't just stick in the washing machine. Each spray releases bacteria that feeds on the ammonia left behind after your pet's accidents, eliminating the urine completely and deterring your pet from peeing in the same spot again.
6. Keep a carpet steamer handy for lifting smelly pet messes. The Hoover PowerDash has a powerful spinning brush that gets between carpet fibers to break down stains. It also comes with Hoover's HeatForce, which dries your carpet fast. When you're done cleaning, simply dump the tank of water and pat yourself on the back. No more getting down on your hands and knees to clean doggy vomit from the carpet! 🙌
7. Go the old-fashioned route and just open the dang windows. Now that temperatures are finally cooling down for some of us, it's worth testing whether letting in fresh air is a free solution to your pet odor woes. But before you open those shutters, please, please, please go buy a window screen if you don't have any to prevent your pets from taking a tumble out the window!!!
8. Replace your air filters on a regular schedule so there's always clean air circulating. Dirty, clogged filters can reduce the air flow in your home, which will make any funky smells all the more obvious. Seriously, go set an alert on your phone. Go on, get! Your nose will thank you.
9. Filter out odors and pet dander with an air purifier that's compact, quiet, and deceptively powerful. Its HEPA-grade filter means it captures 99.97% of dirt and particles that are at least 0.3 microns — aka dander, dust mites, tobacco smoke, mold spores.
10. Breathe easier with a plug-in odor eliminator that contains a carbon filter that traps and neutralizes odors for up to three months. There's a handy indicator at the top that'll alert you when it's time to change filters. And! It doubles as a night light because the dark is scary — even if you're an adult.
11. Find hidden stains with a blacklight flashlight instead of crawling on the floor and conducting a sniff test. Fun fact: You can also use it to shine a light on scorpions, which naturally glow under ultraviolet light.
12. Mask any offensive odors with 100% soy candles that are made specifically for homes with pets. Each candle offers up to 60 hours of burn time — plenty of cozy hours spent snuggling on the couch with your fur babies.
13. Conceal any funky fragrances with an essential oil diffuser/humidifier — just make sure you opt for pet-friendly oils, like cedarwood, lemongrass, and rosemary.
14. Treat dandruff and oily skin — which can lead to one smelly pup — with a soothing shampoo made with oatmeal and lavender essential oils. And even if your pet doesn't have a skin condition, a bath may be a good idea if your pooch is smelling rank. That said, you should consult with your vet as to how often you should bathe your dog as overwashing will strip their skin of the oils that keep their coat shiny and moisturized.
15. Have a TubShroom handy to keep your shower drains free of Fluffy's hair. Pet hair, especially if you have long-haired breeds, can clog up drains and get moldy.
16. Dry your dogs post-bath with super absorbent microfiber towels so their fur doesn't smell musty. You know when you leave wet laundry sitting in the washer and it smells awful? The same thing can happen to your dog's fur, especially if it's long and dense.
17. Or, swaddle your doggo in a microfiber bathrobe so you don't have to spend 30 minutes towel drying them. It's made of a microfiber terrycloth that soaks up moisture from your dog's fur, plus it comes with a belt and velcro straps to prevent your dog from shaking it off.
18. Refresh your dog's coat between baths with a deodorizing spray that smells like eucalyptus and spearmint. Its alcohol- and paraben-free formula won't dry out their coats; in fact, it may actually make them glossier.
19. Rinse your pup's ears with an ear cleaner to prevent full-blown yeast infections that can get quite smelly. This way you don't have to give up cuddles because the scent of their ears makes you want to vom.
20. Tackle a case of bad breath with a vanilla mint–scented pet-friendly toothpaste that also helps protect against plaque buildup. This gets five paws up from us!
21. Clean your pup's skin folds with a wrinkle cream that can also treat tear stains and disinfect tail pockets. Bacteria that causes stinky yeast infections can accumulate in these pockets, so it's important to clean them frequently.
22. Buy baking soda in bulk, because it's a natural cleaner that can actually solve many of your pet-odor problems. It's great for neutralizing odors and you can sprinkle it on pee stains, dog beds, and litter boxes. Or, mix it with water until it's a paste to create homemade pet-friendly shampoo.
23. Prevent kitty litter smells from traveling with a stainless steel Ubbi diaper pail that does 👏 not 👏 play 👏 games. Basically any crevice through which gag-inducing odors could escape are blocked off so you can forget how truly awful cat poop smells. Simply slide open the lid and, in the words of Kanye, "Poopy-di scoop. Scoop-diddy-whoop. Whoop-di-scoop-di-poop."
24. Swap your old litter for a clumping litter that smells like Febreze and enjoy 10 blissful days of an odor-free litter box. Thanks to its low-dust formula, you won't have to hold your breath each time you scoop, waiting for the ammonia-scented cloud to settle.
25. Hang charcoal air-purifying bags anywhere your pets frequent, like near the litter box or by the dogs' beds. The charcoal is supposed to purify the air, drawing in moisture, bacteria, and unwanted odors.
But we still love our bbs! 🐶🐱
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