Do you have guests coming to visit and want to make sure your pet-friendly home is also guest-friendly? Keep reading for my 6 Clean Home Tips for Pet Owners Who Are Expecting Guests.
6 Clean Home Tips for Pet Owners Expecting Guests
What are some of your biggest pet peeves? A few of mine include people opening their driver’s side door when parked on the street and there is on-coming traffic (I will take your door off, people!!), people who clip their nails in public (ew!), and cat litter all over the house (so gross and annoying!). I guess that last one is a literal PET peeve and I seriously hate it.
Since we have two cats now, I feel like there is double the litter and I do everything it takes to really prevent it from tracking around the house. What’s that old saying about children? They should be seen, but not heard? I feel like the saying for pets should be, “Pets should be seen, but not smelled, with no fur on your clothes, or litter on your floors or in your bed!” Keep reading for my tips for prepping your pet-friendly home when expecting guests.
1. Allergy Medications
First and foremost, warn your guests if you have a pet. That way, if they have severe allergies, then they can decide whether or not they want to visit your home or if they would rather meet for a meal at a restaurant instead or stay at a hotel. But if they do decide to visit despite the pets, try to keep some allergy medications on hand such as Benadryl, Claritin, Xyzal, or Zyrtec in case allergies act up.
2. Wash Bedding and Towels
If guests are staying overnight, be sure to provide freshly laundered sheets, bedding, and towels and make sure they are kept off-limits to your furry family members so as not to re-contaminate them with fur and dander! I also keep my extra bedding and sheets within vacuum-sealed storage bags so they aren’t “contaminated” just sitting on a shelf in the closet.
3. Vacuum Rugs, Floors, and Furniture
Vacuum everything! Suck up all that dog and cat hair and any wandering kitty litter! Go over any rugs, all the floors, as well as furniture! There is nothing grosser than going to sit down at someone’s house and getting dog or cat fur stuck to your clothes. Yes, you might be used to it and okay with it, but that doesn’t mean your friends and family are!
4. Lint Roller
But even though you’ve vacuumed, be a good host and make sure to leave your guest a lint roller just in case you miss a spot or Fluffy jumps up wanting to be cuddled. Perhaps you could even make a Houseguest Welcome Basket for your guest and leave a lint roller in there.
5. Slippers or Socks
As hard as I work to limit the litter tracking in the house (I even made a Kitty Litter Box Cabinet Hack, a special litter box for Lucy so all the litter would be contained within a piece of furniture!), there is always a tiny pebble here or there. If this bothers you as much as it bothers me, then you might want to gift your guests an inexpensive pair of slippers or socks that they can put on in case they need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and don’t want to step on tiny rocks.
6. Scented Candles or Air Fresheners
Remember how I said pets should be seen, but not smelled? Yeah, I never want someone to walk into my home and think to themselves, “Cats live here.” So I use odor-killing litter, air fresheners, and I leave out scented candles when I know guests are coming over. I want my house to smell like apple cider or freshly baked pie, not cat pee.
What about you? If you have pets, what do you do to maintain a clean home for guests during the holidays? Let me know if I’ve missed something by leaving me a comment!
Looking for more tips on how to make your house guest feel more welcome?
