Spring is here, and with that comes our tendency for spring cleaning! Whether it be a deep clean of your house, a detailing of your car, or just a few days of hard yard work, we all tend to do it. What we tend to forget is spring cleaning to refresh our pets’ toys and other belongings, and maybe our pets themselves.
Pamper your pups! It may be time to consider a day at the grooming salon, a nice deep shampoo and conditioning, and maybe even a spring haircut. If you have a cat, it’s time to break out the heavy-duty brush and help them shed off that winter coat—or it they are one of few who enjoy it, run a nice bath for them as well. While we should always practice good grooming habits for our fur-babies, if we have been a little lazy with it, now is the perfect time to rectify that issue.
Any fabric toys our pets have could also need a nice refresher. Throw the toys that you can into a pillowcase and toss them in the wash using a mild, scent-free detergent to help clean and sanitize them. If you have any hard toys, you can always run them through the dishwasher (no heated dry cycle) or clean them up in the sink, again with a mild soap.
You know your pet better than anyone else, so if they prefer their smelly toys, it may be good to leave those ones alone and grungy—as unfortunate as it is for us as the people who must deal with the smells or dirt getting tracked around.
Other items you may not have considered washing are leashes, collars, and bedding. Leashes and collars—for the most part—can go in your washing machine. Most beds can go in the wash as well, especially if they have a removable cover. Vacuum the excess hair off any cat trees and items that cannot be washed. And if you have a post that allows it, or if you have the know-how, refresh the sisal wrap on the scratching post to help keep your kitty’s nails nice and happy.
And finally, a good scrub of water and food dishes may be in order, especially if you have a water fountain. Bio films can build up quickly and trap lots of bacteria, so while it’s something that should be done regularly, if you have been putting it off, there is no better time than now to do it!
Pets are a big part of our family, so we should not leave them out of the spring-cleaning fun! While cleaning may be tedious, we can all reap the benefits of having a few less stinky toys or shed hairs floating around the house.
Related Posts
