Cleaning Advice?

[Labradorks]

I'm having a tough time keeping up with my two Labs and cleanliness (mostly hair). I don't have a lot of time on my hands or anyone to assign some house-keeping duties. I am looking into a weekly or bi-weekly service, but finding one who will clean your home with dogs is TOUGH!

How often do you vacuum?

Speaking of vacumming, how do you keep your vacuum from stinking like stale dog? I recently replaced my five-year old vacuum because it reeked (and it was just over-used and kinda cheap). This time I went with a bagless (Shark brand) and I dump the tank after each use. It is full after one vacuum of my 750sf house (and that is without moving furniture).

I already have hardwood and tile and just three rugs which are the LL Bean Waterhogs by the doors.

I brush the dogs regularly. I can get a lot out of my black Lab who has that sorta sticky undercoat. The brush doesn't usually get much off of the yellow and he sheds differently.

How often do you wash dog beds?

I keep a blanket on the sofa cushion that the one dog that gets on the sofa hangs out on and I keep a blanket over my comforter. I wash these blankets up to four times per week depending on how bad he is shedding.

And, let's talk about the car. O. M. G.

I learned about using a pumice stone to get the hair out of the carpet fibers so I am going to give that a try.

How often do you clean your car? And, any tips or tricks for keeping it clean (i.e., keeping hair out of the carpet versus more cleaning).

At this point, as soon as my car is paid off, I'm going to get it detailed like it's going to be sold and purchase a van situation for the dogs with permanent crates and all that, then declare my car a dog-free zone.

I have had black Labs for going on 20 years and the hair situation has never been so awful. It's a good thing I love my yellow fellow!

[Annette47]

I vacuum every 2-3 days in the areas they frequent most, yet I still have hairy dust kittens floating around ... it’s just part of the price I pay for having 3 Labs. We just got rid of the carpet in our family room and replaced it with luxury vinyl. I love it, but it does show the dirt/hair more ... but on the other hand it’s MUCH easier to clean than carpet so ...

I haven’t particularly noticed the vacuum (we have a Dyson) smelling most of the time - if it does, I clean out the filters, dirt tank, etc and it seems to help. Usually vacuuming the whole house requires emptying the tank mid clean.

Dog beds I don’t wash as often as I probably should - maybe once a month if that? I haven’t really noticed them getting stinky though. Don’t know if I’ve gone “nose blind” or if my dogs just don’t really smell that bad. Mulder was stinkier than any of the girls, so I tend to think it’s not completely that I don’t notice it. We too keep blankets on the couch and bed that get washed at least once a week if not more. The car isn’t bad, but they only ride in crates (we have a minivan) which contains the hair.

I know what you mean about the differences between the blacks and yellows. Chloe sheds horrendously but it’s only for about 2-3 months out of the year, but the yellows so far shed little bits daily.

I feel your pain though - I just locked all the dogs in the yard for a few minutes so I could clean the floors (they go crazy biting and barking at the vacuum which is a PITA to deal with), and while they were out, they decided to run through some mud puddles so as soon as I let them back in, the floors were dirty again. Sigh ....

[ZoeysMommy]

Well I have 2 labs and a corgi. I will admit I am lazy, I do a deep clean on the weekend and generally it just builds up over the week until I clean again. My house is all tile with one large rug in our living room. Couches are leather, those just wipe right off.

But I am reconsidering this, Zoey is my black lab and she isn't a super heavy shedder unless she is blowing her coat a few times a year but my younger lab is a yellow and I swear to god she looses half her coat everyday. I have yellow hair all over! I am hoping as she gets older maybe it will get better, I think I'm just fooling myself. My corgi is a heavy shedder but if I keep up on her grooming its not horrible unless she is blowing her coat as well. My chihuahua doesn't count, she barely sheds

I wash the dogs beds about once a month. My own bedding once a week, the dog beds are rarely used but they all sleep in bed with us

My car is a mess. I got a new Highlander this past year and got all leather interior, it helps a ton and easier to clean

Truthfully I don't put to much worry into it, I have 4 dogs, it is what it is

[MightyThor]

Car - a mess. I don't even try anymore. I have a yellow lab and a dark interior.

In the house: I have all wood floors with a few small rugs so a quick sweep every day or two keeps the tumble-Thors under control. But he sheds all over the couch cushions and it's annoying to clean those. I have one of the Pledge Pet Hair cleaners which is AWESOME but apparently discontinued given my inability to find refills and the price on amazon.

We're moving into a house with 3 stories of carpet so that will be a new adventure for me. Any vacuum suggestions appreciated!

[swanska]

When I used dog beds, I put a fleece blanket over them and then just shook the hair out before a weekly washing. Shadow expressed a preference for couches and beds so the blankets moved to those locations. Cat peed on dog beds and stench was permanent. Dog beds went into the trash since they were no longer important to Shadow but the fleece blankets are still used (sometimes when company comes, I pool a few on the floor for a cushy place for Shadow).

For my car, I have to clean the drool and dust weekly from the windows and dash. He brings in lots of mud and dust from the dog park so I have a cover for the cloth back seat (will go with leather next time). I have gone thru several seat covers but found this to be the best -- it really does not slip and the extra length protects the footwell (which is filled with a seat extender so Shadow has plenty of lounging room):

4Knines Rear Waterproof Non Slip Backing Seat Cover for Cars Trucks and SUV's (wish they'd had gray when I bought -- only had black and tan so in summer I put a light colored blanket on top so it doesn't absorb heat so much).
Amazon.com : Dog Seat Cover with Nonslip Backing - Side Flaps - Waterproof - Unconditional Lifetime Warranty : Automotive Pet Seat Covers : Pet Supplies

I have found that a rubber sponge works well at picking up hair from upholstery.

I have heard that you can put a drop of vanilla on a cotton ball, let it dry then vacuum it up -- "supposed" to help with stinky vacuums. Don't know if it will help you or not. Also the aforementioned filter cleaning should help.

[doubledip1]

BAKING SODA. BAKING SODA, BAKING SODA, BAKING SODA.

Let me start with vacuuming. You can sprinkle baking soda on the floor when you vacuum. You can sprinkle it on both hardwood and carpet. It definitely refreshes the carpet and I think my hardwoods too. You can also sprinkle it on the furniture. I have never met a fabric that you can't put baking soda on. If you want supreme cleaning and odor eliminating, do the baking soda the night before and let it sit overnight.

As for your car, again, baking soda is your friend. I put baking soda and a couple of pieces of lump charcoal briquettes in an old shoebox and I have two shoeboxes strategically placed around the car. My car still smells like wet dog when the wet dogs are in it, but most people are astonished at how clean my car smells. The other thing you can do is get a small bottle of essential oil and put a few drops around the car. You don't need much at all.

There is no way to stop the hair from getting everywhere. Any product that says it can is a lie. It can't. It's a life we signed up for. That said, I do vacuum the main areas every other day, but I try for daily. I save bedrooms for once a week.

And again, a couple pieces of lump charcoal beneath the trash bag in the trash cans helps. And a piece or two of lump charcoal in an empty sandwich bag that's closed but has a couple holes poked in it wedged between couch cushions is my clean little secret...

[Jeff]

Car - a mess. I don't even try anymore. I have a yellow lab and a dark interior.

This made me laugh out loud as I fully understand.

I gave up as well. Same issue. I vacuum it out at the car wash a few times a year. Other than that open the window, put on sun glasses to keep the hair out of my eyes, then hope some hair blows out going down the road.

Anyway Vacuum the house no shedding time once a week. When blowing his coat twice a week.

Beds, I wash them when ever i wash my comforter on my bed.

[JenC]

I have dry Swiffer that is up and ready at all times. I try to run that through the dog area once a day and then I use the vacuum to pick up all the hair. We have stained concrete floors with throw rugs. So swiffering is easy. A dust mop would work the same. I full on vacuum every other day or so. Focusing on rugs and hair clumps. Washing beds isn't as often as they should be probably. We have a scentsy thing going almost 24 hr a day.

[arentspowell]

Not going to lie, I don't clean any of these things as often as I should. We just got a new Molly Mutt bed for D but before that, I can't remember the last time it was washed. It was years most likely. It was impossible to get the hair off it so I just gave up.

I vacuum my car every couple of months. The dogs rarely ride in my car. My husband's BMW is actually the "dog car" which is kind of ironic because it's a lot nicer than my car. BMW makes a fantastic dog cover that keeps all the hair contained. We clean the cover with the vacuum when it starts to get stinky and my husband is pretty fanatical when it comes to his car and cleans it inside and out every week.

As for the inside of our house, hiring a cleaning person was the best decision we've made! She comes every other week and it's really cut down on the dog hair bunnies that would collect all over the place. By the time my house starts to feel dirty again, it's time for her to come back so I rarely do any extra vacuuming nowadays.

[Scoutpout]

Rhomba.

seriously, that thing rocks. you can set a "schedule" for him to come out and clean, or like i do, i carry him into the bedroom when i'm leaving in the morning and hit the start button. I get home, find the rhomba, and empty his "very" full bin, clean the brushes, and send him back to his charger. Next day, i plop him down in a different zone, same deal. They come with little "lighthouses" that can either be used as a way for it to get back to the charger from another room, or used as invisible walls (thats how i have mine set up). I've got it so there's basically 3 "zones" in the house, and i rotate where it turn him loose before i leave. The bedrooms get done every 2 days or so, the hall and dining every 4 days (smaller area, less use, so sometimes i run that area in the evening), and the living/kitchen/back hall every other day.

I still try and do a "real" cleaning once a week, but it doesn't always happen. at least with rhomba, the floors aren't totally covered with hair. I had a wonderful cleaning lady for about 5 years, gosh do i miss her! She was Polish, and really knew how to clean! didn't mind the dogs, brought her young daughter with her, the boys got attention from her daughter for 3 hours or so, and i got a wonderfully clean home. To save money, i dropped from weekly to every other week, but alas, i couldn't afford any extras and i had to let her go. If you can find an independent cleaning lady who runs her own business with her own clients, i feel you get better value and a better cleaning job. Ask friends and neighbours if they have anyone they can recommend, check church bulletin boards in your area, ask your vet, etc.