Keeping your home clean with pets can feel like a constant battle, with paw prints, fur and “presents” scattered throughout the house.
Not everyone can be as lucky as TikTok user Diana, described as a dog trainer on her profile, who shared a video to her page of her two dogs who are both well trained not to step on her freshly mopped floor. One of the dogs is sitting patiently on the door mat, while the other one has hopped onto the table.
“When even my dogs know not to walk on the floors after I mop them until they are dry,” reads the caption.
Pet owners spend 832 hours cleaning up after their dogs in a single year, according to a study by OnePoll on behalf of Trane Heating and Air Conditioning, which looked at the lengths pet owners will go to keep a clean home.
Seventy-five percent of the 2,000 surveyed said that getting a pet has meant they are constantly cleaning their homes. Sixty-three percent of people admitted they would not allow their pets outside so they don’t have to clean up after them all the time.
A Forbes survey also found that 54 percent of dog owners have regrets about getting a dog, and cleaning up after the dog came in at the top reason why, with 27 percent of dog owners agreeing that it was a reason not to get a pet.
Despite this, most pet owners wouldn’t trade their pets for anything, and would go above and beyond to make them part of the family.
Regularly grooming your dog is an obvious yet key way to minimize mess caused by your pet, according to pet advice site Pet Helpful.
“This will not only keep them clean and smelling fresh, but it will also ensure that their fur does not become matted. A very painful experience for any animal,” Pet Helpful says. “While each dog is different, a grooming appointment every four-six weeks works well. Any more than that and the essential oils will be removed from your dog’s coat, leaving irritated and dry skin behind. Also, do not forget to include nail trimming in your grooming routine. This will go a long way in preventing floor and furniture scratches.”
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Forward planning can also help reduce the amount of cleaning up you need to do after your dog, and creating a dog cleaning station by your front or back door can be a good idea, say Pet Helpful, including “a durable rug with a bathmat on top of it.” “This catches a lot of the mud and debris which would otherwise get tracked into the house,” Pet Helpful explains.
The pet advice website also suggests keeping a cloth there for wiping paws and a brush to keep any creepy crawlies outside, as well as hooks to keep muddy leashes and harness by the door.
Users on TikTok loved the video.
“Apparently dogs listen better than people,” said one user. “The way they are looking at each other like, has it been long enough? They know a thing or 2,” commented another user.
Newsweek has reached out to Diana via email for comment.
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