14 Cleaning Hacks Every Dog or Cat Owner Should Know

That’s right. We’ve found another use for duct tape—cleaning.

The stickiness of duct tape makes it perfect for a makeshift pet hair remover and this method is faster than vacuuming. It also works on seats in vehicles. A sponge or cloth wrapped with duct tape works great for getting into corners.

Wrap duct tape around a paint roller cover, sticky side out. Roll the paint cover over furniture or carpet to pick up the pet hair. Add more tape as the surface gets full of hair.

Enzyme products are easy to use on pet stains—just spray or blot them on the stain according to the directions.

The products contain harmless bacteria that ‘eat’ the organic matter that causes the odor.

When the organic matter is gone, the bacteria run out of food and die.

The whole process will take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Some manufacturers recommend covering the area with plastic or a wet cloth to keep the bacteria moist and healthy.

Cut your litter cleanup time in half with this nifty trick.

Line your litter pan with a plastic kitchen garbage bag before adding the litter.

To train your pets to stay off furniture, place plastic carpet protectors—prickly side up—on their favorite perch.

Available in office supply stores and the carpet/flooring department of home centers, the protectors can be cut to the size you need with a scissors or a utility knife.

The plastic teeth will train your pet to associate the couch with ‘uncomfortable.’

Soon they will seek cozier spots to relax on and leave the easy chair to you.

Just remember to remove the protector before you sit down.

If you have a shedding pet, StickySheets can make cleaning up after it a lot easier. Just peel off the backing, press the sheet against the furniture, then pull it up. The hair sticks to the sheet, but the 24 x 36-in. sheets won’t stick to each other, making application easier. The sheets can be reused up to three times.

The manufacturer claims that Americans spend more than 200 million hours cleaning up more than 25,000 tons of pet hair each year. If that’s true, then StickySheets can save a lot of time.

Mask shallow claw marks and scratches in wood doors with stain and varnish. Gel stains work well for matching the existing finish.

Instead of brushing your pet and then cleaning up the fur with a vacuum, use the vacuum with an upholstery attachment to brush the dog.

The vacuum sucks up all the loose fur so you don’t spend any extra time cleaning.

It’s not fancy, but it’s a cheap way to keep litter in the litter box where it belongs.

Trace an opening on one end of a plastic storage container, then push a sharp razor knife into the plastic and cut out the opening.

Pour in the litter and your cat will figure out the rest.

Build this bin and you can fill the dog dish with the flick of a finger and do away with that crumpled bag of dog food lying on the garage floor.

This bin easily holds two 20-lb. bags of food and allows you to dispense it right into the dish. And you can store two types of food so the cat won’t get jealous.

Slide open the ‘blast gate’ and food falls into the dish. A hinged top allows easy refilling. Get

Protect your doors from your dog’s claws with a sheet of plastic.

Buy 1/8-in. or thinner Plexiglas or plastic at any home centre.

Cut the Plexiglas so it fits just inside the door jambs and is 1 ft. higher than the reach of your dog.

Most home centres will cut the Plexiglas for you, but you can also cut it with a utility knife and a straightedge. (If you have a large dog and need plastic above the doorknob, use a 3-in. hole saw to make a cutout for the knob.)

Mount the Plexiglas to the door with 3/4-in. roundhead wood screws.