A good friend of mine asked me how I manage our dogs' hair, considering we have two large labs. The honest answer is... I do a lot. ALL. THE. TIME. (I used to be a little more relaxed about the hair before I had a crawler but I still seem to be constantly sweeping.)
Yes, this is a pile of hair!
Here are some of my suggestions, besides getting rid of your dog (totally kidding!):
1. Vacuum your rugs daily. This may sound crazy to some but it definitely helps me. We have a home that is all hardwood floors or tile so the amount that I have to vacuum is very small. (Four large rugs.) And if you know me, you know that I actually love to vacuum so this is somewhat stress relieving.
2. Keep the dogs out of the bathroom. I just started this within the past year and it has made me SO much more sane. Now when I step out of the shower I am not stepping onto a pile of hair.
3. Invest in one of those microfiber mop brooms. You know, the kind that you can push rather than sweep. I usually use mine after I sweep the majority up with my broom. It catches all the fliers (aka hair that flies all of the house when you sweep) and it helps you get to all those hard to reach areas. Like under the crib... I guess a Swiffer might work too but I would rather use something that I can remove and wash. I don't like the idea of needing to buy something ELSE to clean. I like it simple. Plus, it is less waste for the environment.
4. Run the vacuum over your tile AFTER you sweep. Maybe this is because I love vacuuming but I think it picks up little pieces that I miss when I sweep.
5. Put your dogs in the garage when you leave. If you have one and, of course, if the weather is conducive. I recently started putting our dogs in when we leave and I have to say there does seem to be less hair in the house. If you don't have a garage maybe keep them in one room.
6. If you have the money, which I do not, get your dogs groomed regularly. If you have a good groomer then they will remove a lot of hair and your dog will shed less in your house. When we lived in Spokane I had our dogs groomed more regularly (every 2-3 months) and I noticed a change in their coat and the hair left on their beds. Note: not all dog groomers are created equal. Do NOT waste your money if your dog looks just as good after leaving the groomers as he does when you give him a bath. He should be fluffy, shiny and his skin free of dand-ruff.
7. Try changing your feed. Some dog food is better for the coat and may help with shedding issues. I don't really have a suggestion for feed. We use Nutro dog feed and I am very pleased with our dogs coat condition.
8. Lower your clean meter. This is hard for some, myself included, but hair with dogs is part of life. You WILL find hair in your pots and pans, no matter how well you clean. You WILL have dog hair in your children's play dough. You WILL feel like you need to sweep daily. BUT...
Your life would not be the same with out that big ball of fur greeting you at the door. So take a deep breathe and embrace the hairy loved one.
Your life would not be the same with out that big ball of fur greeting you at the door. So take a deep breathe and embrace the hairy loved one.
1 comment:
First thought, I obviously have lower standards than you, because I will not be cleaning my floors daily. I realize that it could be done daily, but I'm not bothered enough by it to do that. I did sweep more often when we had a crawler, though. It doesn't make you feel real great when your kids shirt is covered in dog hair.
Second thought, holy crap, you have all three colored labs! The dog hair will now show up on every surface of your home, nothing is safe!
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