Keeping house clean with dogs

[lunaland]

I'm really struggling to keep on top of the housework and the daily mess and extra dirt and fur my two labradors bring.

We've had them for 8 years and 3 years so it's not new but the problem seems to have got 100x worse lately. They are both constantly shedding and one of them has started toileting inside :( it's really getting me down.

They used to be allowed to free roam the house (small semidetached) but now they are confined to the living room/dining room. Upstairs is now lovely and easy to maintain but downstairs is now worse.

I cannot keep up with the vacuuming needed. The fur gets everywhere and it seriously smells. It just all seems so pointless.
I'm expecting a baby in February and I need to get on top of the cleaning and hygiene.

Any tips for keeping on top of it all?

Hard flooring throughout here
I bought an eufy, robot vacuum

A furminator will help with the shedding.

I've got cats (4!) and found buying x3 robot hoovers (around £86 each on eBay or more on amazon) and some magic door mats that stop dirt being tracked life changing.

The hoovers are set to go off x2 a day.

Also bought a sofa cover and some throws that I was with zoflora pet.

Oh yes leather sofas, the one fabric one has throws on it

I have 3 dogs, one of them is a Black Lab x Retriever and moults all year round. We are due DC1 in Jan

We've recently put laminate down in our lounge to replace the carpet so all downstairs floors are hard. With carpet it was a nightmare - now we have laminate it's so easy & has zero smell. I bought a shark duo last year which I'd recommend. I hoover downstairs & spray mop daily with pet zoflora (used to hoover twice a day with carpet). I also keep them in the utility room until they are dry if they've been out in the rain etc.

Our dogs are restricted to downstairs. We do let them on the sofa but have throws over it and I wash them twice a week on a hot wash with white wine vinegar to remove the hair.

We have cream units in the kitchen which can get a bit gross with the dogs - I wipe them down every other day.

@HamiltonBentley what's the purpose of the white vinegar?

@mankyfourthtoe it removes pet hair from fabrics. I put half a capful in when washing the sofa throws/our bedding/dogs bed etc - anything that the dogs would have sat on.

Daft question - do you brush them? That would reduce the shedding to a degree, especially if you do it outside.

sizeofalentil

Do you recommend your bargain amazon robot vacs? How long have you had them? I’ve been looking at getting one but don’t want to spend a load.

@FirstTimeDogParent - I've had the three I've got now for about three years but had two different ones before that which died.

I'd check amazon and sort by 4*+ then do price low-high to see what you can get. Then check eBay to see if you can get it cheaper

Thanks. Which brand/model(s) have you got?

I've got an iLife one(s). But, there will be better ones now. I'd probably buy this next:

Be careful with a robot vac if the dog that toilets inside does or might poo inside, as the robot vac won't know to avoid it.

Sheesh, Valenta. That would be heinous

Thanks lentil

Thank you so much for the recommendations. Some great ideas here :)
I may have to skip the robot vacuum because I do have a dog who occasionally toilets inside- Then a bit of dog hair would be the least of my worries!

I have a robot, it's not set on automatic for that reason. But I check the area then bung it on and do something else

I find that the cleaner I keep my dog; the cleaner the house is.

Do you brush then regularly? Bathe them? Do they go to the groomers?

I’d also second the robot vacuums! Makes a world of difference. Our isn’t on an automatic setting just incase our dog ever has an accident. We set them off when we take the dog out for a walk.

A quick run over with a furninator helps loads, it comes off our cat in drifts. You can get pet nappies.

I've got two Labs, a lurcher and six cats. I have laminate flooring with rugs in all rooms except the hall and landings which are carpeted, and tiled floor in the kitchen.
My best buy has been a cordless vac that means I can whizz round in minutes every day and then a good vacuum about twice a week. I keep a doodle rug at the back door which helps and have an e cloth mop that I whizz round with daily or when they trail anything in.
I also have a vax carpet cleaner which does a fab job at cleaning carpets and upholstery. Dogs get brushed regularly too and in wet muddy weather they get hosed and toweled outside with towels on the floor in doorways to catch any paw prints.
I won't lie though, they do create a lot of work! Another thought is that they shouldn't be shedding constantly, you could try adding a teaspoon of cod liver oil to their food to help.

That's a good point, I've spent a small fortune on rugs for the back door.
They're either small enough to go in the washing machine but then the dogs skip over them
Or big enough that a few paws actually go on it but I struggle to get in clean.
Any recommendations

4 ddogs. Cushions and blankets washed every week. Dc brush them every week end!
Wood effect lino downstairs. Wood floor in the hall. Damp mop regularly.
Suggest this also...

Old towel @mankyfourthtoe? It’s what I use on the floor for the Bengal who gets muddy paws in heatwaves.