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?

These are the doormats I use, they trap loads of dirt.

Ooops forgot to post link [rollseyes] www.amazon.co.uk/Soggy-Doggy-Microfiber-Chenille-Doormat/dp/B00OZW8I4O/ref=pd_day0_hl_199_5/258-6728500-4695017?psc=1&pf_rd_p=92d624bb-a334-423e-8722-8024dd09667f&_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_wg=1Q1lF&pf_rd_r=HR35FP3GF2R77N9K5JNB&pd_rd_i=B00OZW8I4O&pd_rd_w=jK5C1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&refRID=HR35FP3GF2R77N9K5JNB&pd_rd_r=09c56137-67c9-482a-bc56-990812682d9a

I wonder if that mat works on cats? I spent £65 on two turtle mats which didn’t make a scrap of difference.

Also dh asked me if some old people were moving in when he saw them.

Yes it does Fluffy, I would shop around though because there are lots of variations in price. I've done the turtle mats too

Turtle mats lied to us both then.

Get them groomed if you have the budget. I'm a groomer and labs are probably in the top three of our biggest shedders. The hair we get out is outrageous!

Definitely hard flooring.

In my old place, before I switched from carpet to flooring, I had to use a carpet cleaner once a week without fail and, despite vacuuming daily, the tank always had loads of fur in it. And I still found a spot in the far corner when the carpet was taken up that stunk of urine.

Regular grooming would make sense, too - it's coming up to winter coat growing season (as the furry Tumbleweeds from DTwatCats reminds me), so getting them de-doggysmelled and loose fur removed will reduce both moulting and dog stink.

I have found the best thing to get rid of smells from urine is the Zoflora pet one, made up at half strength will take away the urine/faeces stink without replacing it with the overpowering zoflora one. And always clean throughly the moment you find an accident, no surface cleaning with soap and thinking you can come back to it when the surface has dried 'if it still smells' - it will.

Other than that, check for fecal gland impactment, throws on all furniture slung in the machine at 90 and it should reduce the dogginess of the house.