Can your house smell nice if you have pets

[fruitstick]

I'm obsessed with my house smelling nice. Everyone else's house smells clean and fresh and I don't feel like mine ever does - even when it's clean.

We have a dog and 2 cats. Since the dog has arrived the cats have taken to living upstairs- so they now have a litter tray in the upstairs bathroom. We use Catsan and I change it weekly and empty it as I go along.

I wash the dog's bedding regularly although he is allowed on the sofa.

On the whole, I'd say my house smells 'fusty'

I also have a teenage boy. Maybe he's the issue.

What are your best 'smell fresh' essentials.

I have Reed diffusers but I can never smell them.

I am incredibly house proud and even before getting my dog I've always been anal about cleaning. My house is always immaculate. I was apprehensive to get our dog because I wasn't sure what I else could do to clean my house! Some things which have helped:

• Dog is washed/clipped/groomed fortnightly (with expensive, hypoallergenic shampoo that doesn't interfere with his skin - be prepared to spend £££ if you plan on doing this!).
• Puppy pads go between couch seats and seat covers. Covers washed fortnightly and puppy pads replaced. Couch seats aired out and cleaned with bicarb/steamer with essential oils.
• Dog does not sleep on our bed!!
• Dog's bedding washed weekly.
• Windows in our house always open.
• Buy a carpet cleaner. Seriously cannot recommend this enough. You can get solution specifically for pets.

Plug in/scent things will probably mask the smell but they are so incredibly bad for you so I wouldn't bother. You just need to keep the dog and everything he touches clean and you'll be fine. My friends and family don't notice our "dog smell" very much at all except when he's just come back from a day at the lake.

No, probably not. I don't think air fresheners, candles or diffusers help either, they add to the smell or try to cover it up. There is nothing worse than one bad smell mixed with something sweet. We have a dog, he has his own bed, his own sofa and a his own bed upstairs too. He is currently sat in my chair. I suspect the rugs smell of him too. I think cleaning rugs, carpets, upholstery, washing pet beds, pet blankets, your own bedding, moping floors, dry cleaning curtains and opening doors and windows is your best bet and there is no short cut to create a fresh smelling home when you have dogs.

Plug in and sprays just smell horrible and synthetic.

Fresh air and very regular cleaning is the only solution. Ensure animal beds and blankets are washed every week as well.

I’ve had dogs and cats. Dogs. No chance. There will always be a dog smell. Cats: Yes, as long as they don’t have litter trays indoors, or leave dead things lying around.

Washing painted woodwork, handles, kitchen doors and kitchen skirting, window frames etc helps as greasy build up over time holds smells. Wash walls too or repaint.

This definitely makes a difference when moving into a stinky property 🤢

The biggest difference in smell for me was when we changed from Catsan litter to Ever Clean clumping litter from Amazon. It’s brilliant, I can’t smell it all! I clean it out once a day and do a full change every other month or so. A box may seem expensive but it lasts for ages.
We’ve got 2 dogs, 2 cats and a hamster. I vacuum and dust daily. I’ve also got a carpet cleaner which I use every other month or so. I keep an oil diffuser on in my front hallway. I mix and match different oils everyday. Makes the house smell very fresh when walking in. I like to think my house doesn’t smell too fusty. But haven’t had guests for ages so not been able to ask anyone!

@MaisyMary77 I have just ordered some of this. I shall report back!

I think it depends on the breed of dog as to whether you can smell them in the house. Ours is short haired with a single coat and I’ve asked people who say they can’t smell anything. I do hoover every day though and make sure her bedding is washed frequently. I used to know someone who had three long long haired dogs that she never bathed and the smell when you walked in the house used to get the back of your throat. I guess people become nose blind to it in their own house but I do know of other dog owners whose houses don’t smell at all.

Cat litter trays OTOH I can always smell when I go into someone’s house unless it’s just been freshly changed. I can’t imagine people would smell yours from downstairs though.