DS's friends say our house smells

[fruitstick]

I know it does but I'm mortified. DS's friends are also quite a bit wealthier than us with bigger houses etc but I don't want DS to feel he can't bring people round.

We keep the house clean but have a dog and two cats. The cats have litter trays upstairs which don't help.

I blame our hallway as no fucker puts their shoes away (DS & DH) and there are loads of coats (mainly DH's).

I have the next week off work so was planning on a big clean up anyway.

What do I need to be doing.

I know the dog on the sofa means we need to wash the cushions more regularly than we do. I'm not as religious about cleaning as I could be.

But tell me what I need to be doing.

It sure I agree with the suggestions to use air fresheners. They can be pretty revolting!

Not helpful I'm afraid but this is why I don't have cats. Litter trays smell really bad. Can't you install a flap and have them go outside? Genuine question, I don't understand cats.

Deep clean. Air the house daily. No dogs on sofa. Stern words with husband.

No I don't clean the litter tray out as much as I should

That is your issue. We used to have two cats, and I used to clean the tray after every use. Not doing so is lazy. There is no excuse not to. Also, uneaten cat food left lying around smells unpleasant.

OP you can get all sorts of cat flaps now including ones that go in window panes. I would figure that out if funds allow. And a covered litter tray outside. They’ll figure it out - make sure your son doesn’t leave clothes piles around for cat to pee on.

also if cats are long haired I would consider whether they need a bath.

Is it your dog? I keep my house clean and clutter free, the dog doesn't go on the sofa, but I know she smells. She didn't use to as a younger dog, but now she is at least middle aged she is starting to whiff. I have to very regularly brush her and use a deodorising spray (for dogs). I also bath her much more often, however I tend to leave this until really needed as it isn't good for her type of coat. Other than that there isn't a lot I can do about the dog. Unfortunately DH is very sensitive to chemicals and so the likes of plug ins etc result in him not being able to breathe 🤦‍♀️ so we got an air purifier which works quite well. It has an essential oils diffuser too which DH can cope with. Best of luck, you're not alone

I'm another who could always smell dog in a house, regardless of what was done with the dog.

I would do what people suggest, but dog houses always have an odour about them. The friends may not mean it's unbearable, just that there is a smell associated with your house.

The same goes for houses with litter trays, so I'd do what people suggest with them, to keep them as fresh as possible.

The only litter I've found not to smell is CatSan - and only when scooped frequently and fully changed regularly.

We have two cats, a 9 year old who goes out and only uses a tray if the weather isn't to her liking, and a new kitten.

We've had to keep them separate whilst we're out so little cat doesn't dash out of the cat flap (she's being spayed next week) and the smell in the room from one tiny cat if the tray is left longer than ideal is immense.

You have two adult cats and two trays. For me that would be frequent scooping and a complete change every other day, minimum. Cat pee reeks.

I also use Neutradol on rugs etc between washes. Sprinkle on, vacuum off. Bicarb also works.

@SadlyACupOfTeaDoesNotSolveEverything how do you have time?!

OP -
Shoes in boxes and give them a wash.
Get sofa professionally cleaned and then put a washable cover on it.
Cat litter trays are so smelly. Use one with a cover or try and get a cat flap and get them outside
Air the house daily.
Don't use those of air fresheners, febre, Zoflora etc they are terrible for our lungs and probably will end up being shown to be carcinogenic. A spray of bicarb vinegar and water gets rid of most smells

The litter tray can definitely stink (I have one!) but an enclosed tray makes a difference. The kind that the cat has to climb into like a box, I mean.

Whoa!
That is way OTT. There is absolutely no need for this much cleaning.

I have pets but dogs are never allowed on sofas or upstairs as their odour lingers on soft fabrics.

Fleece blankets and pet beds which wash and dry quickly.

Open windows, some all year.

I have an indoor cat. Her little tray is now in a large walk in cupboard which has a cat flap and I bought a special litter tray cupboard where she goes through a vestibule before the bit her litter tray is in. She has a mat to catch any litter on her feet coming out. It has made such a difference. The litter tray sits on a puppy training mat.

As I live by the coast the dogs are in water weekly and get showered off at the beach after.

We have an indoor cat & litter tray is in the bathroom. It's a covered litter tray & we use Vancat litter which is scented & the absolute best. Any poo is removed immediately, wee once a day. (It makes the wee hard so it just scoops out). There's no smell from it.
Would recommend.

I've got a dog and agree with putting a fleece blanket on the sofa, sprinkle Neutradol carpet freshener on carpet and hoover up, use Fabulosa on hard floors, kitchen worktops, bathroom, it smells lovely and the smell lingers.
Sprinkle baking soda wherever the cat has wee'd, leave it overnight then hoover, may take a couple of goes.
Definitely clean the litter trays out every day or if they've done a no.2.
Cats don't like dirty litter trays, that may be why it's weeing elsewhere

Just giving a bit of a different perspective here.

I grew up in a house that smelt like dog. I was absolutely mortified by it and because of that I've developed a near obsession with cleaning. It really does rule my life (especially smells) as I'm haunted by a few comments that were made by friends growing up. They can be brutal and if got to a point where I wouldn't have friends round or if I did I'd be manically trying to clean / deodorise my house at the age of 12.

I don't want to shame you. But perhaps this is having a bigger impact on your dc than you realise so I would suggest going to greater lengths to improve the situation would be really beneficial to your dc.

Dogs stink and cat litter trays are even worse. Why do you need litter trays, are the cats not allowed out ? As others have said, use throws for the sofas and wash them weekly or keep the dog off the sofa. Hoover every second day as 2 cats and a dog will shed a lot of hair.

We've got 2 dogs no cats, so can't comment on the cats.
But I get my dogs professional washed every month , I have dog wipes and wipe them down everytime they have been outside. I also have a spray to freshen them up with I use every week on them.
I have hard floors downstairs apart from in the playroom. I have a rug in the living room I change regularly and leather sofas this made a massive difference. I also have defusers about and I use the odour powder on the playroom carpet regularly.

Litter trays stink, I have two cats but their litter trays are in the utility room which isn't properly part of the house, and I clean them religiously. I have windows open in the day and candles lit of an evening, and friends always comment that my house smells nice. The kids dad has a litter tray in a bedroom in his house and it pongs. Move the trays and clean them lots and lots and I'm sure that will help

I have two litter trays for my indoor cat, each lined with paper and a light sprinkling of litter. They are changed as soon as they are used (or as soon as we get in from work) and washed throughly twice a week. We've done this since she was a kitten though, not sure how an adult cat that's used to digging in deep litter would take to it.

Cats STINK. Even if there's no litter box! You can tell a cat lives in a house as soon as you walk in.

Unfortunately, dogs smell. I have one, I choose a small non shredding one and still she smells, particularly when wet.

Apart from doing a deep clean this time and cleaning litter trays regularly, airing the house is your best bet.

As other posters, I hate air fresheners and would stay away from them, no one needs to breathe in that amount of chemicals.

Sorry but you really do need to up your game, cat litter trays are GROSS, and if you’re admitting that you don’t do clean as well/often as you should then it’s 10x worse than you think.

Your poor kids

How rude of them to say that! As someone who doesn’t have dogs, I feel like I can smell dog in even the cleanest houses. I would think its the dog smell and the litter trays. Windows open regularly, nice smelling reed diffuser thing. Wash blankets/ sofa cushions etc but I’m not sure the dog smell will go completely.

If there's no litter tray I don't think cats smell at all.

Animals and litter trays indoors smell and it’s hard to get around that. I’d look at getting a cat flap somewhere (they can be out in a wall and don’t necessarily have to be in a door).
I avoid going to a friend’s house for this reason - it always smells of cat litter and dogs and puts me off sitting or eating there.

Litter trays don’t smell if they are regularly emptied. I scoop out the poo each day and air the rooms where the trays are and if I can smell the tray I empty it. Use a good quality litter, not the cheapest one as they don’t work well enough for multiple cats. My DM hates animals and their smells but even she says my house doesn’t smell of cat. I hoover downstairs each evening as well to pick up hair and stray litter. Maybe once or twice a year I shampoo the carpets too.