How to keep house clean for viewings?!

[RF1107]

Middle of January….mud….rain….filth…add into the mix 3 kids and a husband traipsing it into the house and a big Labrador who shakes up the walls to dry himself after a walk! We seem to have at least 1 viewing a week since the house went back on the market after Christmas, have scrubbed the walls and floors again today but it will be filthy again by tomorrow 😫 any suggestions please help 🙏

Get a suit for your Labrador to keep him clean and dry on walks. Peel it off him outside so you only have to deal with muddy paws. Machine washable and they dry quickly

https://www.equafleece.com/products/dogs/dog-suit

All shoes & boots are left at the door (hate the thought of outside shoes walking through the house).
Likewise, wet coats hung up as close to the door as poss.
Agree about suit for the dog (although ours makes a fuss about just a coat!😆) however a couple of large towels at the door are a great help (one for Ddog to stand on and the second for a rubdown).

Thinking out the box …
Can you hair dryer the dog or get one of kids to do so when he gets back from walk
I’ve never tried it but can you put cling film on the walls after you have scrubbed them
Remember you can stash the dog in the car…
Good Luck

there are no short cuts really. manic deep clean every time before viewings. its soul destroying work especially when the kids and dogs undo it minutes later.

i wouldn't bother with a coat for a Lab, just a good towel rub outside before coming in the house to save the walls.

we are currently sstc and its such a relief not to be cleaning so much. good luck.

Get a cleaner? We had one who came every other week before we sold our last house. It made it so much easier to keep on top of things.

All the obvious things like declutter. Get kids to keep extra shoes and coats in their wardrobes so you don't have loads by the door.

Only have viewings from people who can actually proceed. Don't bother with people who dont have offers on their homes etc. Seems harsh but it's bloody exhausting having lots of viewings. It's your home, so you get to day who views it.

Lastly, don't sweat it too much. Make sure the house doesnt smell of wet dog, is tidy and good luck!

Thanks all, some great ideas here! Definitely looking into the coat for the dog, not sure how he’d feel about it it but it would be a lifesaver!
We are only accepting viewers from proceedable buyers as it’s such a nightmare getting the house in show home condition every time! We went through all of this last year and then our buyer pulled out, second time around I am just over it and want/need the bigger house!

We have a stack of dog towels in the hall. Dog doesnt get past without getting towelled down, especially paws where she soaks insane amounts of water into her fur between her toes.

Also, use a spray mop on the walls. Saves scrubbing by hand. Spray, wipe wall with mop, same to any flooring. Chuck mop head in washing machine.

It's much too warm for a lab to be in an equafleece, you'll cook him! I do admittedly force my husky cross into her waterproof coat (only covers her top half, not her belly or legs!) when it's pouring with rain because I'm fed up with the sodden sofa if I turn my back when we get home. Plus I don't like the idea of her being wet through all night, even if she doesn't care!

We didn’t have dog but did have 2 cats and a pre-schooler.

To save time DH used to grab all the excess clutter inc. cat beds and bung it into boxes that he stashed in the 2 cars. Luckily both cars had very dark windows that you can’t see into and that hid the worst clutter immediately before a viewing. The cats would be shoo-ed outside unless it was bad weather, then they’d be kept in the smaller bedroom upstairs.

We certainly didn’t do a mega clean before every viewing. Just made it look fairly tidy. 😊

Yes the issue with the lab is his belly and legs turn brown with filth 😂 if only there was a thin coat that could cover these areas. Maybe just a good towel down outside before he comes in then!
Spray mopping the walls… like it! Will use that idea 😂
Clutter wise it’s not too bad, we don’t have too much stuff and all shoes and coats away in a cupboard. It’s more the filth they bring in with them. Roll on spring!!

Could you get a large doormat to put down which everyone stands on to take their shoes off? Could be rolled up and stashed away somewhere before viewers come.

Also, are you implying that you don’t mind living with mud traipsed through the house and up the walls normally? 😬

Ref mats for walking in - a bobble style bath mat works wonders for this and washes up easily!

I've got a lab that seems to make it his mission to find mud & puddles on every walk. I've now got a 4 leg equafleece suit that covers him completely, so I just take that off when we get home and he's clean underneath

Haha it’s always driven me mad but maybe I’m extra sensitive and feeling judged by viewers and estate agents right now 😂 we have a huge doormat already, teenagers think they don’t need to follow rules and take their shoes off on the mat 🙄

We make our lab lie on a massive towel by the sort after he’s been towels down as that gets rid of the filthy belly water

good luck!

Surely the solution is that the teenagers clean the floors? 😁

But I know what you mean about being judged when selling a house! I used to crouch in the bath with a hand shower to wash so I didn’t have to keep cleaning the bastard glass in the shower cubicle when mine was up for sale.