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How to Keep Floors Clean With Dogs: 7 Helpful Tips

polish tatra sheepdog lying on the floor

You took your beloved pup out for a fantastic walk, but part of that walk involved your dog running through a mud puddle—and you’ve just cleaned your floors! This is just one of many scenarios that are part of being a dog owner. Still, what are the best ways to keep your floors spotless?

Here, we go over seven tips and tricks that can help you keep your floors clean. It’s not possible to keep your place spic and span at all times if you own pets, but we hope that this will make things a bit easier for you.

divider single dog paw oct 2024

The 7 Tips on How to Keep Floors Clean With Dogs

1. Keep on Top of Grooming

The less hair flying off your dog, the less hair on your floor and everything else. Whether your dog is long-haired or short-haired, brushing your dog every day is an effective way to reduce shedding. Also, consider using a de-shedder.

Try to brush your dog outside to reduce the fur flying around during the grooming session. If this isn’t possible, use a porch or set up a small room for grooming purposes.

While most dogs should not be bathed too frequently (usually no more than once a month, depending on the breed), you can use plain water or things like dog wipes or waterless shampoo.

The Hepper Waterless No Rinse Shampoo and Wash Wipes are great waterless products to keep on hand if you're looking to clean up your pet in a pinch. Both are all-natural, easy to use, and lightly scented, offering a great way to freshen up your dog when on the go. Find out if these products are right for you and your pet below. 

Image Product Details
Waterless Shampoo Hepper No-Rinse Pet Shampoo Hepper No-Rinse Pet Shampoo
  • Waterless cleaning
  • Natural ingredients & pH balanced
  • Fresh scent
  • For On-The-Go Hepper Wash Wipes Hepper Wash Wipes
  • On-the-go cleaning
  • Sensitive Areas
  • Gentle & effective
  • At Dogster, we've admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool pet company!


    2. Clean Up Your Dog Before Entering Your Home

    If you have a mudroom, you’re probably already using it to literally clean the mud from your dog. If you have a laundry room, this is a good place to set up a little cleaning station, but otherwise, you can do a few things to set up your entranceway.

    Make a point of keeping towels, a water spray bottle, and wipes there, so they’re easily accessible, along with treats.

    Invest in a good sturdy doormat, and stand on it when starting the cleaning process. Use an old towel or dog wipes and spray bottles with water to get the worst of the mud and dirt off your dog’s paws and fur.

    While your dog is wet, keep them in a room with floors that are easy to clean until your pup is dry enough to enter your home.


    3. Invest in a Pet Vacuum Cleaner

    Make a point of purchasing a vacuum cleaner that is designed for pet owners. It should have strong suction for clearing up dog hair. Some models also have steam cleaning or mopping, which can help sanitize and reduce odors and stains. Some pet vacuums can also be used on furniture.

    You should also make a point of doing a quick clean every day, so you don’t get a buildup of dog hair and dander. Just sweeping with an electrostatic broom should be quick and easy, and then do a more thorough vacuuming once a week—voilà, clean floors!

    Naughty dog barking on vacuum cleaner
    Image Credit: jaromir chalabala, Shutterstock

    4. Clean Accidents With an Enzymatic Cleaner

    You should also invest in a good cleaner designed to reduce pet stains and odors. A good enzymatic cleaner is designed for all kinds of messes, such as poop, vomit, and urine.

    These cleaners work well, usually on hard floors and carpets. You’ll first want to do a spot test on a hidden part of your carpet because there’s the possibility of discoloration.

    If you're looking for an all-in-one, pet-friendly, enzyme cleaner, we highly recommend the Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray.

    Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray
    • ADVANCED ENZYMATIC CLEANER - Penetrates the most stubborn smells and stains at the deepest molecular...
    • FOR ANY MESS, ON ANY SURFACE - This pet odor eliminator cleans your carpets, floors, furniture,...
    • FRESH, NATURAL ODOR - Our unique formulation doesn't rely on dangerous or unpleasant chemical...

    It eliminates tough stains and odors easily and is excellent for accident prevention. Plus, it comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee! Click here to order now.

    At Dogster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding products of this cool pet company!


    5. Use Indoor-Outdoor Rugs

    You can find attractive indoor-outdoor rugs that you can use inside. You can place them in front of all doors to act as doormats or any other surface where your dog tends to hang out: in front of the sofa, under the dining room table, etc.

    The benefit of these rugs is that messes will not soak in and can be quickly wiped up with a damp rag. You can also look into carpeting your space with carpet tiles. If there’s a stain that is too difficult to remove, you can replace one tile instead of the entire carpet.

    puppy on dirty rug
    Image Credit: Africa studio, Shutterstock

    6. Have a Special Space for Your Dog

    Set up a room or corner that’s specifically for your dog. Find a dog bed that isn’t too much of a hair magnet (in other words, it can be easily cleaned) but is super comfortable so your dog will gravitate toward it.

    If your dog spends most of their time in this space, the majority of the dirt and hair will remain there. Just be sure to clean the dog bed about once a week.


    7. Clean the Food and Water Bowls

    Put a waterproof mat under your pup’s food and water bowls. We know how messy dogs can be when eating and drinking! Clean their bowls every day, and wipe up any messes after they’ve happened.

    About once a week, clean up the area around the food and water bowls, such as the walls, floor, and baseboards.

    washing dog food bowl
    Image Credit: MargaPl, Shutterstock

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    Conclusion

    Most dogs are messy by nature. It is a never-ending battle to clean up after other people, let alone a slobbery dog. Of course, the bigger the dog, the bigger the mess. If you have it in your budget, another option is to hire a cleaner to clean your home from top to bottom every week. Then all you have to do is spot cleaning the rest of the time.

    Basically, you can’t own a pet and expect to have immaculate floors, let alone a spotless home, most of the time. But with these tips and your own due diligence, you can at least stay on top of it. Isn’t having your amazing dog in your life worth a little mess, anyway?


    Featured Image Credit: mamillaria, Shutterstock

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