5 Spring Cleaning Hacks for Dog Owners
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Spring has officially sprung and one of my personal favorite parts of this time of year is cleaning, organizing, and refreshing my space. Spring cleaning is the perfect way to clean out the clutter that built up over the winter and leave your home feeling fresh and brand new. This year, while spring cleaning your home, don’t forget to clean and organize all of your dogs belongings as well. Today, I’m sharing 5 spring cleaning hacks for dog owners.
1. Disinfect, Disinfect, Disinfect
One of the most important parts of dog ownership that often goes overlooked is disinfecting our dogs toys, dishes, and other belongings. Dogs are not the cleanest animals. The bacteria in their mouths and dirt and grime on their paws transfers over to everything they touch. We should be washing our dogs bowls daily and disinfecting their toys, leashes, and bedding monthly, but as busy pet parents that doesn’t always happen.
While spring cleaning this year, be sure to disinfect and wash all of your dogs belongings. Clean bowls with a new sponge or throw them in the dishwasher. Hard toys such as bones can be cleaned in the dishwasher or soaked in the sink with some hot water and soap. Put your dogs bedding, leashes, collars, and other accessories through a load in the washing machine. Not only will this keep your pup healthier, but it will likely get rid of some odors in your home that you didn’t even realize were there.
2. Organize the Toy Bin
I’m the first to admit that spoiling my dog is my weakness. It’s rare that a week goes by and I don’t buy her at least one new toy. If you’re anything like me, there’s a good chance that your dogs toy bin is filled with old, broken, and chewed up toys.
Go through their toys and throw out anything that is no longer played with or completely destroyed. Toys that are still in good shape but no longer used can be donated to your local animal shelter. Not only will you and your pup discover toys that they haven’t seen in months, you’ll also free up space for all the new toys that they definitely need 😉
3. Go Through Their Medical Records
Having all of your dogs medical records organized and on hand is so important. Keeping track of every medication they’ve been prescribed and vaccine they’ve been given will help narrow down any possible allergic reactions in the future. It’s also helpful to know when vaccines are due and have easy access to things such as microchip information.
Purchase a binder or folder to store all of your dogs medical and other records inside. Organize everything by date and category so that all information is easily accessible if/when you need it. This will be super helpful should you ever board your dog, leave them with a sitter, or have to switch vets.
4. Reorganize Items
If you feel as though your house has been taken over by your dogs belongings, reorganizing everything will help get rid of the clutter.
Invest in new toy bins if yours are old or no longer big enough. Buy hooks for leash and collar storage. Storage totes are great for out of season items such as Christmas accessories for winter coats.
Making sure that everything has a designated place will keep toys off the ground and leashes from going missing.
5. Brush Your Dog
As soon as the weather starts to warm up, long haired and double coated dogs immediately begin to shed. If you own a shedding pup, you’re probably noticing tufts of hair around every corner.
Spend a couple hours one day brushing your dog and freeing them of all of that undercoat. This should hopefully cut down on the amount of vacuuming and lint rolling you’re doing every day.
Pro Tip: Brush your pup outside and leave the fur for birds, bunnies, and other animals to use as nesting material. Less clean up for you, and lots of soft bedding for the baby animals being born this spring!
What are your favorite spring cleaning hacks when it comes to your dog?