We get it. Your life is busy. In between work, your personal life, and needing to take your dog out for yet another walk, it feels like you never have time for yourself or anything else on your to-do list. Did you know you can make homemade flea repellent? How about how to use a pet hair remover tool to not only remove pet hair from clothing and furniture but also groom your pets? Take your time back and simplify your life. Get started with these 10 hacks that will simplify any pet owner’s life.
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1. Hacks for Dogs
When you’re walking your dog, you know to put on their collar, adjust their harness or put on their leash and stash a couple of their poop bags in your pocket before you head out the door. However, if you frequent the grocery store to get fruits and vegetables, instead of throwing away those produce bags, reuse them as poop bags instead. If you’re in one of the states that have yet to ban plastic bags, or if you still have a bunch of plastic bags lying around, you can repurpose them as poop bags.
2. Hacks for Cats
Here’s a hack that will help your cat and dog at home. If your dog keeps trying to sneak its way into your cat’s litter box, get a top-entry litter box instead. According to Veterinary Hub, cats spend 70 percent of their lives asleep. That means your cat is sedentary somewhere in your home for most of their life. That also means a lot of cat hair all in one place. You’re going to want a pet hair remover brush to help groom your sweet cat and also remove all that excess cat fur.
3. Make Your Pet a Pet Bed
Do you have an old sweatshirt lying around? If you don’t plan on wearing that sweatshirt again, you can use it to make your pet a pet bed instead. If you love arts and crafts, all you need is a pair of scissors, a needle, thread, a pillow and your comfy old sweatshirt. You’ll essentially create a cozy pillowcase that will act like a bed for your pup or kitty.
4. Slow Down Their Eating
When your pet eats too quickly, they could accidentally choke on their food or vomit because they ate too much all at once. To encourage them to slow down their eating, you can put a toy in their food bowl. Make sure the toy, such as a ball, is small enough that it fits inside the bowl but large enough so that your pet doesn’t confuse it for food and accidentally try to eat it. Your pet will be forced to go around the toy and slow down their eating.
5. Remove Pet Hair from Furniture
Don’t just use any old lint roller to remove pet hair from the furniture. Put away the paper towel roll and the vacuum. Use a portable pet hair remover tool instead to make it easier on you to remove pet hair from furniture in a snap. That way, you’ll be able to get into all the nooks and crannies of the furniture without having to break out the vacuum or use way too many paper towel sheets.
6. How to Remove Pet Stains from Carpets
While you probably can’t avoid pet stains altogether, you can use this neat trick to remove pet stains from your carpet. All you need is vinegar and baking soda. First, saturate the stained part of your carpet with white vinegar. Then, add the baking soda so the vinegar and baking soda start to fizz together and get to work. It will take a day or two for the stain to lift. Once it does, just vacuum up the mix of baking soda and vinegar and your carpet will be nice and fresh again.
7. Make a Flea Repellent
It’s challenging at worst and annoying at best to deal with fleas. Good thing you can make your own flea repellent so your pet doesn’t get bothered, and you won’t get bothered anymore, either! Keep fleas at bay by making homemade flea repellent. There are plenty of easy DIY guides out there, but try two cups of water, two tablespoons of alcohol-free witch hazel and a handful of fresh lavender sprigs or a tablespoon of dried lavender.
8. Reduce Litter Box Odor
To reduce that litter box odor, just use baking soda or green tea. Just sprinkle baking soda on the litter. Alternatively, add some dried green tea leaves to help reduce that litter box odor.
9. Put a Box on Your Desk When Working
This one is a great tip for cat parents. Cats seem to gravitate towards your work desk when you’re trying to work from home or get things done on your computer. To distract them from trying to step all over your keyboard, put a box on your desk. Your cat will be intrigued by the simple, empty box and sit in the box instead of on your laptop.
10. Put Covers on the Furniture
One preventative measure you can take to help keep your furniture in tip-top shape is to put covers on the furniture. It might remind you of when Grandma used to keep plastic on her sofa — but hey, it works. It doesn’t have to be plastic, though. You can put sheets or blankets on the area where your pet tends to rest.
