Genius Tips for a Fresh Home

You love your dog, but you don’t always love their smell. Or the muddy pawprints on your newly mopped floor. Here are five genius cleaning tips that will improve your life, your home and your relationship with your dog.

Lavender Oil for odours

Lavender essential oil applied between your dog’s shoulder blades masks odours and prevents fleas. You and your pet will benefit from the calming scent of lavender, and your home will smell like Provence in Summer. Mix a few drops of oil with water and keep it in an atomiser to mist in the car, on your dog’s bed (or even your own).

Foot spa for Muddy Paws

Remember when you went to the swimming pool as a child, and you had to walk through a disinfectant trough to clean your feet? Creating a mini foot spa as your dog comes into the house with a shallow tray of warm water will clean his paws without fuss - just try him off and minimise paw prints.

Bandana for drool

If you have a breed that drools excessively or is a messy eater, invest in a bandana, which will catch the mess - but is easily washed. Your dog might be able to audition for The Backstreet Boys reunion tour, too.

Remove hair with Sellotape

Sellotape (or Scotch Tape) wrapped around the palm of your hand so that the sticky side is down, turns your hand into an instant lint roller. Fur from the furniture, clothing or bedding simply sticks to the tape - and you can just bin it once the job is done. (Baby wipes also work well for this).

Put dog toys in the dishwasher

Dishwashers wash at high temperatures, so are ideal for keeping plastic or fabric dog toys germ free - pop them in on a hot cycle (without any other crockery) and skip the detergent unless it is pet friendly.