How to clean your house if you live with pets?

(CNN Spanish) – Having a pet has many benefits that range from being a great company, to reducing feelings of loneliness and depression, and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, among others, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.

But let’s not fool ourselves. Living with pets also has its challenges, especially when it comes to keeping your home clean if you live with a furry four-legged that wanders everywhere.

The question that arises then is how to keep your spaces clean if you have a pet.

Here are some tips for cleaning your home, according to the CDC and an expert consulted by CNN.

First, the health of your family

The CDC recommends that households with children 5 years and younger should avoid keeping reptiles as pets (turtles, lizards, snakes), amphibians (frogs, toads) or poultry, as they can transmit diseases by “harmful germs” both between animals and between animals. kids. They also recommend that people with weak immune systems should take “extra precautions” when choosing their pet, say the CDC.

To stay healthy, the CDC recommends washing your hands after playing, feeding, or cleaning your pets to avoid the risk of disease transmission. You should also wash your hands after visiting areas where animals live. It’s very simple: soap and water will suffice.

Practice good hygiene at home

The CDC recommends keeping pets out of the kitchen, as well as their supplies. Also disinfect their habitat and keep their supplies out of the house if possible.

“Never clean (your pets) supplies in the kitchen sink, food preparation areas, or bathroom sink,” says the CDC.

If you have a dog, remove their feces from the garden or public places with a bag and deposit them in suitable areas. These can be transmitters of parasites that are harmful to your health. And if you have cats, clean their litter box daily to reduce “the chances of exposure to harmful parasites”, say the CDC, warning that pregnant women should avoid changing the cat’s litter box if possible.

How to deal with the hair of your animals?

Linda Cobb, a famous writer of books that have been classified as best sellers by The New York Times, and who is known as “the queen of cleanliness”, has three cats and told CNN how to clean your house when you live with your pets.

According to her, you can use a sponge to remove dirt. “Just pass it over a lamp [o la] upholstery of your furniture. “This will get your hair out right away, says Cobb.

“You can also use a damp sponge. Another good thing to use is rubber gloves. Soak them in water, keep a bucket of water near you, shake off excess water and rub them on the upholstery.” In this way, animal hair will accumulate on the rubber gloves.

“It works very, very well,” said Cobb, who also recommends using a vacuum cleaner.

What about pet accidents?

If your pet does not like a food that he “accidentally” ate (or that you gave him), and vomits on the carpet, instead of scooping it up with a paper towel and spreading the mat more, Cobb recommends that you you can do is use baking soda and cover everything with this powder.

“The baking soda will pull the fluid, the bile, the acids from the accident off the carpet,” Cobb said. “Once it’s dry, take the suction hose from your vacuum and just vacuum, and many times you won’t even be able to tell that there was an accident there.”

And if it is urine: “The first thing you should do is place a very heavy stack of paper towels on top. Stand on it and wipe as much urine as you can from the carpet. Then pour carbonated water and do the same,” he says. Cobb.

To neutralize the odor, you can neutralize it with half a cup of water and a quarter cup of white vinegar. Then you dry the space.

And to eliminate odors with major accidents, such as diarrhea or intestinal secretions, Cobb recommends using an odor eliminator, which does not have odors and is completely natural so that it does not hurt your pet.

Also, avoid using harsh chemicals when doing general house cleaning, such as disinfectants or cleaners that need rinsing, Cobb says.

“When you go to the supermarket, read the products. If they have a natural seal or if they have a green cross, it is an organic, natural and safe product,” she says.