Minimizing Dust-Bunnies: 9 Ways to Prevent Your Home from Becoming a Furball Haven
Having a clean and presentable home is important to me, which isn't always easy to accomplish considering I have five pets! Often a lot of the trouble is caused by our unwanted "pets" — ugly creatures found lurking in corners made of dirt, animal dander, fur, food particles, dead skin cells and bug parts. These so-called dust bunnies are a menace to all pet parents. Although you can’t fully stop them from accumulating in your home, there are some tricks that I've found to help minimize your home's chances of becoming a dust bunny and furball haven.
1. Provide your pets a good diet.
Most pets shed, but those fed high quality, well-balanced diets have healthier coats and shed the appropriate amount for their particular breed. Consult a vet if your pet is a heavy shedder. If the issue isn't diet related or breed specific, there may be an underlying health condition causing fur loss. It never hurts to ask at your routine veterinarian checkups.
2. Play with your pets outdoors.
I noticed my dogs shed like crazy when I play with them indoors. My dogs drop a considerable amount of fur after a rigorous rub or pet. Take the extra time when you lay with your pet outside with a few extra rubs and pets – to help stimulate their shedding out in nature. Mother Nature doesn’t mind!
3. Get a good pet brush or comb.
Grooming your pet will eliminate fur buildup in your home. I like to use a metal pet comb to start the grooming process and remove the excess hair, skin and possibly even flea eggs from my pooches and kitties. Afterwards I use a soft bristle brush to give them a relaxing sensory brushing. Don't forget to clean your pet grooming tools after every use.
4. Wash your pet.
Indoor cats tend to shed all year round. Since most cats don’t really like baths, you can use a warm wet wash cloth to bathe kitty. It’s recommended that you wash your dogs with a shampoo bath every 6 weeks and cats should be wet wiped weekly, especially if they’re outdoors pets.
5. Get an air purifier.
A purifier cleans the air and reduces allergens in the home. Some are designed for pets and really do reduce the dander in the air.
6. Use a moist rag to dust.
A dry rag isn’t all that effective because it just pushes dust around.Dust with a moist microfiber rag so the dust and fur sticks better.
7. Shake couch cushions and pet beds outdoors.
You have no idea the amounts of skin cells and dander that live on your soft surfaces. Beat your rugs, cushions and pets beds outside so the dust bunnies don’t have a snowball effect!
8. Change bed sheets weekly.
If your pets are like mine and jump on the bed, you’re sleeping in dander and fur and may even be mixing it all up with those nasty mites! Cleaning your linens weekly will help reduce the skin particle buildup, which ultimately ends up on the floors and in the carpet.
9. Vacuum often and use a long hose attachment to get in hard to reach places.
I’m frequently on the floor playing with my kids and see the hidden zones where dust bunnies live. I like to use the long nozzle of my vacuum to retrieve the hard to reach furballs. And believe me, they are in every room of my house!
The reality is, if your home has one or more than one furry friend, you’re going to have dust bunnies and furballs bouncing around somewhere. That’s no reason to have to settle, though. Follow these foolproof tips above to live in the cleanest home possible. You and your family deserve it.
Image: Telekhovskyi / via Shutterstock
