This article is part of our BarkPost Home vertical, The Dogified Home, full of tips, tricks, product suggestions and styling ideas for creative ways to show off your dog love in your home schweet home.
There are many words I would use to describe my dog — “perfect”, “angelic”, and “life-affirming” immediately spring to mind (I mean, c’mon look at that face!) — but “aromatic” and “fragrant” don’t make the list.
She can definitely produce some funky odors from time to time. Whether they originate from her butt region, her mouth region, or just her entire being in general, these unpleasant stenches can have my small apartment smelling less than stellar in no time. Luckily, just a few simple steps can stave off the stank and keep your home smelling fresh!
1. Baths On The Regular
This may seem like a no-brainer, but making sure your dog gets a good shampooing roughly once a month is the first step is keeping your house from smelling like a kennel. Be sure to pay attention to your dog’s specific grooming needs, some require more tub time than others — but be careful not to overdo it as bathing your dog more often than necessary can strip their fur of natural oils and lead to dry, irritated skin.
2. Thorough Brushing
Once you’ve got your pup smelling fresh and clean, and even on days when you don’t bathe them, it’s a good idea to run a brush through your dog’s fur to collect loose hair. This way, it won’t end up collecting on your floors where it can not only look unpleasant but collect odors as well.
3. Embrace The Swiffer
Having a dog requires cleaning the floor far more often than you’d like, whether that means buying Swiffer refills in bulk or investing in a good vacuum and some pet-safe carpet deodorizer. Smells can hide deep in the fibers of rugs and carpets, using a brush can help completely eliminate stubborn odors.
4. Nature’s Miracle Is Truly Miraculous
Accidents are bound to happen. Using an enzymatic cleaner like Nature’s Miracle makes sure you aren’t just masking the odor, you’re actually eliminating it.
5. Lint Rollers Are Your Best Friend
I keep a lint roller in the bathroom, the bedroom, by the back door, and in every pocketbook I own. These sticky rolls of tape-like magic are invaluable when it comes to keeping your clothes, upholstery, and sanity fur-free.
6. Swab The Poop Decks
It’s an unpleasant reality that our homes are full of bacteria, both the harmless and the not-so-harmless kinds. Keep your surfaces clean and smelling as fresh as possible by wiping them often with pet-safe disinfectant wipes.
6. Toss Their Bed In The Wash
Tons of gross smells can get tangled up in the place your dog spends much of their time — their bedding. Washing their bed regularly will make sure both your crib and your pup stay smelling fresher, longer.
7. Fresh Sheets For All!
Or if you’re like me and let your pup sleep and spoon in bed with you, make sure to change your linens extra often so you don’t wake up smelling like a dog.
8. Keep Air Filters Clean
An oft overlooked step in keeping your home smelling like a dream is cleaning and changing your air filters often. Not only will it help with the stench, it also makes sure their hair doesn’t clog filters which can break down your A/C.
9. Doggie Dentist
While most of the odors you’re battling on the homefront hopefully don’t originate from your dog’s mouth, the importance of staying on top of your dog’s dental hygiene can’t be overstated. BARK Bright can help! It’s an awesome monthly dental kit with tasty, chicken-y sticks and triple-enzymatic toothpaste that keeps pups’ breath fresh and fit for kissing. It’s cost-effective, too: for just $1/day, you get an entire month’s supply at barkbright.com!
10. DIY Air Freshener
If you’ve ever walked into a Williams Sonoma store and wondered “HOW DO THEY DO IT? WHAT IS THAT HEAVENLY AROMA?” (and who hasn’t?), look no further. All you need to do is boil two cups of water on your stovetop, add a sliced lemon, several sprigs of rosemary, a dash of vanilla extract, and let that baby boil away. Your house will smell warm, inviting, and free of any puppy stank for as long as you let it simma’.
Featured Image via Love & A Leash
