Pet Shedding & Other Messes
PET SHEDDING 101
Is pet shedding a problem for you?
Does your furniture appear upholstered with pet hair?
Are you plagued with what looks like "tumbleweeds" of fluff blowing across your floors?
Shedding is constant part of most pet owner’s lives, but there are ways to make it more manageable. Keep reading for a lesson in "Pet Shedding 101."
What is the purpose of pet shedding?
Animals shed hair so the new coat can grow in. As dead hair detaches from the follicles it is replaced with new hair. The dead hair will then either fall off or remain ensnared in the coat.
The degree to which pet shedding occurs depends upon the breed of your cat or dog. Both long-haired and short-haired pets can shed a lot. Outdoor pets grow heavier coats in winter so pet shedding is accelerated considerably in the springtime. For indoor pets, shedding depends on the time of year, weather conditions and the temperature you keep your home.
Additionally, changes in the length of daylight stimulate hormones which activate shedding. Genetics and nutrition play a part in shedding; however, excessive pet shedding may be symptomatic of an underlying medical condition, which should be discussed with your veterinarian.
What is pet shedding?
Pet shedding is composed of not only fur, but also tiny skin particles called dander. Similar to dandruff, it is often referred to as "pet pollen."
Do some breeds shed a lot more or less than others?
Pets without undercoats shed less. Cornish and Devon Rex cats have undercoats, but lack guard hairs, so they shed less than other feline breeds. Other low-shed cat breeds are the Siamese, Oriental Shorthairs, Tonkinese and Burmese.
As for dogs, the Border terrier, Airedale, Welsh terrier, Norfolk terrier and the American Hairless are a few breeds in the terrier family which shed less. Other low-shed dog breeds include the Basenji, the Standard and Toy Poodle. Poodle hybrids such as the Malti-Poo (Maltese/Poodle), the Cock-a Poo (Cocker Spaniel/Poodle), the Labradoodle, (Labrador/Poodle), and the Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever/Poodle) are also known to be low shedders.
Some double-coated, heavy shedders include the Akita, American Eskimo, Collie, German Shepherd, Great Pyrenees, Newfoundland and the Belgian Sheepdog. Dalmatians shed constantly.
Cats that shed a lot are the Persian, Maine Coon and the Somali.
When is the high season for pet shedding?
Pets living in northern latitudes generally shed in the spring and fall when daylight and outside temperatures change. Maximum hair growth occurs in the summer and is reduced in winter. Artificial lighting causes shedding year-round for indoor pets.
What are some ways to control pet shedding?
Grooming pets is crucial to control about-to-be shed hair. Bathing your dog regularly helps to substantially reduce pet shedding. Since cats bathe themselves daily, unless they come into contact with dirt, grease or oily substances, bathing is not necessary. Just brushing and combing will control shedding.
Talk with your veterinarian about adding vitamin A and E, Omega 3, Omega 6 fish oils and Linoleic Acid in conjunction with a high quality diet. Rich in antioxidants, they may aid in excessive pet shedding.
How do I protect my home from pet shedding?
Keep upholstered furniture covered with throws or towels, which are easy to wash and launder. Watch for freshly shed hair and remove it before it embeds in fabric. A tape roller works well for this chore.
Vacuum carpets frequently. For hardwood and laminate floors, the Swiffer® Sweeper is a great tool for daily fur removal because the dry cloth picks up 50 percent more dust, dirt and hair than a regular broom. A slightly dampened sponge works wonders to pick up pet hair from upholstered furniture and tufts of fur on carpets. For hardwood furniture and counter tops, try a Swiffer Duster®, which grabs fur that feather dusters can just spread around.
5 HIDDEN PET HAIR HOTSPOTS IN YOUR HOME
Pet owners are certainly aware of obvious pet fur that takes up residence on clothes, couches, carpets and hardwood floors. But what about places in the house that contain hidden hair and dust?
Let's uncover some common concealed locations of pet hair.
- Window Blinds and Ledges: Fur kicked up into the air may settle on the top ledges around your windows that you can't see. Hair on blinds can be pushed back into the air when the blinds are used, spreading the hair around your home.
How to clean it: The Swiffer Duster with an extendable handle extends up to three feet, so you can clean hard to reach places. And the Duster's fibers trap hair instead of spreading it around like a feather duster.
- Area Rug Edges: Regular sweeping around rugs can cause a pesky build up of fur stuck to the sides and corners of the fabric. This often unnoticeable fur can then be tracked back through the house.
How to clean it: Remember to lift up edges when you vacuum the rug or use a hand vacuum for touch ups. For very embedded fur, try running a tape roller over the areas.
- Underneath and on the Legs of Tables: Static on the legs and undersides of tables, where pets often rub against, can cause pet hair to accumulate there. You may not notice the fur in these cat and dog height areas, but that doesn't mean it isn't there!
How to clean it: To reach underneath tables and around table legs, try using a Swiffer Duster. The fibers can reach corners under the table and around furniture legs, to grab fur that's hard to get by hand.
- Electronics Cords: Computers and TVs are magnets for pet fur, but what you may not notice is the fur sticking to the cords under your desk and behind the entertainment center. If ignored, this fur can get inside electronics and damage or block fans, causing systems to overheat.
How to clean it: Use the hand-held attachment on your vacuum to suck up the hair and dust. You can also use the attachment to clean out computer and TV air vents. Don't forget to unplug electronics before cleaning around them.
- Kitchen Stove: "Out of sight, out of mind" often applies to pet fur under the stove. But this spot is a pet hair hotspot, and grease from cooking combined with pet fur can cause very nasty odors.
How to clean it: Getting under low appliances is difficult with a broom or mop. Instead, try the Swiffer Sweeper. Its head swivels 360 degrees so it can lay flat and get far under or behind the stove to grab hidden fur.
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The Pet Series is specially designed for pet owners with special features to tackle those hairy situations.
TOP PET MESSES AND HOW TO CLEAN THEM
Hair. Urine. Vomit.
For some owners, these common messes caused by pets are a big problem, staining their carpets and ruining furniture. So to find out how the pros handle these cleaning challenges, we spoke with two of the country's top domestic divas to learn their secrets. Here what the cleaning mavens had to say:
Pet Hair – Everywhere!
Brushing your dog or cat weekly helps reduce tumbleweeds of hair from floating across your floors. But even the most vigilant brushers still find pet hair in their homes. Luckily, the solution is simple, says Linda Cobb (a.k.a Queen of Clean), a former owner of one of the largest cleaning companies in Michigan.
On fabric, wipe a damp sponge over the surface. "I usually wipe from the back to the front and the sponge just rolls the hair up," she says, emphasizing that vacuuming alone won’t get rid of all the hair.
Another trick is using inexpensive netting (yup, netting) purchased from your local fabric store. "You just ball it up, and wipe it over the furniture and that picks up hair like crazy," says Cobb, the author of four books, including How the Queen Cleans Everything (2002, Atria).
On floors, try the Swiffer Sweeper, a two–in–one system designed to both sweep and mop by using two types of cloths. Swiffer Sweeper dry cloths pick up 50 percent more hair, dust and dirt than a regular broom.
Piddling Pooches.
Immediately blot-up as much of the urine as you possibly can. "Standing on a big wad of paper towels is a good way to draw things out of the carpet," explains Cobb. Next, pour club soda on the spot. She says the carbonation in the club soda lifts the urine to the surface, while the salt helps prevent staining. Lastly, dry the area with a clean towel.
To keep pets from re-soiling your carpet, she recommends OdorZout, an all natural granule that when sprinkled on previously soiled areas removes the smell of urine. That odor is what often attracts pets back to a particular area to potty.
Schar Ward, who owned a professional maid service for 35 years in Saint Paul, Minnesota, takes a different approach to bathroom accidents. Using a mixture of one cup white vinegar and four cups of water, she sprays the soiled area, waits a few minutes, then rubs the spot with a damp cloth.
Next she sprinkles the area (even if it’s still wet) with a mixture of one cup baking soda and two drops of bergamot oil (a pleasant smelling essential oil sold in health food stores.) "You might see it start to bubble but that’s OK," says Ward. "That means it’s just starting to work." Simply let the mixture dry before vacuuming.
Kitty Hair Balls.
Don’t immediately clean hair balls or vomit from your carpet. Instead, Cobb recommends sprinkling a heavy coat of baking soda on the accident and walking away. That’s right, walk away. The baking soda does all the hard work for you by lifting moisture out of the carpet from food and stomach acids. After the baking soda dries, pick–up heavier pieces with a paper towel and use your vacuum’s attachment to suction away whatever is left.
Stinky Litter Boxes.
Keep icky odors at bay by emptying the pan at least once a week and washing it with straight vinegar, says Ward, author of Coming Clean: Dirty Little Secrets From a Professional Housecleaner (2002, Book Peddlers.). Next, rinse the pan with water and thoroughly dry. Then pour a thin layer of baking soda on the bottom before filling it with your favorite litter.
To prevent small paws from tracking litter through your home, place a mat where your cat exits the box. Or, forgo litter all together by using Yesterday’s News. These moisture locking pellets, made from recycled newspaper, are frequently used in animal hospitals and humane societies instead of dusty litter.
So there you have it! Armed with the right techniques and supplies you can now quickly clean pet messes in your home just like the pros.
We can’t imagine life without pets, but keeping up with pet messes can be a challenge. From trapping and locking pet hair to managing muddy paws and more, Swiffer gives pet cleaning a whole new meaning.
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The Pet Series is specially designed for pet owners with special features to tackle those hairy situations.
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