How to Deep Clean a Pet-Friendly Home: Room by Room

Living with pets is brilliant, but it does make keeping a clean home more of a challenge. Fur works its way into upholstery, muddy paw prints appear from nowhere, and odours have a habit of building up gradually until you stop noticing them altogether. If you share your home with animals, a regular clean will only take you so far. Every now and then, a proper deep clean makes a real difference.

This guide walks through the key areas of a pet-friendly home and what our team focuses on when we clean them. Whether you are preparing for guests, tackling a seasonal refresh or just getting on top of things, these tips will help.

Start with the soft furnishings

Sofas, armchairs and curtains tend to hold the most fur and odour in a pet-friendly home. Before you reach for any cleaning product, the first step is always to remove as much loose fur as possible.

• Use a rubber glove or a damp rubber brush along the surface of upholstery — the friction lifts fur far more effectively than a dry cloth or standard lint roller.
• Work in one direction rather than back and forth, which just redistributes the fur.
• For cushion covers and removable throws, wash them at the highest temperature the label allows and add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle to help neutralise odour.
• Vacuum the sofa body thoroughly, using the crevice tool along seams and under cushions where fur and dander collect.

For curtains, check the care label. Many can be machine washed on a gentle cycle. If they cannot be washed at home, a good shake outside followed by a careful steam or dry brush-down will freshen them up considerably.

Floors and carpets

Hard floors are easier to keep on top of, but they show paw prints and fur clearly. For carpets, fur works down into the pile over time and a standard vacuum will not always lift it out fully.

Hard floors

Sweep or vacuum before mopping. This matters more in a pet home because mopping over dry fur just pushes it around. Use a flat microfibre mop and a ph-neutral floor cleaner appropriate for your floor type. Avoid anything strongly scented, as pets are sensitive to heavy fragrance and some essential oil-based products can be harmful to animals, particularly cats.

Carpets

• Vacuum slowly and in overlapping passes. A single quick pass will not lift embedded fur from a dense carpet pile.
• Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over the carpet, leave it for fifteen to twenty minutes, then vacuum it up. This is a simple and effective way to absorb odour without using harsh chemicals.
• For heavily soiled carpets or those with pet accident stains, a hot water extraction clean (sometimes called a carpet steam clean) gives much better results than surface cleaning alone.

If you are preparing a property for new tenants or buyers and the carpets have had years of pet use, a professional deep clean is often the most practical option.

The kitchen and feeding areas

Pet bowls, feeding mats and the floor around them can harbour bacteria if they are not cleaned regularly. Wash food and water bowls in hot soapy water every day, or put them through the dishwasher if they are dishwasher-safe. Stainless steel bowls are generally easier to keep clean than plastic ones, which can harbour scratches where bacteria collect.

The floor around feeding areas tends to get grimy quickly. A quick wipe-down after every meal prevents build-up, but once a week give the area a proper scrub, moving the mat and cleaning underneath it too.

Sleeping areas and pet beds

A pet bed that is not washed regularly becomes one of the biggest sources of odour in a home. Most pet beds have removable covers that can go in the washing machine. Wash the cover and the inner cushion separately if possible. The inner cushion often needs a longer spin and an extra rinse to get all the detergent out.

Between washes, give the bed a good shake outside and sprinkle with bicarbonate of soda to keep it smelling fresher. If the bed is positioned next to a wall or under furniture, clean around and behind it regularly — fur and dander collect in these spots and are easy to overlook.

Tackling odours throughout the home

Pet odour builds up slowly, which is why it can be hard to notice in your own home. Good ventilation is the simplest and most effective tool. Open windows regularly, even in cooler months, to let fresh air move through.

• Wash soft furnishings, pet beds and blankets frequently.
• Keep litter trays clean and positioned away from living areas where possible.
• Place small bowls of bicarbonate of soda in rooms where odour is a problem — it absorbs smells without adding fragrance.
• Avoid masking odours with heavily scented sprays. They wear off quickly and do not address the source.

If you are renting and approaching the end of your tenancy, odour is one of the first things a landlord or letting agent will notice. Our end of tenancy cleaning service includes a thorough clean of all surfaces and soft furnishings to help leave the property in good condition.

Preparing for a professional clean

If you are booking a one-off or deep clean for a pet-friendly home, a little preparation beforehand helps our team get straight to work and cover more ground in the time available.

• Put pets in a separate room or arrange for them to be elsewhere during the clean. It is less stressful for the animals and allows our cleaners to work through the whole property without interruption.
• Pick up toys, bedding and bowls from floors so surfaces are clear.
• If you have any specific concerns, such as a stained carpet or a particularly heavily used room, let us know in advance so we can focus our attention where it is needed most.

We cover homes across Norfolk and Suffolk. You can find out more about our one-off cleaning service or take a look at the areas we cover to see if we work in your area.

A note on cleaning products in pet homes

Not all cleaning products are safe to use around animals. A few things to keep in mind:

• Avoid products containing phenols, which are found in some disinfectants and can be toxic to cats.
• Tea tree oil, while natural, is harmful to cats and dogs and should not be used in homes with pets.
• Rinse all cleaned surfaces thoroughly before allowing pets back into the area.
• For general cleaning, warm water, washing-up liquid and white vinegar cover most household jobs safely and effectively.

When in doubt, choose fragrance-free and ph-neutral products, and always allow surfaces to dry fully before your pets come back into contact with them.