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How to Keep a Clean Home While Living with Pets

By
Home Stager with Six Twenty Designs

How to Keep a Clean Home While Living with Pets

How to Keep a Clean Home While Living with Pets

This post is for all you animal lovers out there. When you decide to put your Montgomery County PA home on the market, of course it's important to keep it clean. That can be hard to do when you're living with pets. The idea for this post came to me while I was standing in my kitchen and a fur tumble weed breezed across the floor. I adopted my friends cat a few months ago, who is quite large and furry. (No that photo wasn't staged, he regularly sits like that) He's the most lovable cat, but the fur has definitely been flying. So this Montgomery County PA home stager thought I'd share some tips on how to keep a clean home while living with pets and having your home on the market.

1) Daily maintenance- These fur tumble weeds I'm referencing to, pick them up if you see them. Cats and dogs sometimes lose chunks of fur from scratching or just plain shedding. Let it go by a few days and all of a sudden you're living in the Wild West. With preparing for last minute showings, it'll just be easier on you to get into a routine.

2) Swiffer cloths- I'm a huge fan of dry Swiffer cloths. It goes along with daily maintenance, but if you run over your hardwood floors with a Swiffer cloth, it'll pick up all the dust and fur. Plus it's much easier and less time consuming than dragging your vacuum around the house. Build up a small pile in one spot after going over your floors and use the vacuum to pick that up.

3) Brush your pets- If you have furry animals like mine, brushing them at least every other day is a requirement. It'll help keep the fur in the brush and off your floors.

4) Limit your pets range- I personally can't do this one, but sometimes restricting your pets to certain areas of your house can help manage with clean up. Instead of having to clean up the whole house, it could just be a couple rooms.

5) Find someone to take your pets while you're on the market- For me this is a last resort because my pets are like my kids. But if you're lucky enough to have family who wouldn't mind taking them for a while, take advantage of it.

Keeping your home clean while living with pets and having your home on the market can be hard. But with these tips, it's not impossible. Making a daily habit out of cleaning will ease the stress of those last minute showings.

Contact Six Twenty Designs to book your home staging consultation today and get ready to get sold!

 

Posted by

Suzanne Otto-Six Twenty Designs

 

Home Staging is a tool every seller should have in their back pocket. Don't lose out on potential buyers by selling your home "as-is".

 

If you live in the Montgomery, Bucks or Chester County of Pennsylvania and need a home stager, contact Suzanne.

 

Visit Six Twenty Designs for more information!

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Comments (11)

Beth Atalay
Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL
Cam Realty of Clermont FL

Good morning Suzanne, your cat is adorable, looks like mine. Living with furry friends need constant attention, especially when selling a home.

Aug 28, 2014 11:38 PM
ReadySetLoan Team
ReadySetLoan Condo Team LLC - South Windsor, CT
Residential, Commercial & Condo Financing Experts

Hi Suzanne - what a fluffy kitty!  He likes Bart Simpson, he's cool with me.  Maintaining a home with a fluffy pet is a lot of work.  Your tips are fantastic and most people may not think that these small details matter.

Aug 28, 2014 11:42 PM
Sandy Padula & Norm Padula, JD, GRI
HomeSmart Realty West & Florida Realty Investments - , CA
Presence, Persistence & Perseverance

Suzanne: Fur is one thing, but the odor is something completely different and if the potential buyers are assaulted at the door by an unfamiliar and un-welcoming odor of, for example a kitty litter box, the result will be in most case,  no sale.

Aug 29, 2014 12:06 AM
Tom White
Franklin Homes Realty LLC (615) 495-0752 or www.FranklinHomesRealty.com - Franklin, TN
Franklin Homes Realty LLC, Franklin TN

Hi Suzanne, some great tips because nothing says "Don't Buy Me" more than fur balls blowing across a room!

Aug 29, 2014 12:18 AM
Sybil Campbell
Fernandina Beach, FL
Referral Agent Amelia Island Florida

Suzanne, these are all wonderful tips, so many pet owners don't understand that others may have allergies or not like pets.

Aug 29, 2014 01:23 AM
Nick T Pappas
Assoc. Broker ABR, CRS, SFR, e-Pro, @Homes Realty Group, Broker/Providence Property Mgmnt, LLC Huntsville AL - Huntsville, AL
Madison & Huntsville Alabama Real Estate Resource

Suzanne, I know some people who do what you suggest daily in an attempt to keep the house clean...lots of work, but needs to be done when you're on the market.

Aug 29, 2014 08:35 AM
Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

Good morning Suzanne. That cat sure does look very much at home. Hopefully all take your advice when it comes to keeping their home clean, to make sure that it shows really well.

Make it a great weekend!

Aug 29, 2014 10:03 PM
Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists

So many times we have been at showings and the pets "mess" has been in plain view while the homeowners are home. You have to wonder what these owners are thinking...

Aug 30, 2014 10:57 PM
Suzanne Otto
Six Twenty Designs - Lansdale, PA
Your Montgomery County PA home stager

Aw, thanks Beth. The fuzzy ones are the best :)

Hey Eric. He loves Bart! sometimes... Sellers need to understand that dealing with the excess fur flying around may be okay when you're living in the home, but not when you're selling.

Sandy & Norm, I completely agree. That's a whole other blog :)

Exactly Tom! Thanks!

Very true Sybil. It's important to appeal to everyone.

Nick, it is a lot of work, but it's worth it for a quick sale.

Hi Joe. He has definitely made himself at home.

That's just inexcusable Larry & Sheila!

Sep 02, 2014 12:29 AM
John Meussner
Mortgages in AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, IN, MD, MN, MT, NC, NJ, NV, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI - Fair Oaks, CA
#MortgageMadeEasy Fair Oaks, CA 484-680-4852

Great advice, Suzanne, it can be so hard to keep a place clean with pets.  I had to laugh because when I used to have my golden retriever, he shed like no other - I became familiar with those wild west fur tumble weeds no matter how much we cleaned.

Sep 02, 2014 04:33 AM
Suzanne Otto
Six Twenty Designs - Lansdale, PA
Your Montgomery County PA home stager

So you know my pain John!

Sep 02, 2014 11:34 PM