You can clean floors with your dog using natural options like a <
So let's make a pet safe DIY floor cleaner. To one gallon of water and half a cup of white vinegar, one fourth cup of rubbing alcohol. and one teaspoon of Castile soap. Mix it all together and mop away.
Vacuum all floors and rugs thoroughly at least once weekly (more for multi-dog or heavy-shedding households). Use a brushroll designed for pet hair or a suction-only mode to avoid tangles. Mop hard floors with a pet-safe cleaner. For sealed wood, use products specifically labeled safe for hardwood.
Pet-Safe Cleaning Products
All-purpose Floor Cleaner: Vinegar and Water
If you have wood floors, ceramic tiles, linoleum or vinyl flooring use a vinegar and water solution instead of a chemical floor cleaner. Simply combine 1 cup and 1 litre of water and mop your floors.
To make your own vinegar-based, DIY pet-safe cleaner, combine 50% vinegar with 50% water in a spray bottle or spray mop, and mop as you go. Note: Although vinegar is safe and natural, it is highly acidic. Therefore, undiluted vinegar should be kept out of the reach of children and pets.
5 Pet-Safe Ways to Make Your Home Smell Incredible
If you're cleaning the floor with bleach, make sure it's diluted with water and rinse the floors afterwards. Be sure to wait for it to dry before letting your pet into the room. A wet floor means that bleach can be transferred onto your pet's fur more easily, where they're at risk of licking it when grooming later.
Stay on Top of Daily Messes
The key to keeping a clean home with pets is staying consistent with your routine. Set aside a few minutes each day to wipe down surfaces, vacuum fur, and clean high-traffic areas. Small, regular efforts prevent dirt from building up and make deep cleans much easier.
Poisons in your cleaning cupboard
If you share your home with pets, especially those that go outside, you'll need to mop more often than the average household. Pawprints, pet hair, food spills and dander can build up quickly on hard floors. As a rule of thumb, we recommend mopping two to three times a week in areas your pets use regularly.
The 20-minute cleaning rule (also known as the 20/10 rule) is a simple, time-boxed method to tackle household chores by cleaning with focused intensity for 20 minutes and then taking a 10-minute break, repeating as needed to prevent burnout and keep messes from piling up. It breaks large tasks into manageable sprints, making cleaning less overwhelming by focusing on progress over perfection through short, frequent sessions rather than marathon cleaning days, often tied to the FlyLady system or similar organizing principles.
The best way to clean floors with pets is to use a microfiber dust mop on tile and hardwood floors daily. Routine vacuuming is essential if you have carpet or rugs in your home. Ideally, you want to use a vacuum with HEPA filtration to capture the dust, dander, and hair.
The Bona Pet System Premium Microfiber Mop is the ultimate floor cleaning tool for homes with pets. This lightweight and durable mop comes with two reusable microfiber pads each designed to target pet mess clean-up.
Dettol contains phenolic compounds, which can be toxic to pets if ingested in sufficient quantities. Watch for signs of poisoning such as drooling, vomiting, or lethargy. Consider keeping cleaning products out of reach and using pet-safe alternatives.
OxzPet® Activated Oxygen Stain Remover and Cleaner offers a safe, pet-friendly alternative to bleach, providing powerful cleaning action without the risks associated with traditional bleach products.
How To Get Rid of Dog and Pet Smells in Your Home
The premise is simple but so effective: dedicate 30 minutes to cleaning, three times a day. That's an hour and a half total, spread out over your busy schedule, to get ahead of the mess before it takes over.
Keeping Floors Clean with Pets
The best pet-safe floor cleaners
Dogs hate strong, sharp, and irritating smells that overwhelm their sensitive noses, with the most disliked often being citrus (lemon, orange), vinegar, chili peppers (capsaicin), alcohol, and strong spices/herbs, along with harsh chemicals like ammonia, bleach, and mothballs. These scents cause nasal irritation, sneezing, and general discomfort, acting as natural deterrents.
Vinegar. Vinegar kills many viruses and bacteria, so you can use it for cooking and cleaning! Dilute it with water or use it directly, depending on the surface, for an easy, safe disinfectant for cats and dogs. Pour it in a spray bottle and label it as a pet-safe disinfectant spray.
Targeted Cleaning Techniques for Dog Smell & Pet Odors
Deep cleaning methods, like steam cleaning and carpet cleaners will penetrate surfaces to remove smells that regular vacuuming can't reach. Rotating and washing soft furnishings regularly can also minimize long-term buildup.
Biocide Systems' Liquid Shocker™, can be used as the ultimate pet odor remover. Specially formulated for the deodorization of hard surfaces, this powerful solution is perfect for cleaning and deodorizing countertops, walls, floors, and more.
Febreze®
Contrary to rumors alleging that Febreze® causes serious illness or death in pets, our veterinary toxicology experts at APCC regard these fabric freshener products to be safe for use in households with cats and dogs. As with any product, it is important to always follow label instructions for use.