Do you refer to your pet as one of your children, without
irony? Me, too. This unconditional love is not a sentiment all who visit my
home share, particularly if they stand up from my couch and discover their
once-black pants are now covered in beautiful (and trendy!) tan-and-brown ombre
doggie fur.
If you’re putting your Lexington home on the market, owning a dog or
cat could deter buyers or reduce offer amounts. There’s no amount of money that
could persuade me to banish my mutt while I entertain guests this holiday
season — or put my home on the market and show it — so I’m happy to use these
easy tricks and tips to help take care of pet odors, messes and damage.
It’s Not Called Furrrrniture
1. Rubber Glove Treatment: Rub a damp rubber glove over
furniture, and static electricity will help remove fur quite easily. (Tip
via Real Simple)
2. Duct Tape Solves Everything: I could use about 15
lint rollers to pick up fur from my couch or car seats, or I could go heavy
duty and wrap duct tape, sticky side up, on a paint roller for a stronger
version of the same concept. (Tip via Family Handyman)
3. Squeegee Power: Sometimes vacuuming is no match for
the fur buried deep down in the living room rug. Amazingly, a window squeegee
can do the trick instead. (Tip via Lifehacker)
Prevention Is the Best Medicine … Or Something Like That
4. Better Bitter: To stop dogs and cats from chewing on
furniture or — zzzzt! — power cords, you can purchase Bitter Apple spray, or make your own by mixing
white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar.
5. Stick ‘Em Up: This special double-stick tape will
annoy cats enough to make them avoid using your furniture as a scratch pad. (We
imagine regular double stick tape would do the trick, too.)
6. Leave the Mud Outside: I’ve always kept Wet Wipes in
my entryway, to wipe the dog’s paws when we come in from a muddy day.
This Paw Plunger looks even more effective (and kinda fun
to use).
Eau de Kennel
7. Smell Check: Before you sell your home or have
special guests over, you might want to invite over a close, exceptionally
honest friend who can tell you if your home smells like wet dog or a very
well-decorated litter box. You need the friend, because it won’t smell bad to
you at all anymore.
8. Clean Those Rugs, And Clean Them Again: Like your
mom always told you, baking soda does wonders for odors. Sprinkle it on any
urine stains on rugs. You can also use a black light to find old stains you
never knew about or thought you’d taken care of. (Tip via Care2 and Petslady)
9. Litter on the Bar-B: Add a sprinkle of activated
charcoal to the litter box to absorb smells. (Tip via ehow)
10. Clean Ears = Happy Noses: If your dog is prone to
stinky ears, clean them regularly with a solution of vinegar and alcohol. This
will do wonders for the smell of the whole house, too. (Tip via ehow)
Pets? What Pets?
11. Trunk No-Show: The internet is flooded with
instructions on how to customize old trunks, new Ikea storage units, and built-in
cabinets into excellent litter box and dog crate camouflage.
12. Play Date: When in doubt of your pets’ behavior or
your visitors/buyers preferences, consider asking a friend or neighbor to have
them over to play for a little while. If you’re selling your home, make sure
you also put away pet toys and pet photos. You shouldn’t lie to potential
buyers about furry creatures living there, but you don’t want any unnecessary
reminders around either. (Tip via About.com)
Taken from: http://www.trulia.com/tips/2014/10/12-hacks-make-your-for-sale-home-look-smell-pet-free/
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