10 SURPRISING IDEAS TO FRESHEN A HOUSE WITH DOGS

There is nothing worse than when you suspect your house smells like dogs. If you ask your friends if your house smells like dogs-chances are you already know the answer. As the mom of two Bernese Mountain dogs who is also a Realtor, I can smell a house with pets when I walk through the front door for a showing. Here are 10 easy ideas to freshen a house with dogs.

how to freshen a home with pets — Photo by John Becker, WBIR

These same ideas could be applied to stinky children & spouses. I have those too!

10 Easy Ideas to Freshen a House with Dogs

Let me start with this; I am not a fan of plugin room fresheners. They work but when I smell a plugin room freshener, that over the top cinnamon or floral smell, my first thought is what is the homeowner trying to mask. So here are ten ideas to freshen up your house before showings or guests.

1. FRESH AIR

Never underestimate the power of fresh air. An open window allows fresh air to circulate.

2. CEILING FANS

Have you looked up at your ceiling fan when it is not running? I was stretching the other morning and I look up in the middle of a hamstring stretch and there was a 1/2″ of dust on the ceiling fan blades.

And, I run that ceiling fan every night. Guess who sleeps directly under the ceiling fan? This one:

10-easy-ideas-to-freshen-house-with-dogs

And, during the day she sleeps under one of my boy’s ceiling fans.

3. VINEGAR

I love this multi-purpose cleaner. It is on my list of favorite cleaning products. Yes, it smells like vinegar, but it is effective at getting to the source of the smell; not masking the odor.

4. BAKING SODA

A close second to vinegar is baking soda. I regularly dust (dump) baking soda into my carpets/rugs. And, depending on how much dog DNA is embedded in the carpet fibers- I repeat this step 2-3 times over a few days. It works. I found this article with more details.

5. WASH ENTRY RUGS

Think about this; our dogs run in and out the doors dozens of times a day. Think about what those cute little paws tracked in when they chased a squirrel or do their business?

And, those entry rugs are the first line of defense to stop those muddy paw prints. Eww.

6. LINT ROLLER

A lint roller is a great way to snag random dog and human hairs on the tops of chairs and sofas. And, guess where sellers stand when they take in the main floor? Usually behind the couch or an armchair.

And, if they like the space they move in closer to check out what is on the homeowner’s shelves.

7. CLEAN UP THE BACKYARD

This one piggybacks on the entry rugs. If you can minimize the mess in the backyard you minimize the odors into the house. When I skipped a day (or two) to clean up the backyard and watch my dogs wrestling in the backyard I shudder at the thought of what they rolled thru during recess. Ewww.

8. BRUSH DOGS REGULARLY

Elliott loves to be brushed. His older sister, Chloe, not so much. She runs when she sees the hairbrush. But it makes a huge difference to brush our pets regularly to minimize what travels into the house via tails and tummies.

9. WASH THE WALLS

This is a big issue at my house. Chloe and Elliott have their favorite spots to chill during the day. And, when we repainted our walls to a lighter color I noticed the film of dirt on the walls. I keep the vinegar in a spray bottle to stay on top of these spots.

10. FRESH GREENS OR FLOWERS

Freshly flowers, greenery or herbs are an organic way to freshen your home. I think that is why we don’t notice the stale air during the holidays. From October through December, we have an abundance of fresh garland, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, Christmas trees, cider, and baked goods to fill our homes.

And, then by January, we have cold temps, over-active thermostats and furnaces and stale air. Rosemary is a great option to freshen up a space. I tuck mine into my candles in January.

I thought about tucking a sprig of Rosemary into Chloe and Elliott’s collars! #wink