Springtime is here, and many of us have that urge to open the windows, tidy up, and start some projects around the house. Is some serious house cleaning on your to-do list? Spring cleaning requires a few extra steps if you are a dog owner. I’m excited to partner with Petco to share some tips for spring cleaning for your dog. A lot of these spring cleaning tips will work for you cat parents too!
Spring Cleaning for your Pets
Get a checkup and stay healthy. The warmer weather brings with it fleas and tics. Now is the perfect time to visit your Vet, and make sure you have a good supply of flea and tick preventative. Go ahead make sure your pet is current on vaccines, and stock up on a heart worm medication too. I also recommend assembling a basic first aid kit for your pet, if you don’t have one already.
Bath time. April showers bring May flowers, and muddy paw prints too. The warm weather probably has your dog eager spend more time outdoors. Now is the perfect time to schedule a grooming at Petco, and stock up on shampoo. Also, take your dog outside for a good brushing.
Wash and replace bedding. Most pet beds have removable covers. Now is the perfect time to wash your pets bedding. Even better, buy your dog a new bed. Petco sent us an awesome new dog bed this week, and just in time too. My son, Sid, came to visit over the weekend and brought his dog Jack with him. The extra bed came in very handy. Fionna didn’t mind sharing… so much.
Go through the toy box. My pups have accumulated so many toys. I recommend going through your pet’s toy basket, when you’re doing your spring cleaning. Discard any toys that have rips or tears, and pick out a few to donate to your local shelter. Be sure to wash them.
Wash and replace food and water bowls. No matter how thoroughly your dog licks the food dish, it’s not clean without a good washing with soap and hot water or a run through the dishwasher. It might even be time for new food and water bowls. Petco sent us a fantastic new food dish, with a removable stainless steel insert for easy cleaning. It even has a non-skid bottom, so it stays in place while your dog is eating. My dog, Winston, appreciates that!
Now is also a good time to clean the doggie dining area. If you don’t already have one, I highly recommend a washable placemat like the one Petco sent us. It makes it easy to clean up spills, and helps keep your dogs dining area clean. My pups are such messy eaters! How about yours?
Go through the pet pantry. Pet foods and treats have expiration dates, just like human food. Go through and discard any food, treats or medications that are expired.
Clean floors and upholstery. A long time ago, I gave up on keeping the dogs off of the furniture. Spring is a great time to get the floors and upholstery professionally cleaned.
Replace collars and leashes. A stinky collar can ruin the pleasures of a freshly bathed dog. I like to replace Winston and Fionna’s collars and leashes each spring. If you prefer, you can clean collars and leashes with some warm water and dog shampoo.
Clean crates and carriers. Spring is the perfect time to get crates and carriers sparkling. Wash with warm soapy water and/or a mild disinfectant.
Do you have any pet-centric spring cleaning tips? I’d love to hear from you!
Be sure to visit me (aka GeorgiaGirl) in the Petco Community. It’s FREE to join and such a great resource and place to chat for pet owners.
(This giveaway has now ended. Congratulations to our winner Kelly W.)
I am making sure to clean everything for my dog and have all of his stuff clean. He needs a bath, and it is getting warm, and I will be giving him a bath soon. These are all really great tips. I make sure to have a flea and tick collar on my dog!
Dogs and kids both require major spring cleanings. They both make messes of everything. And they both have tons of toys that they never play with.
Awwwww fantastic furbaby tips!!!! So important to keep them nice and clean.
Love this. I love doing most of these with my pups when the Spring weather rolls around. Right now we got a ton of snow last night, so once the weather gets a little nicer I will get to work!
This is really good advice. We have a cat but some of the same things apply. We had to do a lot of vacuuming on the furniture.
Love your cute pups. Great tips for keeping them healthy.
Great ideas! Those are great ideas for taking care of the pets!
This is a great reminder for pet lovers! My fur baby will be in for a treat soon – a new collar and leash, plus a very tidy and odor free “living space.” I’ll remember to get him a flea collar too. Its that time of year again.
I need to head to Petco and grab some new beds for our pups. Theirs are getting dingy and worn, they’d appreciate some new ones for spring.
Great checklist. I have a feeding area for both of my dogs and because they’re such messy eaters I had to get the placemat although I got mine at IKEA. 🙂
I have cats and for the beginning of Spring I like to get them groomed. I also deep clean my home during this time to avoid allergies for them and us humans.
I would say just make sure that all your pet’s bedding is easily washable! Beds should have a removable cover….I can’t deal with the kind where you have to throw the entire thing in the washer….only it doesn’t fit in your home washer!
I am going to clean my dog’s dishes, drink mats, and do a thorough cleaning this weekend. I also just emptied their outside ‘kiddie’ pool yesterday, and it was disgusting from the winter!
i would love to win this gift card for my 6 cats
It is a great idea to spring clean your pets. I will have to clean out the cats carriers and wash all the cat beds.
I just vacuumed my car after the long winter to get out the dog hair. I purchased a dog blanket to make it easier to manager the dog hair in the car and ordered doggie supplies from Amazon to get my pup clean for spring.
I currently don’t have a pet but I do volunteer at a local no-kill cat shelter; I’d love to buy them some cat toys as a treat, so if I won a Petco gift card, that’s what I’d use it for. Thanks for having this giveaway!
I would like to win, for my cat Buddy. I keep a light blanket in his bed that I wash now and then. It is easier than having to wash his whole bed as often.
Our dog gets pretty frequent baths, but we might treat him to a new collar or some treats from PetCo. 🙂
Every day my husband and I just run the swiffer over our hardwood floors to make sure we get all the hair cleaned up from our cat C.S. Lewis! He would love a $25 gift card for some new toys I’m sure! 🙂
I want to win the gift card for my dog Lulu. She is a sweet little chihuahua. She has her own personality. She is funny and cute. She has been a part of the family for about 6 years now. I love her to death.
I would love to win this for my dog & 2 cats;) thanks for the chance!
These are some great ideas which will be so helpful for anyone with pets at home as I understand you need to go through a lot of cleaning stuff as they usually make lot of mess all around.
I have a cat center in my laundry room. Mat to collect wayward litter, 2 litter boxes, extra litter, 2 food bowls, 2 water bowls.
My dog recently passed. I would like to win this to give the local animal shelter.
i want to win this for my kitties, they’re such sweet lovebugs 🙂 maybe i could get them a special new toy or something if i win 🙂
i’d love to get things for my cats with this! they’re my sweet lil furbabies <3
I make a washer party and a bath party for my animals things.
I’d love to win this for my chihuahua , he has a issue with hot spots on his back and I constantly need to buy special shampoo for his skin.
I want to win for my cinnamon. She is a wonderful ball of energy and a bright spot in my life. If I win, this will go towards a new bed for her.
We have a very timid rescue mix that we adopted. She fits right in and is becoming more confident of herself. She’s great with the kids too. If I won this I would use it toward a new dog bed for her.
Your dogs are so adorable! My Rocky had his spring grooming today and he smelled so good. I love all these tips and plan on going through the list!!
Even pets needs to go through spring cleaning! lol I guess if I was a dog owner I would have known to do these things. It never really crossed my mind though.
I have 2 chihuahuas…would love to win this for them!
I would like to win this for a miniature poodle named Lenny. He is 13 years old and his favorite thing to do is to go to the pet store to pick out a new “baby.” Thank you for the chance to win!
Need a new cat pillow
Part of my spring cleaning with including getting new food and water bowls for our dog. I’ll also be washing the rugs she sleeps on during the day. She likes to sleep by the heat vent during the day, so we have doggie rugs by the vents.
Wash their blankets and beds to clean up any winter mud and yuck!
My cleaning tip is simple. I vacuum at least twice a day! My two cats that I would love to win this for are age 10 and age 3. They are both tabbies. One is well-behaved now that she is getting older. The other one is quite the handful!
I want to win this for my friend who now takes care of her grandfather’s cat because he is deceased
If you clean a pet accident with vinegar and water, your pet will most likely not make a mess in the same spot. The vinegar will help sanitize and deter them.
Every spring, my dog goes into for a defurminating shampoo treatment, a furminator combing treatmet, a bat, and a good trim. While he is there, his crate gets discinfected, his blanketsnd toys washed, and the room his crate is in gets the baseboards and all cleaned and the carpets shampooed.
brush your pet frequently to prevent hair balls
I have a dog that constantly takes his food out of his bowl and sets it on the floor to eat. I have a spray bottle of vinegar and water that I use to clean up after him to try to keep the floor clean and not leave soap or cleaner chemicals on the floor where he will be licking again at the next meal.
Wipe down base boards and replace air filters – the secret hiding spots of hair and dander.
Use a fabric steamer to freshen up bed beds
I want to win the Petco gift card for my 7 lb Yorkie Indie, she loves to go for walks and is in need of a new harness, she is so lovable
Great tips!! I need to clean the dogs’ collars. This is something I never thick of doing. I have a Spaniel mix, Terrier mix and Chihuahua mix that I’d love to win this GC for 🙂
I have two cats, Fred and Ginger. Petco is a great place for Pet supplies; both of my cats are age ten, so I buy their senior cat food there.
A solution of vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, a tiny bit of dawn, and hot water make an excellent pet stain remover for carpets!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
A wet napkin or paper towel to remove pet hair off furniture (: I have a few kitties, fish, & a bird that needs some new beding and toys haha.
I want to win this for our dog, new toy for him!
Would love to win this for my pet dog, Robot! He’s a rather messy guy so we always have a bottle of carpet cleaner on hand. I soak the carpet with water first, then apply the cleaner. Works every time!
Ahhh yes, this is one of my FAVORITE Spring Cleaning projects is getting our dogs clean!
I agree, when it comes to opening windows, the dog hair in our house starts to float everywhere. So we do baths, cuts, washing of bedding all as the weather breaks.
Gotta love our furry friends, thank you for the post 🙂
I want to get this for my little lop eared bun, the best cleaning tip for him is he generally pees and poops in the same part of his cage, so putting another container on top of the main poop tray in that spot makes it faster as that is the main problem spot so just cleaning that is faster
I would love to win this gift card for my goldendoodle named Miles. He is a bundle of joy and energy! He loves to go for long runs.
Make sure you brush your dogs daily.. otherwise you will be sweeping up several times a day.
I would love to win for my dog, Wriggley, a 7 1/2 year old horse…I mean Great Dane:)
No real tips, other than keep up with it- doing a little every day is a lot easier than letting it pile up and doing it at once. I have two long haired, high shedding dogs- daily cleaning is a must!
I have two wonderful, spoiled, older lady cats and I’d love to treat them to some new things.
I want to win this for my last cat from a group of 4 we had. He name is Mama’s. She is so sweet but needs a new bed and some treats.
Your dogs are the cutest! Our dogs, Pepper and Bella love Petco!
Vacuum as often as you can (at least once a week) to avoid allergens for yourself and your pets.
I’d like to get this for aging cat. I could get her a supplement.
I have 3 little dogs and I wash there beds atleast once a week and clean there cages out! It’s time for me to get them 3 new beds as what they have are cheap ones I got at Biglots! I keep my furbabie’s in the house all year round so I try to keep them clean!
use a rubber brush to get hair off of large items before putting them in the wash!
I have 5 cats, so cleaning is a daily chore! The gift certificate would certainly come in handy!
for my dog GIZMO and my son’s dog BUDDY who both love petco
I want to win this for my four year old yellow lab mix, Maverick. He LOVES squeaky toys…he doesn’t chew them or tear the squeaker out. He loves making toys squeak!
I have two tabby cats, Mittens and Twizzler, who are indoor outdoor cats Suffice it to say we get a lot of wet, sometimes muddy, paw prints on the wood floors when them come inside. I try to get a towel by the door for them to initially walk on when they come in. Needless to say I do a lot of mopping in the spring!
I want to win this for my cat. She always sits by the window during the day and she gets cat hair all around the couch and curtains their.
I have 5 Grandogs and my daughter stays very busy with baths and keeping the floors and house clean. When I go to see them I bring treats from Petco food bar (also a couple chocolate chip cookies for me)
I would love to win this for my 5 year old Imperial Shihtzu, Toby Tangles. She’s the love of my life and loves to collect stuffed toys from Petco.
I have 6 lil’fur girls and they shed ALOT especially this time of year!grooming tools are always helpful in keeping the hair from being every where!i would love to be able to get some extra supplys for my sweet hairy babies!
I have one dog and 5 cats and this is really useful post! You guys are amazing. Thanks for following me on twitter concerning my stencil post. Love it.
Maria
Hello i want to say thank you for all of the wonder tips…I am currently trying to ein this for my two dogs actually. Would be nice to get them a few new things. Chico, my 7y/o boxer and keisha my 10 y/o min pin just went for their pet exam and actually my min pin was put on some diet food due to over weight. We will be taking many walks starting soon. And we will be bathing regularly now that warmer weather is here. And we groom pretty often. We hope we win
The pet-centric cleaning tip I have is to power wash the dog house.
My Frenchee Fry would love to win the $25 git card she needs a new water station.
We have 2 dogs and 2 cats and a bird. Winning this would be such a blessing!!! Thanks for the chance!!!
I would like to win this for our two cats Snotty and Lucy.
I switched them to a healthier cat food which I buy at Petco.
thank you
This reminds me, I need to buy yet another collar for my dog. I just bought her one recently and it broke.
When my elderly cousin passed away in January we adopted her 8 year old dog. We had to do some early spring cleaning for her and replace all of bedding and stuff but now that it is really spring she will be getting a lovely bath and some new toys and collar.
We work hard to keep our dog room clean. We wash out their food and water dishes often. We take out their bedding once a week. Our dogs would love some new summer toys.
I keep up with a clean pet environment year round. I have a spoiled little Westie who is always wanting something new and exciting to play with.
I want to win this for my Beagle Pup! She’s a year old.
My tip is more for grooming than cleaning but when the weather warms up, animals start to shed more to get their summer coat so make sure to brush out their fur regularly during the spring and summer months.
I forget to brush my cats sometimes and then they start hacking up hairballs all over the place.
I have a long haired cat so I wipe him down daily with pet wipes, it helps with the dander.
Lots of brushing and coconut oil in their food to help with the shedding of their winter coat.
I have a cat and a little dog. They usually sleep beside each other. Double hair, double mess!
Deep clean everything, replace pets beds, if needed.
I like to replace our Ozzy’s collar in the spring! And also check his lead out in our backyard to make sure it’s still in good shape!
I replace my kitties litter boxes about once a year! I swear the plastic holds some of the smell, so it’s nice to know they’re fresh again!
coriwestphal at gmail dot com
I want to win this for my 3 sweet yorkies! They have been so pateint with our kids and lots of changes! They deserve some special treats from Petco!
Nala and Cody have gotten a new harness and leashes this spring. But its been a rainy season so all the rugs had to be cleaned too because the wet dog smell was everywhere.
I have 3 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and if I won I would buy them some treats and toys.
During shedding season, grooming is really important or you will end up with hair everywhere and allergies will be horrible.
I’ve learned that a squegee (of all things!) get pet hair out of carpet & off furniture really well!
I want to win this for my golden retriever, Mozart.
I try to use essential oils to diffuse the smell when I vacuum and clean the house.
I always give my dog and all of her things a spring cleaning. I change her bowl, collar & bed.
Because we have 2 dogs and a cat I do most of this on a weekly basis. I highly recommend an iRoomba and run it daily to keep up on loose pet hair too.
I was my pets bed weekly in hot water to kill any fleas.
I want to win this for my 4 sweet kitties!
I wish that we could replace our little shih tzu’s bowl she won’t eat out of it if we did. Can you say spoiled rotten. Thanks for these great tips.
Great tips for pet care .