 Purred: Thu Jan 1, '09 8:10am PST |
 | |  | | Haven't seen you post in a while, but I noticed you're worried about smells and mess.
This is expensive but worth it: Dyson makes a VERY nice vacuum that is designed for pet hair. It has a five year warranty, does NOT need expensive replacement filters, is half the weight of a normal vacuum, has a flexible front that does not lose suction. You can run it along walls and it picks stuff up. It literally pulls all the animal hair from carpets and furniture.
Gonzo (www.gonzocorp.com) makes a renewable pet hair removal sponge. Use it dry to wipe surfaces down (even linens and furniture) and remove hair. When it won't remove hair any longer, rinse it out, let it dry, and use it again.
Gonzo also makes the best stain remover out there. It's non-toxic and water soluble. Just squirt, use the dull side of a knife to add pressure and blot.
Gonzo also makes renewable odor removers for closets, cars, and fridges. You could certainly use one of those in the litter area. It's a mesh sac with volcanic rocks. When it stops neutralizing odor, put it outside in the sun for six hours and you can use it again.
They also make pet odor removal and pet spot removal sprays, but they come in smaller packaging, whereas the stain remover comes in a gallon for $32. and yes, that will last you a long time, even if you clean large areas of your house with it. We often clean about a 2' x 4' section near the door and a similar size area near the couch. Those are from my husband and me, though, not the cats.
For larger areas, I recommend Resolve high traffic carpet foam. Put some elbow grease into scrubbing the carpet with a clean rag after application. Cover with dry rags until dry and vacuum away. There are often coupons available for this and a can of it will do large sections 3-4 times. Kmart (if you have one near you) does double coupons every 2-4 weeks, so you can get it cheap.
The furminator is a great tool, too. They are pricey, but it really gets down to the undercoat. I'd furminate outside, however, and wear old clothes, you'll be covered in hair.
the Dyson will be an investment, but there is no other vacuum on the planet with a 5 year warranty. Cheaper vacuums seem like a better deal, but will need about $100 a year in expensive replacement filters, so it evens out over the 5 years that the vacuum is covered. The improved ability to pull so much dust and animal hair from the carpet is worth it for your health. The fact that the thing NEVER loses suction and can make "s" movements saves wear and tear on your back and shoulders. The fact that it weighs half what another vacuum does also helps your back and makes it easier to transport up and down stairs if your dwelling is multi-level. To get one, I'd simply go to best buy, and get a best buy card. Anything over a certain amount is at least 1 year interest free with payments. For some reason, they gave us until July of 2010 to pay it off. So if you're worried about the price or paying interest on a credit card, that is the way to go.
And yes, I got a Dyson for Christmas. And maybe that's lame and not romantic but it's what I wanted, and it makes my life better and more convenient. I fought my husband on getting one that was so expensive, I wanted two cheaper ones, one for upstairs and one for downstairs, but when I saw the 5 year warranty and no need for expensive filter replacements, I fell in love. Before, I had two cheaper vacuums, and I bought the replacement filters on a subscription program which was way cheaper than buying them at the store, but still it was $60 a year to get two replacements (1 per 6 months). This Dyson is infinitely better.
Hope this helps with the cleaning and hair concerns!
Allison
Mommy of Tiger and Kali |  |  | |  |
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