My windows face a major two-way street (79th) and I have a layer of soot/dust on everything. The windowsills are black, and nothing makes them come clean anymore.

I was actually thinking of painting them a fresh white and then putting some sort of shellaq over them, or something like that so it will be easier to keep clean!!!

Sadly, I'll still have to dust all the time....

Using oil-based paint when you do repaint will help.

right after i got married last year my husband and i got a cat. he is allergic to cats (it shows how much he loves me that he let me get a cat to keep me company when he's away). and of course she sheds like no other...the benefit of this is that we used to clean every two weeks which has now progressed to cleaning at least once a week to control the fur, helping siginificantly with general tidiness. one good thing we've learned is that our cat is not scared of the vaccuum, in fact, she loves it when we attach the brush to the vaccuum and comb her, which really helps for two or three days.

How about an option for partner's (roommate) messiness?

Company...

Anytime I know I'm going to have company I clean, other than that and spring cleaning I have a fairly consistant routine.

Carla--
Throw the bum out! ;)

My boyfriend has very long, thick hair, and he sheds a lot. It's like having a pet, really, because if I don't vacuum every week, hairballs start to accumulate around the baseboards. Nice, huh?

I just posted this on yesterday's cleaning thread before this new thread started, so I'm putting it here too, since that thread may be abandoned. Has anyone found a cat litter box solution/method that works really well in a small space? Any tricks I haven't heard of yet?

Pixie.

i don't have much of a suggestion, but i'll tell you what we've done. we happen to have a claw foot bath tub, so the litter box fits well underneath and she gets her privacy. but most importantly...we use a flushable cat litter, every time we go into the bathroom we'll clean our the cat's litter box. REALLY helps control odors. whatever you do, just remember that the cat will want its privacy.

I clean when my wife nags me. Sometimes, anyway.

Jen--
That made me laugh out loud. But I am assuming you are the beneficiary of a few creature comforts of the boyfriend variety NOT afforded by the typical house cat. At least, DEAR GOD I hope not!!! ;)

Regarding litter box solutions-- I'm thinking of buying this little litter box (my current giant one doesn't fit well in my bathroom, and I never know where to stick the litter scoop)--

www.petco.com/product_info.asp?familyid=13058&sku=3991500504&tab=2&dept_id=665&c1=642&c2=665&c3=&ct1=Litter+%26+Litter+Accessories&ct2=Litter+Boxes&ct3=

And I'm also going to repost--I posted this in the cockroach thread but everyone was much more concerned with roaches, I guess--

I'm curious how many other people have to make their decorating revolve around their cats. I once bought a beautiful solid-color blue duvet for a great sale price, but after a few weeks I had to give up--I couldn't wash it every day, and the lint brush was no match for my orange-and-white cat. It would within minutes look awful. I have to change into my work clothes five minutes before leaving my apartment in order to avoid becoming covered in visible cat hair (Riley is a very friendly lap cat). A friend who wears all-black always changes into old clothes when she comes over so she can change into her pristine clothes when she leaves.

I recently bought a beautiful soft teal rug for my bedroom on a great sale and was hoping it was textured enough to hide the cathair but it already looks cat-haired covered just two days later.

It's not that I don't brush my cat or vaccuum or sweep or clean or use a lint roller, because I do all those things as often as possible (but I work two jobs, I can't vaccuum and scrub for an hour a day!). But I've had to give up--I just recovered my sofa in a orange/beige/white pattern, and got a textured orangey/yellow/white wool rug... Microsuede (like my unfortunate office chair) or smooth non-patterned or non-textured fabrics are out.

Anyway, if anyone has some great tips on keeping the cat hair in check or cat-friendly decorating, I'm curious. Keeping the cat off upholstered furniture entirely isn't really possible, since I'm at work all day and he seems impervious to any kind of furniture training that I've tried. I don't want to have to make all the bedding and upholstery fabrics in my apartment orange and white, especially since if I get a companion cat for him in future of another color, there goes that solution...

-Jen

I have fairly long thick hair but...I never shed. (that's excluding the hair I pull out)

Maybe a strenthening shampoo/conditioner may save a bit of work around the house?

Re Litter boxes... The best way to make sure the litter box doesn't smell is to clean it daily. I have a standard tray, and I make sure to clean it by leaving it out in the open. I count on the embarassment factor.

Mikhaela -- I used to have a nubby square thing that prevented cats from sitting in your favorite chair. Maybe you need a few of those? You can also try tin foil, since cats aparently hate to walk across it. My ex-roommate had three cats and some nasty allergies. She'd vaccuum daily, inclding vaccuuming the comforter on her bed. She also had cat beds around the place for the cats to lounge in. With enough catnip and the right placement, they'll figure it out and prefer it.

I keep the cat hair in check by just grooming my cat as often as he needs it. If I can get to the hair before it lands anywhere else, I don't have to clean anything but the slicker brush. You might try the vaccuuming trick that bridgett uses. I have given up on a few things, thanks to my cat. I have a white comforter now, rather than my red one, and I also gave up on my rug, since it was always covered in white fur. My current cat is older [16!], and pretty inactive. His former owner also did a great job training the cat to not get on chairs and the sofa, so most of the mess is on my floor and bed.

Patrick,

Oh yeah--that's why I decided he's worth the extra work and a cat isn't!

Jen and patrick (too)- you BOTH made me laugh out loud...those comments were too great. =)

a mix for me- cat hair/food/litter on the floor...in general- dust...can't stand dirty bathrooms or kitchens either...I don't clean it all at once though. I just clean whenever I see something [get too] messy.

Thanks Mary, it sounds like you've made some of the same decorating decisions I have (my new comforter isn't white, but it's got plenty of white in the pattern and it's light-colored). I have some cat beds lying around and that has helped some, but maybe I can try those nubby things too. The thing about tinfoil is that it's kinda ugly to put tinfoil on my furniture--I used to have an old cat that would pee on my comforter everyday when she got upset I was leaving for work, and keeping the plastic tarp over my bed was necessary but really ugly.

Maybe if I can get a nice cat brush as you suggest I'll catch more of the cat hair before it lands on the new rug...

My biggest challenge in my tiny apartment is finding a place for the cat litter box that's not underfoot. I've got one of those gargantuan covered deals, which I currently knock my knees against under my desk. Would love something smaller, but it works well, and I'm afraid that if I don't keep the cover on it, the cat'll kick it up everywhere.

all these cleaning tips AND we get some insight into the appearance of the mysterious me of me inc. Too good a day!!

Oh man, oh man. Jen, I think we're in the same boat!!! His is long and CURLY and the hair is ALL OVER THE PLACE. I even find it (are you ready for this?) WOVEN IN MY SWEATERS!!!!

Too funny.

Patrick (the other one), have room in your swanky pad for me to take a break from hair patrol?

I have a Persian cat and I have trained her (using a spray bottle) not to sit on furniture. That cuts down on a lot of hair and -wa la- no hair on clothes.
She sleeps on the area rug and weekly I wipe the rug with a damp guaze to remove fur. Works wonders.

I suppose this makes me a horrible human being, but all this talk about litter boxes and cat hair makes me convinced that my decision no longer to have pets in an apartment, after the death of my last one (the most incredible cat in the world, of course), was right.

Of course, I miss having "LUUUUUV" around, but don't miss litter strewn everywhere, the odor, the shedding that made every pair of black pants look tweed...to say nothing of the thought of my pet walking around in his litter box, then jumping up on places where I would later eat or prepare food...

OK, time to stop....

since i bought a vornado air cleaner, pet hair and dander is easer to manage in my daily clean ups. jen, it might even help with the hair from a loved one with two legs.

I gave up the space under the bathroom sink to the litterbox when I lived in a small apartment. I had to find alternate storage for all the cleaning things you usually keep there but it was worth it to me not to be looking at a litter box all the time.

At first, I kept the door cracked...except when I had company...but because the door really didnt have a catch, the cat soon learned to open it herself anyway (but she never did get the hang of closing it behind her!) Also...it helped that I have a small cat...undersink plumbing didn't seem to get in the way. And the stray litter was mostly contained inside the vanity. It was easy to slide out, scoop, flush..and replace. And she seemed to like her privacy too!

As far as "WHEN" I clean...sadly I am domestically challenged..so it's "WHEN I HAVE TO." I entertain semi-regularly just to force myself to do it. Otherwise, I would end up on one of those cable TV Shows where someone comes in and does a cleaning intervention.

I clean because I entertain...or do I entertain to force me to clean?

Pixie,

I have a Booda Box (sold at nicer pet stores) and I use cat litter with baking soda. The litter box is in a closet. I placed it on the floor and caulked the shelf above it from below to block any litter or dust from rising above. My closet has a curtain over it, but I suppose you could cut a cat-sized hole into a door if you have one on the closet.

Not only does my cat have privacy, but no one knows the litter box is there and I DO NOT have any odor problems at all. A caveat-- you need to clean out the litter box a lot so the cat doesn't get upset.

The Booda Box comes with charcoal filters that also help with the odor.

Best of luck. It CAN be done.

PS--I love my cat but oh, my furniture is torn up!

Patrick (the other one),
I shall start to paint my sills with oil-based paint this week. Thanks for the tip.

Michaela,
Try choosing everything with very tightly woven fabric--it helps.

Can anyone help?

I have used Benjamin Moore Super White in every apartment I've ever lived in, but for some reason, in my current apartment, the color gets dingy after only one year. Any suggestions as to a paint color that will not be too dark but almost look like grime and soot? I am leaning toward a beige but would like it to have a red or yellow undertone--or so I believe--what I want is a color that is upbeat.

ppppphillippppp, I'm in your camp when it comes to litter/urine residue on cat feet. I had an ex who'd kiss his cat's feet and he couldn't believe it icked me out that much. I get a bit queasy on that kitchen counter/dining room table issue, too.

But what really got me started on the cat/feet/litter/urine issue was a small pink raw place on my chest. I didn't know what it was, but treated it with Neosporin, Cortaid... wouldn't heal. I had my doctor look at it about a month later. Her first question was, "Do you have a cat?" Turns out it was a fungal infection and she was sure it was from sleeping with the cat... he loved to nuzzle under my chin and rest his paws on my chest. Sadly, that stopped once I learned about the fungal thing. It took FOREVER for that to clear up, by the way. It looked very minor but took forever to fully heal, even with prescription meds.

(Just offering that delectable personal story as a PSA... it happened 11 years ago. And now back to our regularly scheduled celebration of thoughtful design.)

Well, Anne, on the bright side - at least it was pink, which is often a complimentary color for many skin tones...

Thanks for all the tips on cat boxes. I never thought of putting it in the undersink cabinet. I may do this. Very clever. sjv--what a crafty cat to figure out how to open the door (they all know how to do these things, but all don't want to). I have the catbox in the only place I can think of in this space, which is between the toilet and wall. It's an "apartment size" catbox, which fits perfectly. I am a constant scooper, but litter gets everywhere and if the cat is ready for a box of fresh litter, urine starts appearing on the plastic around the box. Horrible. Odiferous. Always just when I'm about to leave for work. Also, I think the box is ugly for guests to look at. I'll check out the booda box too and another box someone mentioned. I have a feeling my cat won't like a closed box and it would be a waste of money, so I'm trying the under sink route firstinstead.

Also, comment on the cat paw residue. I am far more bothered by what dogs will eat outside.

Another tip, use www.tinyurl.com with long URL's to avoid widening pages like here, or causing links to wrap and therefore usually break in Outlook.

And if you use Firefox, here's an extension to do it easily with a right-click, tinyurl.com/68b33

I only clean if the girlfriend is coming to visit

We have 3 cats and therefore need to clean all the time! Two of them shed an average amount, but one sheds like crazy! Although she is a shorthaired cat, I have her shaved down every few months and it makes a notable difference in how often I have to vaccum and dust. If I let her hair fully grow in, it looks like a cloud of smoke trailing behind her she sheds so bad! Also, when the coat is growing in it needs to be brushed often and I swear the brush NEVER comes out empty. As far as the litter box solution goes, for however many cats you have scoop that many times per day, use a little baking soda on the bottom, change it out completely and wash it monthly. This will guarantee NO SMELL. Not that this is humanly possible all the time!

I am unfortunately a person who throws everything into a pile so when things get too cluttered I clean.

Double-stick tape works perfectly to keep cats off furniture (sitting on it or scratching it). They hate the sticky feeling on their paws. Use it for a month or two and then you can take it off because they'll avoid the furniture altogether.

Other; Shame.

My kitchen! I clean it every night--you can't be too careful in the area where you prepare food.

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