apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have the love glove and it's soo awesome. We go to the park to remove b/c it can get quite messy brushing indoors. Also, I can't live without my dustbuster. It's basically attached to my hip as my pup is a shedder in bet. seasons.

i am seriously considering the addition of a canine companion to my family of one, so thank you for this timely post!

That photo with the hand-vac is adorable!

Our furry beast doesn't shed that much, but he dribbles and tracks in all sorts of nasty. One of the problems I started to notice was that the wood floor in the spot where we fed him was getting pitted and the finish was coming up. Apparently, if enough dog drool collects in the same spot, it'll do that. Our solution was to buy a large rimmed placemat so neither his drool nor his post-drink beard drippings would further damage the floor.

Haha, such an obliging model! I really like the furminator to keep my eldest cat from shedding tons. She's a short hair, but she's got a downy undercoat that gets EVERYWHERE.

Nature's Miracle is the best. As for muddy paws, I just keep a few old towels by the door, or dunk the pup's feet in the bathtub. No wipes needed!

Petastic is actually even better than Nature's Miracle. NM would get the smells out of the carpet when I had an unhousetrained dog, but it would leave rings around the perimeter of where it had been sprayed. Petastic didn't. Plus I think it's a little bit cheaper.

I like Simple Solution for pet stains and odors. It also works well on other types of spills and stains.

I use the Earth Bath shampoo on my Yorkies. it smells great and it stops them from being so itchy all the time.

I love Nature's Miracle. What do you guys think of the Bissel SpotBot?

i find nature's miracle doesn't do such a great job on cat urine and the smell is still there after using it (which means the cat will probably reoffend), does anyone have any other recommendations?

will some of these products work when you move into a house that has serious pet odor issues? it has hardwood floors.... do i clean them with a product and then paint them or do i have to totally refinish stuff like that?
im hoping i can seal the smell in or something :(

I second the Furminator, which I use to groom my boyfriend's three cats. I'm allergic to cats, so it helps greatly to comb them weekly. The Furminator really gets the loose hairs off, and they like being combed with it.

i also have had no luck with the cat odor Nature's Miracle. after dousing and dousing my leather couch, the smell is still there....that darn cat!

For dogs with more of an undercoat (like my dad's Lab...geez the fur on that dog) I totally second the Furminator. Might not be so good on greyhounds' thin fur and delicate skin, though.

I've found that plain white vinegar works better on cat urine than Nature's Miracle. The trick is to really saturate the area with vinegar.

At a previous apartment, we had problems with feral cats getting in through the cat door and spraying everywhere on our walls and hardwood floors. Vinegar completely eliminated the odors. I've also used it on concrete floors and some fabrics. The area will smell like vinegar for a while, but when the vinegar smell is gone, so is the urine smell.

Honestly, not trying to bash this post, but I would investigate a little into the ingredients of Nataure's miracle litter box powder. There are ones that are more pet and earth friendly. I like Mrs. Meyers, but I have a feeling it may hjave been discontinued :o(

http://www.stylefeeder.com/i/d9z25zyb/Chamomile-Pet-Litter-Freshener-11-Ounce-By-Mrs-Meyer-Apos-S-Home-Amp-Garden

The purlgreyhound household is ruled by the hairiest greyhound ever. We use the Love Glove. We use the Furminator. But there's no substitute for professional grooming in the shedding season. Otherwise, we spend April and May living in a nimbus of dog hair. Come to think of it, we're about a month away from the annual blowing out of his winter coat. Better put that appointment on my to-do list.

I agree with Heather77 -- for both cat and dog smells (esp. urine), plain old white vinegar works best. It's cheap, non-toxic, and once it dries, odorless.
I have a husky and my main strategy for keeping the house clean is to rinse his paws in the tub after every outdoor excursion. It takes 2 minutes and saves the furniture and wood floors from the sand, dirt, mud, and salt (in the winter) he'd otherwise track in. I also swore off indoor carpeting when I adopted him -- he's just too hairy.

That dog has a career modeling products...too cute!

Ohh, your dog is beautiful! What kind is he?

Aw Wilbur, you are adorable!
We use the Zoom Groom, which is like the love glove only with a fine and a coarse side. It's made out of just plastic, so it's easy to rinse off under running water if necessary. PupCake loves it, but I have to do it outside because, contrary to what they say about Greyhounds, he sheds like a maniac. I can gets off about a whole dogs' worth of fur with it every few days during coat blowing season...which at my house is about February to August :(

I also recommend keeping a container of styptic powder on hand for nail trimming accidents.

I agree... Nature's Miracle was no miracle for me. I think I've tried just about everything for cat urine and finally have a solution that has worked. I use Liquid Alive by Dymon (I have both the Odor Digester spray and the Enzyme Bacteria). I spray both products on the spot and try to blot/absorb the area with paper towel and, if possible, put the item out in the sun for awhile. (I learned the sun trick from an upholstery cleaning service I called.) I purchased the Liquid Alive from here http://www.azpartsmaster.com/Products/Liquid-Alive-Bacteria-with-Instant-Odor-Control__DB233.aspx but there are other places online.
Also, good old Spot Shot works great and I use that on carpet spots. It got us through puppyhood last year. Between four cats and a puppy, I have become a pee pro!

For clipping dog nails, I recommend this Bamboo clipper: http://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Nail-Clipper-Styptic-Colors/dp/B0006GCW68/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1238616171&sr=1-9

It's easy to hold, makes a very clean cut, and has a built-in nail file and container of styptic powder. With this, and little Puperoni treats after each nail, I can get through all four paws in just a few minutes.

Nature's Miracle is better for dog urine than cat. I was seriously thinking I had to throw away my ABC carpet after numerous "incidents" involving my cat. I then found the answer: Anti Icky-Poo. It's only available through the vet as far as I know, and it is truly a miracle. Not too expensive, and works on older stains/smells. It is also used for the removal of dead body stains/smells, so there you go...

The most valuable tool in my pet puddle arsenal is the SteamVac Jr.

http://www.amazon.com/STEAM-VAC-JR-F5411-Steamvac/dp/B00002N8DF

Unfortunately it's no longer offered, but you can probably look for them on Craigslist.

My furry little beast has a habit of going to his cage when he's not feeling well and thus vomitting all over his bed. I opted to use a simple cheap pillow from target bought a waterproof pillow cover and a cheap set of pillow cases on clearance. When one gets soiled I simple just have to change the case out - the waterproof covers prevents smells and stains from getting to the pillow. Pretty cheap easy and he loves his comfy pillow bed. And if I want a new look i just find new pillowcases on clearance and voila - a new bed.

Bestill my heart, I think I am in love...

Oh Wilbur....

For accidents on washable fabrics, we swear by SportWash. You can find it online or in the hunting section. We started using it for cloth diapers, and so know it works great! (It is used to get every last trace of odour in hunting clothes so that prey cannot sense you )

ooh_food,

Wilbur is a whippet. You don't see them around very often... people usually ask if he's a baby greyhound.

Thanks for all the input from cat owners! Maybe whatever it is that's miraculous about Nature's Miracle for a dog doesn't do the trick for cat accidents.

- Susie

"I am cute. I match the sofa. I do not like the Shark." LOL

Thanks for the recommendation, I have the fur embedding problem... and seconding moderngal, slipcovers are a big help with pets.

"Wilbur is a Whippet" should be the title of a children's book. I'd read it.

I am dying to Furminate my cat, but she won't let me anywhere near her with a brush in my hand. Instead I just sweep constantly and have a black duvet cover - the fur is still there and I have accepted this is something I just have to live with, but the black makes it less visible so visitors are not grossed out.

I have used Nature's Miracle for my cats (one of whom had chronic diarhhea for over a year) and switched to Simple Solution at the advice of a pet discussion group. Simple Solution is far better for cats, in my experience. Spray, blot up with a paper towel or clean white rag, spray, scrub a little, let dry. I sometimes follow up with a Carbona carpet cleaner (red bottle, attached scrub brush, supermarket carpet cleaning section...) because the brush helps if the substance being cleaned has dried. (Accidents during the night, for instance.)

I also have a SpotBot. It's a little cumbersome, but it's effective and nice for messier accidents, spilled liquids, etc. We used it as a normal wet vac when there was a small plumbing accident. I use it to shampoo furniture as needed... If you have a place to store it (since it's not in constant use, that is an issue) it's nice to have.

Having two 75 pound furry goldens and being particular about my home too, I have come to rely on the following:

A Dyson Vacuum for a daily run around the family room where they spend most of their time.

The Evercare large surface sticky roller for the furniture and dog beds and quick pickup of furry tumbleweeds http://www.evercare.com/largesurf.html

A Furminator (used weekly) and a slicker brush (used daily) to cut down on the flying fur everywhere

Febreeze for a quick spritz of the couch which they love and I can't (or won't, as they are snuggly!) keep them off of

HOST dry carpet cleaner for keeping my sisal and wool rugs spot cleaned from dog puke and muddy paw stains and the time one of the dogs wore a nail down to the quick and proceeded to run around the house with a bleeding paw. argh. http://www.hostdry.com/

A monthly washload of dog bed covers and toys

Bathing them at least monthly or more if they get dirty or stinky

The name "Love Glove" reminds me of the "Funcooker" on 30 Rock.

Tracy Jordan's Meat Machine!!! i heart 30 rock.
I also heart my jack russells...which i use the furminator on...they are the rough coat kind... who shed A LOT...
this helps them shed not so much!

There's a product 10x more effective than the one shown, for skunk odor removal, vet hospitals tend to stock it and I got mine from the Irving Street Veterinary Hospital in San Francisco.

http://www.irvingpethospital.com/

I usually have a couple bottles under the sink, just in case, but unfortunately don't have any on hand to check the name. It's a much smaller bottle, costs about 3x more, but unlike the one above just ONE bottle works for 2 cats or 1 medium sized dog. The stuff is AMAZING and well worth keeping on hand especially for me when I had a black cat who fell in love with a skunk and thought they were pals (seriously, it tested my sanity).

Love Wilbur, what a great model!

I LOVE Natures Miracle. I would recommend it to anyone. We had carpeting that had cat pee stains all over it. We put Natures Miracle in a steam cleaner and went over the carpet several times and the smell was gone. Just make sure the spots are thoroughly wet, like down to the padding and plywood, because that's where the smell really gets down to. We had tried vinegar, but the vinegar smell was almost as bad as the cat smell.

Aw, it's a good thing that whippets make good furniture models - you can't keep them off anything! Wilbur looks a lot like my girl Haley. She also hates the vaccuum. Maybe it's a redhead thing.

My personal recommendations for grooming short/fine-haired dogs is a Zoom Groom: http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Groom-For-Dogs-Raspberry/dp/B0002Y1RCE.

For baths, I love Earthbath products(http://www.earthbath.com/shampoo_pints.html). Not cheap but a little goes a long way and they smell so good I have to keep my husband from using them.

For messes you can't beat good old water-and-vinegar to get smells and for stains I really like a hydrogen peroxide and water mix: http://www.naturecleanliving.com/pet_stain_odour_remover.

The only thing I've found really picks up the fine hairs is any tape-roller lint remover. I have 5 stashed all over the house for clothes and furniture.

Susie,

Thanks! I thought he was a whippet. My friends have one. They are so sweet and fun to watch let loose in the park.