Housekeeping: Advice I’m not qualified to give
By Gina Spadafori
June 24, 2009
A co-worker comes over to my desk and asks if he can ask a pet question. This happens all the time, of course, so I nod.
He tells me that his wife left for a weekend to stay with a friend, and when she got there the house smelled like cat pee. The friend has “too many cats” (four, according to my co-worker), and asks the best way to let the friend know that her house smells.
“She knows,” I told him. And then I asked if her cats seemed ill-cared-for, or if she was. Was the house, er, dangerous to her health or the cats? No, he said. But the house still smelled. “How do we tell her?”
I told him not to, and to book a hotel the next trip.
Now, I’m a little sensitive on this subject. I have a lot of pets, and I’m not that diligent a house-keeper in any way. I have a cleaning service come over a couple times a month, and if I have a big event — like Christmas dinner — I work on the house and have the house-keepers help even more. When I’m really, really busy — like on a book deadline — things can get pretty bad. I develop a sort of tunnel vision, and I just don’t notice the fur-bunnies under the furniture until the situation changes. Things have gotten pretty bad at times, to be bluntly honest.
When the pressure eases, I get busy. I clean what I can and pay for help to catch up with the rest. I send all the laundry out to be done at once, even though I have a washer-dryer. I have had people clean up my yard and organize my garage. My rational: My time is more productively spent writing (which I’m good at, like and make money at) than cleaning (which I’m bad at, hate and takes too much time).
But honestly, there’s no way on God’s green earth that someone can’t tell even under the very best of conditions that I have a lot of pets. I would have to have live-in staff for that to happen, and believe me, I’m not that successful a writer (or even remotely close to it).
When people visit, I don’t offer my home for them to stay in. There’s a nice motel down the street, and I know we’ll all be more comfortable if they’re staying in it.
So that’s my story. And I told the co-worker that the friend was probably coping as best she could to the extent that the messiness of her pets bothered her. And to let it be.
He didn’t much like the advice, I could tell, and I didn’t really know what to say to fix that. And after all, I’m not in the business of giving advice for people about people — just for people about animals. And he didn’t seem to think this friend was looking for advice at all.
Yes, I know people who have pets and a scrupulously clean home. Christie usually does, for one, and the nice couple from whom I got Clara and Ilario have upwards of a dozen indoor cats and a house as neat as a pin with no smell at all. But I also know people like me, for whom “house beautiful” isn’t as high a priority as meeting a deadline, reading a book, training the dogs or heading for a hike along the river parkway.
So I’m throwing it open: How clean is your house? How much does pet smell/fur bother you and at what point? What do you do when friends or relatives are critical (silently or directly)?
And when would you say something to a friend?
I wrote a blog on this same subject. I board dogs in my home, and a clean house is a dream for some future, and very boring, time. I feel your pain! I tell people to get over it— no one has ever complained. I would tell someone else if it was really really awful. I did take some steps to minimize the agony- like tearing out all the carpet!
http://everything-pets.blogspo.....-task.html
Comment by Terry Albert — June 24, 2009 @ 7:44 pm
Great topic!
No, I would not tell a friend that her house smells from pets. Never, never, never would!
Comment by Colorado Transplant — June 24, 2009 @ 7:44 pm
I think the first stage of really being a grownup is when you don’t do any special extreme cleaning when your folks visit.
The second stage must be not doing any special cleaning when your friends visit.
Love me, love my dog’s hair!
Comment by EmilyS — June 24, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
My household includes a border collie, two cats, and numerous medium-to-small parrots. It’s obvious that they live here.
My own father once visited, sat on the couch that my cats lounge on, and talked about how his cats always stay outside, because he has horses and enough “animal smell” follows him in the house, and how he and his wife just can’t stand the way a house with pets “just has that smell.” And how he’d like to have a dog but it’d have to stay outside, and besides, his barn cats are enough, it’s tough when they keep wandering off. I was so offended by that, and by his cavalier attitude toward his “outdoor barn cats,” that I’ve currently gone months without speaking to him. He simply does not get that I find his attitude offensive, nevermind trying to get through to him.
Funny enough, almost everyone else who’s visited hasn’t found the pet presence problematic, but the other thing about them? All of them have pets.
Comment by Selasphorus — June 24, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
My house is far from perfect — between running three websites (soon to be four) and working full-time for another, having a special-needs animal, and being disabled myself… well, I just don’t have the time or energy. That’s time that could be spent with my family! I make sure my house doesn’t stink to the best of my ability and generally leave it at that. I generally don’t bother telling friends if they have pet odors, either, and for the same reason you mentioned in your article: they already know, and are doing their best to keep up with it. The few times I have brought it up, the response has been “Yeah, I know. Sorry about that.” If a friend’s house smells too much like their pets — be it dog smell or ferret pee — then we can always meet up for lunch at our favorite restaurant.
Comment by Michelle — June 24, 2009 @ 8:01 pm
We reach a point we call “critical mass”, which occurs right about when the dog hair collects enough to create fur tumbleweeds through the living room. That’s usually about what it takes for us to get the vacuum out, although when things get busy we’ll ignore even a few tumbleweeds. Thank the lord for cement floors!
Comment by Megan — June 24, 2009 @ 8:14 pm
My house is a mess. I have far too much stuff, don’t enjoy cleaning, suck at cleaning and don’t have time for cleaning. There’s cat hair everywhere and there’s disorganized stuff almost everywhere.
But, my house does not smell of animals. I think if it started to smell that would be a sign for me to take some extreme action (like hiring a house keeper.) I’m pretty sensitive to smells though, so it’s a big deal for me. The rest of the mess (cat hair tumbleweeds) doesn’t bother me much at all. And the clutter is being reduced.
Comment by Anlina Sheng — June 24, 2009 @ 8:26 pm
I did take some steps to minimize the agony- like tearing out all the carpet!
Comment by Terry Albert — June 24, 2009
Ha! That’s the first thing I did when I bought this house. All the carpet was pulled up, and either the hardwoods were revealed or I had tile put in.
In the bedroom when I bought the house was WHITE carpet.
White carpet. hahahahahahahahahaha. White carpet.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 24, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
Haha white carpet. I think that’s the method for demarcating a designated puking-zone.
Comment by Anlina Sheng — June 24, 2009 @ 8:45 pm
Amusingly enough, I’ve actually been to Selasphorus’s house and didn’t find it at all animal-y.
We have lots of pets. Three large dogs, five cats (three of which have at least medium length hair), a rabbit, and a multitude of parrots, including two large macaws.
There’s no way to miss the animals in the house, since they’re all over the place, along with their things. However, even strongly non-animal people find nothing objectionable about the housekeeping, and it isn’t at all because we spend any amount of time dealing with it. Most of it is due to choices.
1) Fabric and carpets hold in smells more than anything else. Our house has zero carpet in it, our furniture is all leather (and thus wipe-down-able) or glass and metal (nothing to trap smells there). We don’t even have area rugs on the floor save for a single indoor/outdoor one that can actually be hosed off.
2) Small regular cleaning is easier than big non-regular cleaning. We spend a few minutes every day sweeping the floors, which catches the dust bunnies. General quick tidying before people come over is just sweeping and wiping off the couches and tables, nothing at all strenuous.
3) Choice of cat litter makes a huge difference in smells. We’ve used clumping clay, Swheat Scoop, and finally ended up with pelleted pine litter (like feline pine). The latter takes the least amount of maintenance and almost never smells in any way. It’s also ridiculously cheap. I don’t know that I’d use it for really picky cats, but mine (with a long transitional time) got used to it and use it fine.
4) If you have parrots, a shop vac and hard surface floors is the way to go. :)
Comment by Stephanie — June 24, 2009 @ 8:51 pm
It doesn’t matter how hard I clean - it makes no difference. My house doesn’t smell - my dog is meticulous about going out to do his business and has a door all to himself. My problem is westie, white, dust bunnies. I have vacuumed every inch of the house emptied the canister and put the vacuum (dyson animal) away only to find dust bunnies in spots I just finished vacuuming. Part of the issue is that we have a lot of windows and doors open for the cross ventilation as well as the fans and cooler - it blows the stuff around and it accumulates in ‘hot spots’. The other part is skin allergies and his way of scratching is to pull fur out - thank goodness this only lasts about a month to six weeks.
Comment by cheryl — June 24, 2009 @ 10:12 pm
Febreze candles, a frickkin godsend when in-laws are on the way over.
As a precaution I move the parrot to an attached room that has it’s own ventilation before lighting them.
My house is basically quite clean, but very disorganized. Kids, dogs, a bird, something had to give. :)
Comment by JenniferJ — June 24, 2009 @ 10:26 pm
My house doesn’t really smell, my dogs haven’t had accidents in a while. However, you can in fact find some fur. Mostly, you need to be able to enjoy the company of my dogs while you’re at my home (a 1bd apartment), if you don’t enjoy dogs, then there’s not really a whole lot I can do about it.
On the post: I think it’s just rude to “let someone know” there’s stuff wrong at their house. It would be like wanting to tell someone “hey, did you know your child is extremely ugly”?
Comment by Jorge Guzman — June 24, 2009 @ 10:29 pm
Three cats, one dog, an aquarium, and yes, our house tends to smell of all of them at one time or another. I do my best to keep litter box odors down and I like to keep things basically tidy and well-aired, but that’s about it. And it’s for me, not guests — I have a sensitive nose, so I’m more comfortable when the place doesn’t smell.
I have had visitors, every once in a great while, tell me we had too many pets. I give them the hairy eyeball. I have no idea what to say to folks like that.
I’ve only once mentioned anything to a friend about pet odors, and that was when I dropped by a friend’s house and she turned out to be too sick to clean. So I tucked her in with a hot cup of tea, told her the place stank — which it did — and cleaned and aired it out. The cats thanked me, too, by promptly taking dumps in quick succession.
Comment by Eucritta — June 24, 2009 @ 10:29 pm
I only worry about smell on the hot humid NYC summer days cause, honey, it’s just gonna happen, especially in an old 100+ yo building ;)
But on the serious side, I have my closest friends promised to tell me if it smells like cat or dog. And I ask them and they know I want an honest answer. I don’t mind if it smells a little bit petty, I just don’t want to not realize that maybe it’s really time to steam the throw rug in the front room and/or do mass pet bed washing etc. I work at home also and get busy with deadlines etc. And now in the summers I have the CSA, preserving food for winter etc, on top of my already stretched life. Time flys and those bed washings can be a bit farther apart than I like. The nice thing is, my LL has been in my place often over the past 15yrs, and he’s always remarked about how he can never tell I have pets (he says the same when I see him in the halls, only then it’s about the fact they aren’t overly loud). There was someone who lived below me that apparently had pets at one time and you could smell them into the hallways. I don’t ever want to be that person :)
I doubt I would say anything, not my nature unless I saw a health problem for the people and their pets. Or had a friend who had me on notice to tell them. Yes, all my friends have pets, we all smell a bit petty at times and pet hair? what’s a home without it?! I showed up at my CSA the first morning this year a tad furry, got a welcome hug from one of the members, we laughed about our furry condition and she pulled out her iPhone to show me her cats because she said she remembered me mentioning my pets last season. Works for me :)
Comment by straybaby — June 24, 2009 @ 11:27 pm
Oh, I just remembered. I ran into a neighbor in the hall talking to my LL. He was asking if there was still some old insulation in the building. Apparently, they used to use horsehair back in the day. He was saying how his apt smelled slightly of “horse” when it got warm, lol!~ Now there’s a kicker, they have no pets . . .
Comment by straybaby — June 24, 2009 @ 11:31 pm
Our mud season starts in March, amd it has rained here in Maine for weeks on end. Do you think my house with 4 wet muddy dogs could maybe smell? The rat who belongs to my teenage son who doesn’t clean her cage enough is the worst.
Comment by Nancy Freedman-Smith CPDT — June 25, 2009 @ 3:45 am
My house is usually messy, and probably qualifies for many folks’ definition of “dirty.” (I vacuum about once a month, whether it needs it or not. Ahem.) I don’t cope well with stinkiness, though, so I’m kind of fanatical about cleaning litter boxes and doing whatever I can to make sure my little apartment doesn’t smell like animals live there. So, there’s dog hair on the carpet and furniture and toys all over the place (I cannot believe how much destruction and mayhem two cats can wreak!), and that’s not gonna change, *ever*, but it’s not smelly.
Comment by Shelly — June 25, 2009 @ 4:04 am
2 rats + 2 cats + 2 dogs = nada page in Good Housekeeping …and wouldn’t change it for anything…
Comment by Carol V — June 25, 2009 @ 4:49 am
“Small regular cleaning is easier than big non-regular cleaning.”
Absolutely! With 15+ dogs and 2 cats and a busy farm it seems impossible, but 1-2 minutes running the “hair vac” (light vacumn cleaner bought specifically for that LOL) twice a day to catch the fur bunnies before they breed is essential and not hard at all. Same with the litter box. A few sheets over the couches and not only do you have easy clean space for fur kids, but in one whisk you have clean guest seating.
For the post about the cat house, I *would* say something if I could at all without being hurtful because it’s not healthy for the cats or other pets. If its offensive to a human, can you imagine how awful it for a sensitive nose?
Comment by Wendy — June 25, 2009 @ 5:23 am
I like the smell of dogs and coming home to a house that smells a little bit a warm sleepy dog is nice. Of course I also love the smell of barns so maybe its just a matter of taste.
However my sister has cats and is not obsessive about cleaning out their litterbox. To me it stinks horrifically but she doesn’t notice it. She has commented on the doggy odor in my house. But that is family and its expected to a certain extent. She has also complained that all conversations lead back to dogs but that’s another problem altogether.
Seems like basic ettiquette to know not to tell someone their home doesn’t meet your standards in some way unless asked. Unless they can’t smell — my father has no sense of smell and really has to be told when something stinks!
Comment by Sheyna — June 25, 2009 @ 6:15 am
She has also complained that all conversations lead back to dogs but that’s another problem altogether.
Comment by Sheyna — June 25, 2009
My brother is my best friend. He’s high-school teacher by profession, but his passion is coaching — football and softball. I am interested in football, but to me softball is more boring than watching paint dry. It boils down to: You have a great pitcher and you win, because she strikes everyone out. Otherwise, you lose. Yawn.
For his part, a little “pet talk” goes a long way.
So we pretty much talk about everything but softball or pets. Works pretty well!
And he never says a thing about the house. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 25, 2009 @ 6:23 am
We have 3 Flat-Coats and a black cat. No matter how much we sweep and vacuum, there are always tumbleweeds of black hair wandering through the house. Usually there’s other debris too - Penny loves to shred paper, and Flyer’s Mission In Life is to destroy all cardboard boxes.
We try to clean up, but it never lasts long. Our solution is to only allow other dog-obsessed people into our home.
Comment by Theresa — June 25, 2009 @ 6:28 am
Permanently residing pets = three dogs, two cats.
Transient dogs throughout any given month = up to seven.
Mess factor; endless. All hardwood floors throughout (thank goodness, but they lost their wood ‘sheen’ within days of moving in).
I sweep routinely throughout, I gave up trying to keep up with it on a daily basis. Mud is a real problem in the wet months, so we go through a lot of towels and throw-rugs.
I dust and wash on a PRN basis.
I do a thorough cleaning when the training dogs are at a minimum, around the holidays. A top-to-bottom cleaning that takes a few days and a lot of elbow grease.
The rule of thumb here is that as long as the bathroom area is clean, the kitchen surface areas are scrubbed frequently for the preparation of food and the bedrooms are as dust free as possible to sleep in (upon the recent discovery of my allergies to dust), the only time this place gets cleaned is when I expect guests which is rare.
I bought this place for the critters. Our comfort, although necessary, is secondary.
Comment by Linda Kaim — June 25, 2009 @ 6:41 am
I just had to smile about all the comments!
One of my favorite people to stay with is my SIL who runs a rescue from her home. There are always at least 10 border collies all over the place in various stages of rehab.
I love the noise and the activity and the fun. I’m sure it smells, but I just can’t remember right now.
;-D
Comment by Cathy — June 25, 2009 @ 6:56 am
I don’t *think* my home smells too badly, though with two dogs I am sure it does have a doggy odor to those who do not have dogs. I sure never notice. Dog hair is everywhere. Lint rollers hang by the door (and seldom actually get used). I do vacuum often and wipe up messes, but I am not real good at keeping up with the dusting until the day I look over and realize that my white shelf is more of a gray color… yikes!
Comment by Dani — June 25, 2009 @ 7:03 am
I agree - GREAT comments. I’m going to have my husband read this entire page when he gets home. lol
I’m not that picky about mess (read: MESSY house = ok by me) but I’m a little more sensitive about the smell. Not for me, but for the pets (if I can smell it you KNOW they can). Also, we have a LARGE number of pets and a little smell can quickly become a funk if we’re not on top of it.
We use StinkFree candles and only burn them for a short time in the rooms that contain parrots.
Speaking of parrots, they most certainly make the biggest mess, spread the most poop/food and create the most dust. They also have an odor. Not a bad odor (I don’t think) but an odor nonetheless. You can’t really understand unless you have one or two… or a half dozen.
Regarding the visitors-say-house-smells issue, I have informed my mother that she is to tell me immediately if my house smells. Will I care? Not if its not bad enough for me to notice. BUT, it takes the pressure out of the situation. I know that she will notice it, and that she will want to say something, but won’t. This way, she has permission to deflate. I don’t care, and at least I can then say “let’s go out!” She appreciates it. :O)
Comment by Kim — June 25, 2009 @ 7:31 am
I have one cat and one dog in a moderately sized apartment. My dog doesn’t generally smell very doggie, and I’m pretty fastidious about the litter box (which is easy with just one neat kitty) but boy do I get fur bunnies. To be totally honest, there are sections of carpet in the lesser used corners of the house that have a clearly visible layer of dust and fur. But it doesn’t really bother me. I have very long hair myself, and plenty of my own shedding is involved in those fur bunnies. Plus, I figure my animals’ fur is clean when it’s on the animal, hitting the floor doesn’t make it ‘dirty’.
Comment by Nydia — June 25, 2009 @ 7:38 am
The “housekeeping” stuff bothers me more in the winter when we’re shut in with it and it starts closing in. In the summer, I want to spend my free time with Kasey and my family and friends, and I want to be outside every chance I can get. As the long as the kitchen and bathrooms are sanitary the rest can wait.
Comment by Original Lori — June 25, 2009 @ 7:39 am
I have six cats and a puppy (9 months old). I haven’t done a major clean up since the puppy arrived. In other words – parts of my house smell, mostly like puppy pee, mostly upstairs where there is still carpeting (its expensive to change all the flooring all at once). I tell this to people before they come over. I also tell them that if they don’t like cats, and if they don’t like puppy then we should go to a restaurant for dinner, and that they should stay in a hotel/motel. I warn them that the couch will be vacuumed before they arrive, but that is not guaranteed to be fur free (it’s called FURniture for a reason
Of note: male cats that have not been neutered have HORRIBLE pee smell. Its so strong. So very strong. If you love your cat you neuter him because it reduces his chance of certain diseases and stops pet overpopulation, but if you also love your home you neuter your male cat because it won’t smell as bad! Really. I can always tell when I walk into a house that is owned by an un-neutered male cat vs. Neutered male cats.
On another note: we’ll be steam cleaning and changing the completely peed on carpet to laminate this weekend. The puppy pee smell will soon be gone! Hurrah! He’s potty trained now so all is well.
I also cannot agree more with Linda Kaim’s comment. The kitchen is clean. The bathroom is clean. We pay for the house but really it belongs to our fluffy family members.
Comment by Shauna — June 25, 2009 @ 7:47 am
Whimper re: the kitchen and bathroom. I have many bunnies here (foster + rabbitsitting for a friend who’s away for several months).
Four of them are elderly and/or medically compromised. The bathroom and kitchen are the easiest places to set them up when I need a critical care unit or isolation/observation area. I have barricades and pieces of hay all over the house.
I just don’t answer the door anymore.
Comment by Mary Mary — June 25, 2009 @ 8:29 am
Had a friend tell us our house smelled like pee. She was a good friend and i had asked her if it did (because sometimes, in the beginning stages, you just can’t smell it yourself).
The only difference it made for us was to replace the carpet with wood flooring sooner than we had planned. Problem solved.
Comment by Sarah — June 25, 2009 @ 8:44 am
Like Linda, we selected and bought this house primarily *for* the dogs. Certainly not for guests - though I do not remember the last time we had an overnight guest (other than brother in law) who did not come with at least one dog.
The house had a mix of white carpet and purple velcro carpet when we bought it. We trashed those out and replaced them with bamboo and slate. Lots of cheap rugs. Very few knick-knacks (they’d just be more stuff to not dust). Not much on walls (I’d have to not dust that too). Dog proof furniture and not a lot of it either.
I take a somewhat minimalist view on both home decor and cleaning. The bamboo is beautiful and hard wearing, but very shiny - so it shows *every* paw and bare foot print. However I have discovered that in a day or five they’ll just coalesce to form a sort of ramdom pattern on the floor and then I don’t notice them any more. The slate is wonderful. Bombproof and hides dirt better than a politician hides peccadillos.
Comment by Janeen — June 25, 2009 @ 8:46 am
We try to warn people that dog hair is a condiment at our house and wet dog smell (we live in the Pac Northwest) is considered aromatherapy.
Not sure which is the worse housekeeping season for us. In winter, it seems like my wood floors always need cleaning from the accumulation of wet paw prints (and to be fair, foot prints too!). And the dog hair…ohmigod, the dog hair. When the asthma starts kicking in, I know its time for a serious cleaning!
In the warmer months we pretty much live outside and so we tend to accumulate grass, hay, seeds, doghair, and general forest “duff” everywhere. I keep hoping for a real good cross-breeze that will blow it all out of the house.
Comment by Melinda — June 25, 2009 @ 8:59 am
We actually had a friend tell us our carpet smelled of pee.
We knew we had smelly carpet, but always worked really hard on cleaning it before we had guests over. Hardwood floors were on the agenda, but not for another year.
But we had a friend over (who is an animal person) and she was asking about the dogs, and she was saying things like “do they have lots of accidents out here?” so we would answer, and then we asked- “why, does it smell like pee?” and she said “yeah. I wouldn’t be a good friend if i didn’t tell you”. It was a little embarassing, but we KNEW we had an issue with it (we had just hoped we had cleaned it enough to be passable). But mostly we really appreciated that she told us, because we couldn’t determine how bad the problem was since we were so used to living in it. So we moved the hardwood floors up 8 months and now hoepfully we don’t have a problem.
We also have guinea pigs, and our mom always thinks our house smells like small animals (wood shavings and such) when she comes in, which is wierd since the pigs live on towels, and the entrance is quite far away from their room. She says it’s not unpleasant, she just notices it.
Luckily most of the friends we do have over work at the shelter with me, so can no longer smell animal odors either
Comment by Anne — June 25, 2009 @ 9:06 am
It’s funny. My husband’s nose seems to be very sensitive to the smell of rat pee, but is very insensitive to the odor of cat pee. Hmm, I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that it’s MY job to clean the cage, and HIS job to clean the cat box…
Comment by suzanne — June 25, 2009 @ 9:57 am
Funny you should ask. I’m caught up with work and spending the day scrubbing the place down. We have bamboo floors, so dust bunnies show up instantly. I think if I replace the sofa it will be with something leather (I don’t care if my decorator friend Tamela does have a hissy fit). Back to work.
Comment by Kim Thornton — June 25, 2009 @ 10:05 am
Like Janeen, the only people who actually come here are dog people who are more likely to feel uncomfortable without the sight of hairballs than not.
Like my mom used to say, “If ya don’t like the dirt, take a bit with you when you leave.”
Gawd I loved that woman!
My siblings always encourage me to come visit them, but would never consider coming here.
Ain’t that a cryin’ shame!!!
Comment by Linda Kaim — June 25, 2009 @ 10:11 am
Kim T.;
Don’t bother with spending the money on leather. We bought three beautiful pieces that the dogs have been respectful of, but the CATS seem to think it makes a FINE trampoline. It may be easy to keep as far as hair is concerned, but the scratches are a pain to buff or re-color.
I was smart enough to get insurance with mine. The guys that fix the couch are getting tired of coming out here but I have to admit I certainly got my money’s worth!
Comment by Linda Kaim — June 25, 2009 @ 10:15 am
Getting rid of the wall-to-wall carpeting did the trick for us. I grew up with Persians, so fur all over the place doesn’t bother me, but smell is NASTY. (I think those Persians trained me well! ;-))
Lindsey (cat) still has a few digestive issues that crop up now and then from the pet food recall, but it’s a breeze to clean up, there’s no smell and if the dust bunnies get too bad, I send the Roomba out to capture them!
Comment by Dorene — June 25, 2009 @ 10:20 am
Ick — I don’t like the feel of sitting in leather and the Persians always chewed on it (when I was younger, my fashionista friends would offer the Queen of the Universe their leather purchases — if she didn’t start chewing on it, it WASN’T leather).
There are some lovely washable throws out there now (and good for both kitties and humans to snuggle in — in this house, doggies aren’t allowed on the couch and since Linsdey whaps her good on the nose if she tries, Pepper goes for the love seat instead! ;-)) — get a comfy couch and some pretty, washable throws that you can toss in the washer before visitors come.
Of course, with the humidity we get in Southeastern PA, there is nothing worse than sticking to the couch in summer! :-P
Comment by Dorene — June 25, 2009 @ 10:25 am
I have houseguests right now, also, and if there is one more sniffy “ew, hair” face, I am going to make them camp in the backyard.
Just sayin.
Comment by Cait — June 25, 2009 @ 10:33 am
if there is one more sniffy “ew, hair” face, I am going to make them camp in the backyard.
Just sayin.
Comment by Cait — June 25, 2009
I shouldn’t say this, since my mom is right now in the HOSPITAL recovering from a knee replacement, but she is the absolute QUEEN of the sniffy “ew, hair” face.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 25, 2009 @ 10:54 am
I have allergic friends who have no compunctions about pissing and moaning about how allergic they are to my animals. I had one boyfriend who did that. So, I stayed at his house and he pissed and moaned about his allergies. I said, “You have no pets here!” He pointed out that he was allergic to (insert long list here). I offered him Claritin and he said, “I don’t like how it makes me feel.” I told him I didn’t like how he made me feel and that was pretty much the end of it.
I have a very sensitive nose and have to keep the odor situation down for my benefit. So everyone’s litter gets dealt with promptly. I vacuum weekly with a powerful vacuum cleaner. The furnace has all sorts of filters. I come from working class lace-curtain Irish and we like having the place clean for guests. If I don’t feel like cleaning, I don’t have people over.
Still, I do have some friends who are not diligent about cat pee to the point where I can barely breathe. I sweetly suggest that its a bit stuffy and ask to open the window. I also try to limit my time in their house while visiting. I don’t tell them to clean their houses, much as I’d like to.
Comment by Herself — June 25, 2009 @ 11:00 am
I had a friend visit a few years ago after my husband and I purchased this place.
We shared motor homes, hotel suites and hairbrushes for decades while each of us were actively showing dogs.
She was concerned about the cat hair on the comforter in the spare room where she stayed for a weeks worth of shows in the area.
I was shocked. THIS was a Pod person who had stolen the form of my oldest and dearest friend.
She married a guy who is absolutely phobic about dog hair, which is odd, considering she owns about 17 of them all ranging in hair lengths from Afghans to pointers and a few Terrorists in between.
His solution to the problem was to buy a property with two houses on it. One for the people and one for the dogs.
Must. Be. Nice…..
Comment by Linda Kaim — June 25, 2009 @ 11:00 am
Kim T.—not sure if it happens with real leather (probably not) but we have an inherited imitation leather sectional and every corner has a crack in it from the dog jumping on and off so many times.
Comment by Original Lori — June 25, 2009 @ 11:00 am
NOT an expert on furniture, but I was told for a story once that the higher quality the leather, the more durable and resistant to scratches it is.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 25, 2009 @ 11:05 am
Gina, that is true.
For the most part, leather is also kind of deterrent to cats as a scratching post.
The better pieces also come with warranties.
I bought a five year plan on three pieces, then added a cat.
He didn’t come with the knowledge that leather is a deterrent or all that durable.
Comment by Linda Kaim — June 25, 2009 @ 11:09 am
Wondering if anyone has 1st hand knowledge of the knew bonded leathers with pets. It is part leather, and part plastic and short money. Looks like leather.
Comment by Nancy Freedman-Smith CPDT — June 25, 2009 @ 11:25 am
NOT an expert on furniture, but I was told for a story once that the higher quality the leather, the more durable and resistant to scratches it is.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 25, 2009 @ 11:05 am
….
Well that would explain the cracks in our low quality pleather. :O) But it was FREE!
Comment by Original Lori — June 25, 2009 @ 12:30 pm
I ripped out all carpeting - it’s like a sponge for filth - you can never get it clean (even without critters) best floors for me have been terra cotta tiles - probably spent too much but they’ve sure been worth it. Also for fleas or anything buggie I use diatamacous (?) earth powder (non-poisonous powder from the garden section at Home Depot or any big box store) mix it with baking soda and corn starch (egual parts) it acts as a natural deterrent for fleas - leave the powder mixture on the floor, furniture for a day then vacuum the mess up - learned that one from Doris Day Animal league - only side effect it can make for redness in the eyes of human and animals -
Comment by francis — June 25, 2009 @ 12:40 pm
Our original sofa was slate blue, high quality water buffalo. Held up like a dream for a decade and a half. Then we remodeled and put in a buff colored one that was no of the same quality. No cracks, but the finish is not holding up too well after just 4 years.
next time we’re back to the high quality, high durability expensive stuff. Over fifteen to twenty years, it’s a lot of value!
Comment by JenniferJ — June 25, 2009 @ 12:52 pm
We’ve had a leather recliner for several years now. It doesn’t have any scratches or tears and it doesn’t “show” dirt, but boy is it dirty when I use the leather cleaner on it (Twyla). Of course, the good thing about Twyla is that she doesn’t show dirt either.
Comment by Kim Thornton — June 25, 2009 @ 1:04 pm
I have 4 dogs (3 Rottweilers and 1 Labrador) and 3 cats in the house.
I have a housekeeper (bless her soul) who comes for 3 hours per week, I work 5 and a half days per week, so that means I don’t spend the Saturday afternoon doing housework, so that I can actually have the Sunday off.
I’m pretty sure my house doesn’t smell, and if it did I’d feel like a bad Mum for letting the kids smell :) There’s a world of difference between untidy and actually filthy.
I read (on a selling your house guide)that we actually become accustomed to our ‘normal’ odours, and so they no longer register with us. (the phrase used was ” You may think your puppy stopped stinking at 12 weeks, but it didn’t”).
Absolutely NO to telling the friend that their house smelt, what a cheek !
I don’t like dribbly dogs, couldn’t own one. Just the other day I was at a friend house and her young granddaughter was there, crawling over the carpet and the furniture and DRIBBLING - it grossed me out.. Yet this child’s mother has a Bullmastiff who’s not allowed in the house because she drools. Children also (normally) eat with their finger, then ‘paw’ everything in sight, windows, furniture etc.
(Can you tell I never had kids LOL)
Comment by Alison — June 25, 2009 @ 1:57 pm
Really don’t have any noticeable smell, with 3 kitties, unless they have neglected to cover up their business in the litter pan.
They are good kitties and always use the pan. :)
Comment by Marcy — June 25, 2009 @ 2:04 pm
We’ve got a leather (actually nubuck) couch, chair and ottoman in our living room. Twelve years of dogs and they still look great.
Scratches rub out of nubuck, and if it has a distressed finish like ours does, what doesn’t come out fits right in. It is also remarkably stain resistant and cleanable. A neighbor’s child once completed a detailed piece of artwork on the top of the ottoman - in blue ink pen. Once I could breathe again - I used some ink cleaner I had on it and was pleasantly suprised to see that it came out.
They’ve been drooled on and had coffee and wine spilled on them and are none the worse for wear. Worth every bit of the spendy price tag.
While on the subject *if* you can afford one a very tightly knotted wool Persian rug is also bombproof. We’ve got a large, old bijar (known as the ‘cast iron rug of Persia’) in the living room. Liquids initially bead when spilled (or peed) on it. Its decades old and looks good as new. Every other year or so we send it out for professional hand cleanining, otherwise just clean up spills as they happen. I suspect it will outlive me by a century or more.
Comment by Janeen — June 25, 2009 @ 2:39 pm
I’ll take the smell of ANY pets in a filthy house over a pristine house that stinks of cigarrette smoke anyday. From anal glands to intact male cat pee it is no contest. I grew up with smokers and let me tell you I ALWAYS hated the smell and never adjusted. Bleck!
Comment by Marie — June 25, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
It just occured to me that statisticly the chances are high that some of you might be smokers. I meant no offense. It is just a smell I don’t tolerate well.
Comment by Marie — June 25, 2009 @ 3:41 pm
Smoking is so uncommon here is California that it’s actually a surprise sometimes to run into cigarette smoke.
When I was living in North Fla/South Georgia, though, smoking was (and I’m assuming still is) a lot more common. I actually got used to it and the smell didn’t bother me much. (The smoke didn’t do much for my asthma, however.)
Had to rent a room in Tallahassee for me and a dog once, though, and they gave me a room that smelled of a VERY strong combination of cleaning solutions and cigarette smoke. They refused to give me another room (this was a Red Roof Inn) because they said that the pet rooms and the smokers’ rooms were the same, by policy. (“Why should we have TWO sets of ruined rooms,” the manager informed me.)
I checked out and went to another hotel.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 25, 2009 @ 4:10 pm
Oh … and it probably should be noted that I suspect I don’t have a very good sense of smell overall!
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 25, 2009 @ 4:12 pm
Just sayin’, the rare times I stay at a hotel, we ask for a non-smokin’ room.
As to my housekeeping skills, wasn’t born with any and develop few of them.
However, I do change the kitty litters practically at every wetting and scoop out the heavier stuff at the first sighting of said solid matter. (I am afraid of germs multiplying and causing a trip to the vet.)
Said to say, though, the cats are scratching all my nice upholstery, making my house look like I bought used furniture when in fact I bought it all new. In fact, they are making my house look like a beggar lived here. (I was not born with disciplining skills, either.) :)
Comment by Colorado Transplant — June 25, 2009 @ 4:48 pm
As a real estate agent I have to tell people when their house stinks. Most people don’t realize it. Maybe it’s taken well because it’s part of the overall professional comments on what to do to sell. I’m still amazed by the number of people who don’t scoop litter boxes daily.
My sister and I have promised to tell each other if our houses stink. The Roomba helps me keep up with the fur, which drives me crazy but has to be expected with most pets.
But I haven’t told the neighbor I don’t pet her dogs because they absolutely reek.
Comment by kb — June 25, 2009 @ 7:32 pm
I am a terrible housekeeper. I also subscribe to the better things to do than worry about fur/funk catergory (and cannot afford a housekeeper). That being said I scoop the ferrets litter boxes eveyday (which is the largest source for funk in our house). We have 2 dogs, 2 ferrets, and 1 lovebird. Hair is a fact of life, and I know my place smells like animals, (and garlic/spices since we adore strong flavored food :) ). What 700 sq ft house with that many animals wouldn’t? The worst place in our house is the one area that still has carpet the back hall where our dogs have learned to run and vomit. (No one is advised to come in that door barefoot.) I have hardwood floors and throw rugs and sweep 2 times a week, mop 3-4 times a month and vaccum once a week (it is fruitless to do daily since even with daily vaccuming the place looks just as hairy in one as it does in seven). I would never tell anyone about animal smells in their house. It is a fact of life if you have animals. People who don’t like it are not welcome. I find it exceptionally odd that people feel free to comment on a funky animal smell in my house but I cannot comment about the sticky, grahm cracker and sour milk, mixed with dirty diaper smell most houses with kids smell like. All what you are used to eh?
Comment by Kristy B — June 29, 2009 @ 11:48 am
I met a very nice man a few month’s ago, went out to eat with him, then to visit him awhile.
The minute I walked into his house, I liked to fall flat on my face, when the dog pee smell hit me! I was there aboujt 30 to 45 minute’s, and my eye’s were watering so bad from the smell, I couldn’t stand it anymore, so excused myself and said I had to leave….he had 6 dog’s (some were outside dog’s) that stay in the house all the time, infact they sleep with him in his bed…..he said he has met other women friend’s but was told it ‘s either them or the dog’s…he said he will not get rid of his dog’s…. I walked into his kitchen and there was dog hair all over the counter, on the dish scrubber, in the sink and everywhere else, how disgusting. I made up an excuse to leave, and honestly won’t ever go back.
I feel bad about this because he IS a very nice guy, very easy to get along with…but I could never live in a home that smell’s this bad. (he want’s a serious relationship, but I’m
not that eager to live with someone in a house that’s has wood floor’s penatrated with dog pee. These dog’s are not housebroken, they pee everywhere and he mop’s it up, without lysol or something to take the smell away, and to top it off he doesn’t even rinse the mop…
I’m not the cleanest woman in the world, but I’m Not dirty either. I love a home that smell’s clean…and a clean home. My daughter has 2 small dog’s in the house, but they don’t smell like dog’s, she keep’s them smelling good all the time, their inside dog’s, and have never smelled like pee, much less my daughter’s home. I don’t want to hurt his feeling, but I can not have a serious relationship with this man, infact I think I would have never taken a woman to my home with it smelling this bad! On my way home, I had trouble with my eye’s watering so bad, from the strong smelling pee, and ended up with a bad headache that lasted hour’s.
Should I tell him something, or should I stay quite?
L. Saldana
Comment by L Saldana — July 14, 2009 @ 12:02 am
I love the honesty. I currently have five cats, a big dog, two toddlers (in diapers), and a big smelly construction worker as a husband. Needless to say my inlaws have a problem with the smell of my house. which of course is my fault because technically the cats are mine and the house-work is my job (you know, since i have breasts). My litter boxes, both of them, get cleaned twice a day. It still smells. I love my cats, but i have learned that some people view animals as disposable. I view them as part of my family and family members are not disposable. If, perchance, I did have to get rid of one of them for any reason I would be heartbroken. Their view on the other hand is that they are a burden and keeping them is stupid. Some people just dont get it. My cat never makes me feel like I’m not good enough. She never tells me my two year old should have a hat on, or that my garden needs to be weeded. She gives me love without conditions. That is worth so much more to me than a fresh smelling house. I guess we arent all so privilaged as to have that unconditional love from the people who are supposed to give it to us.
Comment by Mrs.Brandon — July 30, 2009 @ 7:52 pm