4 Easy Ways to Keep Your Couch Clean With Dogs

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Having dogs as pets can be a happy experience. They say that dogs are among the most affectionate pets that you can own.

So many people love dogs because they’re cute, cuddly, loyal, and a lot of fun to interact with. They can also be rather messy, though.

This is a problem when it comes to keeping your home clean. It can also be an issue when you have a nice couch.

You might have a really nice couch that you want to keep in good shape. If you pay thousands of dollars for a nice couch, it makes sense that you wouldn’t want it to get ruined by your pets.

How can you keep the couch clean when you have dogs, though? Keep reading to learn about your options so that you can decide what to do.

1 – Train Your Dog Not to Get on the Couch

One of the most common steps that people take involves training. You can train dogs not to do certain things.

It does take a bit of time and effort to train dogs not to get on the furniture. Typically, it’s best to start training dogs not to get on furniture when they’re puppies.

If you really don’t want your couch to get dirty, this is a great idea. You can buy a little dog bed and place it near the couch so that your dog can still sit near where you’re at.

The dog won’t shed and get the couch dirty because it won’t actually be on the couch. You won’t have to worry about the dog puncturing the couch with its nails either.

The only problem with this idea is that some people like allowing their dogs to sit on the couch with them. If you’re someone who wants your dog to sit on the couch, this idea isn’t going to be of much use to you.

Simply understand that training your dog not to get on the couch is an option that you can pursue. You do have other things that you can do to protect the couch as well, though.

2 – Use a Couch Cover

Using a couch cover is another excellent idea that can protect your couch from pets. This will do a good job of keeping the couch safe from both cats and dogs.

Couch covers are fabric covers that are made out of different materials. You can find many different types of couch covers when shopping.

They’re sold at department stores and it’s easy to find a large selection online when shopping at popular sites. Buying a couch cover will give you a chance to cover the couch so that it will never be truly touched by your pets.

The couch cover should cover the couch completely. None of the fabric or leather will be exposed when you put the couch cover on.

Many people choose to buy multiple couch covers. When one of the couch covers gets dirty, you can simply replace it with another one and then wash the dirty couch cover.

This is a fairly elegant solution that will keep your couch looking nice for years to come. There is a downside to this, though.

A couch cover will deprive you of enjoying the natural look of your couch. Also, some people find that couch covers negatively impact the comfort level of the couch.

Sometimes couch covers will shift out of place when you move around. This might cause them to bunch up.

Also, the couch cover likely won’t look as good as the couch would if it didn’t have a cover. Even so, there are some neat couch covers out there to consider.

Some of them have very nice designs that you might think will look great in your living room. This idea is well worth considering even if it won’t appeal to everyone.

3 – Brush Your Dog’s Fur

Brushing your dog’s fur is wise when you want to prevent issues with shedding. Dogs are going to shed no matter what you do, but some dogs are worse than others.

Dogs that have long strands of fur are going to shed a lot more during the spring and summer months. This can be a huge problem because all of the excess fur is going to get on your couch.

If you take the time to brush your dog, you’ll be able to remove a lot of the fur that way. You can then get rid of the fur as you’re brushing the dog.

For many dogs, this will be a pleasant experience. It can be a lot like spending time petting your dog.

There are even gloves that you can wear that are made out of special materials. These gloves act as a brush and allow you to mimic natural petting motions instead of using a traditional pet brush.

It’s wise to brush the dog every so often to keep shedding issues under control. If you take the time to do this it’ll be so much easier to keep the couch clean.

This should help you to avoid having a nasty couch that is full of matted dog fur. It’ll ensure that your couch will smell a lot nicer, too.

4 – Keep Your Dog’s Nails Trimmed

If you don’t trim your dog’s nails, it’s going to be hard to protect your couch. The dog’s nails won’t necessarily make the couch dirty, but they will potentially puncture the couch.

Long and sharp nails can tear through the fabric rather easily. This is why keeping the nails trimmed is imperative.

You should trim your dog’s nails when they start to get too long. Trimming the nails will make it less likely that the dog will harm the couch when it tries to sit on it.

Sometimes trimming a dog’s nails will be a bit of a rough process. Not all dogs react well to this, but you don’t necessarily have to do this yourself.

Many people take their pets to dog groomers. You can have your dog’s nails trimmed by professionals if you’d rather go that route.

Veterinarians will often trim the nails when the dogs go in for regular checkups, too. So that could be an option to look into.

Of course, you can simply do this yourself at home as well. You can buy the necessary dog nail trimming tool and do your best to keep your dog calm during the process.

This is going to be especially important if you have a leather or faux-leather couch. Couches made out of those materials can easily be punctured by sharp dog nails.

Tips for Cleaning the Couch

No matter what you do, the couch is going to get a little dirty if you allow the dog to sit on it with you. This is especially true if you don’t opt to use a couch cover.

So you’re going to need to clean it from time to time. If you don’t, it’ll get really dirty and it might even get stinky.

Thankfully, cleaning the couch won’t be that hard. If you’re following the advice above about brushing your dog’s hair and trimming its nails, things won’t be that bad at all.

There will still likely be some matted hair that you’ll have to deal with, though. Getting rid of pet hair on the couch should be approached in a few different ways.

You can try using lint rollers to remove pet hair. Go over the surface of the couch with the lint roller to try to remove as much pet hair as you can.

This should be good for getting rid of other things that might be stuck to the couch, too. After you’re done, you should go over the couch with a vacuum cleaner.

Some people use handheld vacuum cleaners to get the job done. Just make sure that you’re using a vacuum that is meant to be used on fabric.

If you have a leather couch, this isn’t going to work so well. You might need to carefully wipe the couch down to get rid of dirty spots or stains.

It’s important to treat leather couches to protect them and keep them from drying out. So that will be part of the process as well.

Keep up with cleaning your couch so it never gets too bad. No matter what type of couch you have, it’s wise to give it a fairly thorough cleaning once per week when you have pets.

Use Odor-Neutralizing Sprays

If you’re worried about the couch smelling, it’s good to use odor-neutralizing sprays. These sprays can help you to get rid of strong odors and keep your couch smelling nice.

You can easily get sprays like this at department stores. They aren’t too costly and they do a good job of helping your couch to smell fresh.

It’s also wise to give your dog regular baths. This will keep it from getting too dirty, and it won’t smell quite as bad.

Use pet shampoo that is recommended by veterinarians. If you need advice, be sure to ask your veterinarian about what they recommend so you can have a smooth experience.

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