Tips for keeping a pet-friendly home clean and odor-free

A pet will fill your home with love, but it will also fill your home with fur, odors and lots of mess.

A recent study by North Carolina State University researchers found that homes with dogs have more bacteria and more types of bacteria in them than homes without dogs, with the pillowcases and TV screens containing the most detectable dog-related microbes.

"Their coats act like big, hairy slippers, and they bring everything from the outside in," said Mikkel Becker, a pug owner and a Seattle-based certified trainer for Vetstreet.com, a veterinary and training website.

But it is possible to have pets without having your home look or smell like it's housing animals as long as you take care to groom your pets efficiently and clean up after them effectively.

Get the right fabric for your couch. Some fabrics are simply going to be easier to clean (and they may even disguise the dirt and fur if you don't have time to clean), said Samantha Lane, operations manager for April Lane's Home Cleaning in Seattle.

If you're planning on letting your pets sit on the furniture, you're going to have fur on there, too. So it's a great idea to think about getting a leather couch or a microfiber couch, which are easier to clean than silk, which stains easily, or velvet, which is a pet-hair magnet, Lane said.

Get rid of the fur. Pet fur everywhere is inevitable, but you can get rid of this easily with the right type of vacuum. Donna Smallin Kuper, certified house cleaning technician at Unclutter.com, said her favorite vacuum for pet hair is the PowerGlide Deluxe Pet Vacuum with Lift-Off Technology.

Spot-clean messes ASAP. Marty Becker, author of 22 books, including "Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul" and "The Healing Power of Pets," said techniques used at a vet hospital to keep clean and odor-free can also be used at home.

Becker, a veterinarian at North Idaho Animal Hospital, said he always spot-cleans messes as soon as they happen, using cloth or a paper towel to get the bulk of the solids or liquids up. After the moisture evaporates somewhat, he suggests using liquid enzymatic cleaner liberally.

Change the litter box often. Cats will not use a dirty litter box, Kuper said. If you have one cat, you need to scoop the litter daily, and if you have two, then it needs to be done twice if they share a box. A covered cat litter box will help reduce unpleasant odors, and will minimize messy fallout from digging and burying action, Kuper said.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 9:32 PM with the headline "Tips for keeping a pet-friendly home clean and odor-free ."