House Cleaning

Goldehwolfeh

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Alright, So, I have 4 cats.
After I have had some personal life issues come up I was going through a lot and lost track of cleaning my entire apartment.

Cats were well fed, and litterbox was always clean. However I let the pet hair and dander build up and I didn’t realize it was built up until my current partner took a nap on my futon and suddenly later that night their allergies started to bother them, I thought my apartment was decently clean this time around after getting to it and I guess I was wrong.
And if I were to move into a 2 bed with this current partner later on with my 4 cats, I would like to know how I can prevent a build up of pet dander and fur.

What are some good vacuums that you guys use? I feel like this would help better with tracked


What are some actual pet safe cleaners I can use for all surfaces and maybe when I go to mop the floors? Usually I swiffer, but for some reason it’s now just smearing the small small particles of cat litter that my broom misses

Are there better air purifiers that can help assist with minor cat allergies?

My cats dislike baths, Is there any types of wipes I can get for them? What are some good brushes for their shedding, especially on long haired cats?

I’ve been doing my best currently to clean every day or every other day atm so my current partner doesn’t have a reaction when they come over, this is mostly to prepare for when we decide to live together. But I could definitely use the advice to start cleaning better at my own place
 

OopsyDaisy

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I agree. Allergies are going to be there no matter what. Meds for your partner and just clean regularly. I clean constantly with dogs and cats. It can get out of hand in just a day. I don't necessarily think that it is what you use, but just staying on top of it. You can use baby wipes on the cats, that's what the vet told me to do. I don't use any special cleaners or air purifiers. Just my 2 cents.
 
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Goldehwolfeh

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So the bad news is that it might not matter how clean you keep your place - it'll still bother your partner. Some just have really sensitive allergies. But, I've found having a good vacuum helps with half the battle. As does allergy meds for the human.
I have off brand allergy meds, I’ll probably get something better and known to work. I am not really good with knowing what vacuums are decent and what are crappy, but I’ll look into that

I agree. Allergies are going to be there no matter what. Meds for your partner and just clean regularly. I clean constantly with dogs and cats. It can get out of hand in just a day. I don't necessarily think that it is what you use, but just staying on top of it. You can use baby wipes on the cats, that's what the vet told me to do. I don't use any special cleaners or air purifiers. Just my 2 cents.
I only have an air purifier because of how bad my allergies were during spring/summer that it assisted a little bit in at least keeping the air semi-clean.
I appreciate the answers c:
 

OopsyDaisy

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I have off brand allergy meds, I’ll probably get something better and known to work. I am not really good with knowing what vacuums are decent and what are crappy, but I’ll look into that
I'm sure it is better than nothing. I lied. I do have a small air purifier in my bedroom. I forgot about that. Yeah, allergies are a huge pain.
 

iPappy

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I love my shark vacuum. I've had several types and all have done a good job and lasted years.
For general cleaning I use vinegar and baking soda. I use young living four thieves cleaner on places and surfaces that need extra TLC.
How much has your partner been at your house? It's possible that the allergies will become less in severity the more time they are there.
 
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Goldehwolfeh

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I love my shark vacuum. I've had several types and all have done a good job and lasted years.
For general cleaning I use vinegar and baking soda. I use young living four thieves cleaner on places and surfaces that need extra TLC.
How much has your partner been at your house? It's possible that the allergies will become less in severity the more time they are there.
Okay so a little about me, I have a bad tendency to not let people over if I haven’t done my daily cleaning or weekly cleaning - My partner has only been over twice because the days they’ve wanted to come over were days I haven’t cleaned yet because work was exhausting etc.

The first time they were fine, their allergies weren’t bothering them and then the second time was when it started to irritate them. They said they should be fine as since they’ll be over more often soon enough, it should become less in severity as you said.

I have heard good things about shark vacuums, maybe I’ll get one of those c: Since I have hard wood flooring, would tracked litter be easier to pick up? When I had carpet at my last place, litter was flying back at me from the vacuum lol
 

iPappy

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Okay so a little about me, I have a bad tendency to not let people over if I haven’t done my daily cleaning or weekly cleaning - My partner has only been over twice because the days they’ve wanted to come over were days I haven’t cleaned yet because work was exhausting etc.

The first time they were fine, their allergies weren’t bothering them and then the second time was when it started to irritate them. They said they should be fine as since they’ll be over more often soon enough, it should become less in severity as you said.

I have heard good things about shark vacuums, maybe I’ll get one of those c: Since I have hard wood flooring, would tracked litter be easier to pick up? When I had carpet at my last place, litter was flying back at me from the vacuum lol
My shark vacuum has a switch for vacuuming rugs, and another switch for vacuuming hard floors. The brush turns off when I flip it to hard floor, and it just has a suction. I haven't noticed litter flying around on carpet or hardwood, but I try to use a regular broom around the litter box first.
Another thing you might like is one of these for mopping if you don't already.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DTYAZO4/?tag=thecatsite
Bissell, Hoover, and Eureka all make good machines, I think mine is a hoover and was under $150. An investment, but I really like mine and mopping is great because it washes, scrubs, AND dries the floors, and I can spot clean rugs with mine too. (I don't use their cleaner exclusively, vinegar water works just fine and doesn't harm the machine, but I do recommend taking the dirty water reservoir out after each use and flushing the bottom part of the machine out with clean water to get any debris or hair out to extend the life of the machine.)
We have a pet business and we've had people who work here that are allergic to cats (we have 4 that live here), and over time the cats bothered them less and less until they weren't bothered by them at all.
 

IronCladLou

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We have three long haired Ragdoll cats and keeping up with the fluff is a daily challenge.

We love the Tineco A11 Hero EX cordless vacuum cleaner. The best thing is that it is very low noise in the standard cleaning mode. The cats don’t seem to mind. Amazon

The Chom Chom roller furniture cleaning brush. Amazon

The Lilly Brush for furniture and cat beds. Amazon

Mister Clean rubber gloves. They do an amazing job with cat hair on surfaces as well. Amazon

The “Ice-cream Bar” clothes brush. Aliexpress

Bona floor cleaning system. Cleaner is safe for pets. Amazon

Better Life All-Purpose spray cleaner. Unscented. Amazon

Fizzion pet stain remover. Amazing. Would not be without it. Amazon

Petkin Big N Thick Oatmal Wipes. Good bum cleaner Amazon

Brushes:
Pethroom Healing Brush
Celemoon purple silicone brush
PetPawJoy small rotatable slicker brush. Any slicker brush with plastic protection balls on the individual bristles.
A good metal comb.
Pink plastic “ shell comb”. Good for hunting small snags.
Our cats like to rotate brushes from time to time. Each brush has a unique feel and hair removal method

Small blunt nosed scissors.

We have two MI air filtration systems running at all times. Amazon

We had bad luck with the Furberator brushes. They are not good for long haired cats with soft fine hair.

Hope this is of some help.
 

iPappy

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We had bad luck with the Furberator brushes. They are not good for long haired cats with soft fine hair.
Did you mean Furminator brush? If so, they are terrible. I've been a pet groomer for 20+ years and I won't use one, ever. They cut the top coat to make it appear there's more shed coat in the brush than there actually is, doing more damage in the long term. Using this tool *lightly* a few times a year will probably do no harm, but using it daily creates a very dull, crappy coat.
 

Alldara

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Both my partner and I have cat allergies and this is what we do:

I use a Eurika Pet Vacuum. I would recommend one with a HEPA filter as that's better for allergies.

We have two vacuums, one small one, which we switched to a HEPA filter on our own (purchased off Amazon) and one Eureka one that has the certified filter. We use the small vacuum to do daily "sweeping".

We bought Swiffer pet wet pads and use those on the floors. I use TerraCycle to recycle the dirty pads, so I always buy the brand name and only the pet ones. I'm unsure if the regular ones have different ingredients.

We both have conditions that mean we don't always have the energy for cleaning, so we found that having the things that allow us to clean more frequently, with less energy is best.

We also have an air purifier on each floor. It has made 200% difference.

Using sheets to protect the furniture and remove to wash, again easier and we can do it as frequently as needed (more in shedding season). Saves having to vacuum the couch as often and can be quick if a guest is coming over to just toss the sheet aside.

We got a 'chom chom' from Amazon for hair off surfaces. It's AMAZING. We use it on the cat trees too.

Allergen protectors for matresses and pillows.

We also brush the cats frequently.

It's not perfect, but it helps.
 

Mini8

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Both my partner and I have cat allergies and this is what we do:

I use a Eurika Pet Vacuum. I would recommend one with a HEPA filter as that's better for allergies.

We have two vacuums, one small one, which we switched to a HEPA filter on our own (purchased off Amazon) and one Eureka one that has the certified filter. We use the small vacuum to do daily "sweeping".

We bought Swiffer pet wet pads and use those on the floors. I use TerraCycle to recycle the dirty pads, so I always buy the brand name and only the pet ones. I'm unsure if the regular ones have different ingredients.

We both have conditions that mean we don't always have the energy for cleaning, so we found that having the things that allow us to clean more frequently, with less energy is best.

We also have an air purifier on each floor. It has made 200% difference.

Using sheets to protect the furniture and remove to wash, again easier and we can do it as frequently as needed (more in shedding season). Saves having to vacuum the couch as often and can be quick if a guest is coming over to just toss the sheet aside.

We got a 'chom chom' from Amazon for hair off surfaces. It's AMAZING. We use it on the cat trees too.

Allergen protectors for matresses and pillows.

We also brush the cats frequently.

It's not perfect, but it helps.
What air purifier do you use?
 

Alldara

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What air purifier do you use?
We have one AeraMax and one plasmawave. Both are great, but I do prefer the Plasmawave mostly for the settings and the built in reusable screen filter that goes on top.

We didn't want anything that was only purchasable on Amazon, so we got them at Staples.
 

Margot Lane

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Do you use these vacuums as a wet vac ever on carpets? Trying to find one that won‘t break the bank for a small carpeted area, and is itself easy to clean afterwards (with parts that don’t break like, after a month).
 

Kflowers

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Whatever vacuum you buy, if you have shoulder length or longer hair, check the beater brush every time you vacuum. You may need to cut your hair off the brush. Embroidery scissors work well for this. If your hair wraps around it, the bar, it will eventually stop turning and not clean and then your belt will burn out and there will be smoke and a really really bad smell.
 

iPappy

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Whatever vacuum you buy, if you have shoulder length or longer hair, check the beater brush every time you vacuum. You may need to cut your hair off the brush. Embroidery scissors work well for this. If your hair wraps around it, the bar, it will eventually stop turning and not clean and then your belt will burn out and there will be smoke and a really really bad smell.
This goes for long haired cats, too!
I recently had my hair trimmed but for the past year it's almost been to my waist. I neglected this part of vacuum care. When Tag was sick, he lost almost all of his hair little by little. I noticed increase hair fall on my part during this (stressful) time. One day, my vacuum wasn't working well. The beater brush was absolutely stuffed with both his hair and mine. I'm lucky I didn't fry the vacuum.
 
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