Keeping Your House Dog-Clean While It’s on the Market
The realtor in me wants you to know that houses looking like pets live in them are harder to sell. The veterinarian in me wants you to know that de-petting your house before putting it on the market is totally possible. Follow these tips for freshening up Fido’s environment—and keeping it clean while you sell.
#1 Steam clean everything soft
First things first: Tackle your soft surfaces. This includes rugs and carpet, furniture, and the drapes. Pets rub against drapes, getting oils, odors and fur on the fabric. Make life easier by sending out drapes for professional cleaning.
#2 Steam clean floor grout
Good ol’ tile. Tile resists stains. Grout is the real stinker—it soaks up odors like a sponge. Rent a grout steamer to lift old stains and send smells packing, or hire it done.
#3 Have your pet groomed
Take your fur baby to a groomer before listing the house. Unless you have professional grooming equipment, they can get more hair and dander than you can. Brush your pet regularly (outside) while your house is on the market. Any hair captured in a brush is a hair that’s not on your sofa.
#4 Get an air purifier
To you it smells like home, but others may not appreciate that familiar aroma you’ve come to enjoy. Get an air purifier tower with a HEPA filter. It’ll pull hair and dander out of the air before it even reaches your HVAC. Most air ducts don’t need cleaning, but if your HEPA filter is overwhelmed, call in a duct-cleaning company before putting your house on the market.
#5 Use enzymatic cleaners
Enzymatic do not play. They’re made of beneficial bacteria that literally eat stains and odors. As such, each formula is meant to stamp out a specific type of stain—an enzymatic cleanser that targets urine won't be the same as one for vomit. Apply them liberally to stains, regardless of age, before listing your house.
#6 Delete scratch marks
Toenails leave telltale marks on floors, doors and walls. Paint over marks on doors and walls. Repair scratches on wooden doors with a wood filler pen. Stain scratches in engineered wood flooring with a paint stain pen. For hardwood floors, rub small scratches out with steel wool. Stain with paint stain pen or follow up with mineral spirits, wood filler and polyurethane if needed. If damage to hardwood floors is major, refinishing them is a good investment. It has a 100% ROI!
#7 Absorb odors with charcoal
Charcoal pulls odors out of the air. You can get inconspicuous little bags of it to hang in places your pets love most. Or just stash some charcoal briquettes strategically around the house. Don’t get the ones that are soaked in lighter fluid!
#8 Spot clean furniture daily
Trying to keep your buddy off the sofa probably isn’t worth the effort. Cover your freshly cleaned furniture with throw blankets or pet covers, and wash them at least once a week. Pet smells sink in fast, so vacuum rugs and carpets every day. For quick hair removal before a showing, wipe down the couch while wearing rubber gloves.
