Sometimes all that time spent cleaning – especially when you have kids or pets (or, if you dare to imagine, both kids and pets) – hardly seems worth it. The hours of backbreaking (okay, maybe exaggerating a bit) labor to pick up pet toys, wash and dry the food and water bowls, and vacuum the pet hair/fur from the floor in every room in the house can wear thin with even the most patient among us.
Then, after you prop your feet up on a chair and toast yourself for a job well done, you turn around to find…the same mess you could swear you just cleaned up.
Cleaning may be a never-ending cycle when you have pets, but you can make the job easier for yourself by choosing a pet-friendly vacuum. Here are some tips to help you choose a pet-friendly, effective vacuum:
Consider the price.
Your first consideration is budget. How much can you afford to spend? You may not be able to pay or want to pay for a top of the line pet-friendly vacuum cleaner. And, you shouldn’t have to break the bank. There are plenty of affordable, pet-friendly vacuums out there so be sure to decide how much you want to spend before you head to the store.
Look for a HEPA filter.
A vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter can make your life much easier – and your air much safer to breathe, especially if you have allergies or are bothered by pet dander. Try to find a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter, which will help remove the pet dander from your carpets.
Find a vacuum that has powerful suction.
Sometimes you have to clean up more than just pet hair or fur. You may have to vacuum up the extra food your bird throws on the floor, the hay your rabbit tossed out of his bowl, or spare pieces of cardboard that fell out of your hamster’s cage. Look for a vacuum that has powerful suction that will grab up those tiny pieces of hay, food, and fur.
Check out the nozzles.
Unless you plan to use your vacuum strictly for vacuuming the carpet, you will likely need different size nozzles to allow you to clean your furniture, in small spaces such as under the couch, and in other hard-to-reach areas. Find a pet-friendly vacuum that has a variety of nozzles.
Before you bring your vacuum cleaner home, ask the sales associate if you can test it so you can see the power of the suction and to test the weight to determine if you will be comfortable moving it around your home.
