How I keep a clean home… with an Australian cattle dog
I keep a tidy, minimalist house. I also keep an Australian cattle dog.
Those two things do not go hand in hand 😂
Scout has helped me loosen—and grow—up about a lot of things. I’m more aware of my priorities and less preoccupied with trivial details since bringing her into my life! Still, though, I care about my space being clean. “Outer order inner peace” is a phrase I live by… and I just don’t function at my best amongst dirt and dust and clutter.
Here’s how we keep the inevitable pet ownership messes at bay.
Step one: Keep my dog relatively clean
Scout gets rinsed regularly
I try to be conscious of letting Scout “smell like a dog” as much as possible. Her primary way to experience the world is through her nose—I don’t want to continually wipe her natural scent and replace it with something artificial! Because she processes smells at least 10,000 times better than I do, what seems like a gentle odor to me might actually come across harsh to her.
I also want to avoid drying out her skin. Too much soap can strip her natural oils and cause irritation. (And the Florida heat + humidity swings provide enough of a challenge in that regard on their own.)
We usually opt for a plain rinse after our outings. The water pressure from our outdoor hose or removable shower head typically removes most mud, sand, and plant matter.
We occasionally bathe her with shampoo
We do occasionally give Scout a full bath. We might actually bathe her more than the average dog owner—sometimes we just can’t avoid it! I often feel like Shrek living in a swamp.
I love the Healer Dog Shampoo bar from Legendary Canine to wash our cattle dog’s coat. It’s gentle and designed for sensitive skin, so I don’t have to worry too much even if we’re bathing her as often as once a month. Plus it smells like lavender (one of my all-time favorite smells). Win-win!
Sometimes we use a deodorizing spray
When a full shampoo bath seems like overkill but I find myself wrinkling my nose at Scout’s scent when we snuggle, we lightly spray her with a natural fur deodorizer from Legendary Canine. It has a pleasant woody aroma that’s reactivated every time she gets wet, so it’s especially perfect after beach trips.
And while Legendary Canine does not market their Fur Fresh as a pesticide, there’s decent evidence that its essential oils (lavender and lemongrass) can repel mosquitos and ticks. Since bugs are insane around us, I’m always open to extra help on that front!
Brushing minimizes clumps of fur
While Scout isn’t a long-haired dog with intense grooming needs—heelers are typically known as a “wash and wear” breed—we still benefit from regular brushing. She has a thin double coat that gets especially thick around her tail.
In the summer, we try to brush her about two times a week. In the winter, we’re able to get away with greater intervals (sometimes even two or three weeks if I’m particularly lazy). We’ve had success with both a slicker brush and classic dog comb.
Step two: Maintain a frequent tidying up routine
I’m always wiping down surfaces
On average, I dust our living room surfaces one to two times a day. Sean says I do it too much, and he might have a point… but I’ve found it’s one of the best ways to make myself feel like the space is cleaner. Just a quick three-minute wipe down and things seem more in order!
I usually use a soft fabric towel and some natural all-purpose cleaner. When in a pinch, plain water does the trick too.
I’ve discovered dog hair removal tools
No matter how routinely we brush Scout, every couch snuggle session leaves behind a healthy spread of dog fur. For a long time I just vacuumed it up periodically. That worked well enough despite being a little inconvenient—but within the past few months I’ve been exposed to tools created specifically to remove dog hair from fabrics.
While these little gadgets aren’t strictly necessary to keep a reasonably clean home, it’s safe to say I’m obsessed. Just look! The below picture was after about three swipes down the couch surface.
You can take a look at Uproot Clean’s products here and use code paws&reflect10 for a discount if you’d like. We also have a Lilly Brush and love it for more fragile things like soft t shirts!
My vacuum is my best friend
I typically vacuum at least once every other day. That sounds like a lot—and sometimes it feels that way—but most often it’s just a cursory touch up of high traffic areas. I’ve learned to embrace “good enough”.
One of my favorite things about having a small house is that I only have to move the vacuum cord once to get through every room. And if I’m only focusing on a few spots (like the front entryway leading to the bathroom tub after we track sand in from the beach) I can get away without moving it at all!
We’ve considered a robot vacuum off and on but decided the investment wasn’t personally worth it. I don’t mind vacuuming by hand (it’s actually a pretty reliable quick mood booster for me) and we’re embarking on full-time van life in less than a year anyway.
Deodorizing sprays are great for furniture, too
I also use the same Legendary Canine deodorizing spray we got for Scout’s fur on our couch, blankets, and rugs as well. The combination of an old house (our home was originally built in the 1950’s) plus Florida’s humid weather plus being an active family means it doesn’t take long for things to get smelly… even with regular cleaning.
It’s nice to have a natural way to touch things up between laundry days!
We deep clean at least once a week
Beyond my more-frequent touch ups, we also deep clean our whole house at least once a week. I’d say I usually make it five to six days before I feel like another overhaul is in order.
Dust the surfaces in every room
Thoroughly scrub both bathrooms
Wipe each door handle (including fridge and microwave)
Wash everyone’s bedding (Scout’s too)
Vacuum and mop the floors
Scrub the couch cushions
Step three: Simply accept my fate
I’ve also had to embrace the fact that life with a dog will never be as clean as life without one—but life without one would never be as full.
At the end of the day: I keep a tidy home, and I keep a heeler. But I care about keeping one of those things a lot more than the other.