Many pet owners will cite pet hair and shedding as the biggest problem they face each day, but there is another, less-visible substance that our dogs leave all over our homes that can be just as irritating and damaging to health. Pet dander consists of the particles left behind from an animal’s coat – the skin cells, proteins, dust mites and other debris that gets brushed out. This dander is difficult to get rid of and can cause allergic reactions but, with the right approach to cleaning and some simple tricks for treating the animal’s coat, these annoying particles and allergens can be dealt with.
Dealing With Dog Dander in the Home
Cleaning up after a pet can sometimes feel like a never-ending process. If the floors are clean from food spills and muddy paw prints, you will soon find that there is pet hair over the sofa and dander covering many surfaces. Cleaning dander requires patience and determination to keep these allergens at bay – your dog or cat will continue to shed these particles no matter what, so it pays to simply keep on top of it.
Dusting the counters and skirting boards won’t do because it will just recirculate the dust and dead cells back into the atmosphere. The best approach is to use a damp cloth to trap the dander or some specially designed adhesive cloths and brushes. You may think that a pet hair vacuum is only designed to deal with the hair, but the special tools included can help with dander too. A strong motorized brush can attack upholstery while the HEPA filters inside inhibit the release of those allergens. If these tools and consistent efforts don’t seem to be doing enough for a thorough clean, it may be time to machine wash any curtains and removable cushion covers and shampoo the carpets.
Dealing with Dog Dander at the Source
If prevention is always better than the cure, many pet owners would argue that it makes more sense to treat dander by treating the animal, rather than cleaning up after them. Keeping your pets away from the furniture and out of the bedroom is a great start, but this can be difficult to enforce and the dander can easily spread.
The best approach for patient owners is regular grooming in a controlled environment. The more dander that is carefully brushed out of fur and disposed of, the less there will be on the carpet or sofa A practical, popular solution is to use an anti-allergen shampoo when bathing the animal. There are specialist pet shampoos for this problem that can rinse away a significant amount of the problem. Remember to use warm water rather than hot water to prevent the skin from getting too dry and flaky. There are also anti-allergen sprays that can be prescribed by veterinarians.
It is all About Small Consistent Efforts with Pet Dander
Simply put, if you want to enjoy the constant companionship of your dog or cat, you will have to put up with the issue of pet dander in the home. The trick is to treat the problem regularly with small, simple methods, rather than resort to cleaning and shampooing the whole house once a month. Regular brushing and bathing with the right product should reduce the amount of dander shed across the home. From there, regular cleaning and a few specialized tools should keep the worst of it off of the furniture.
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