If you have dog(s)/cat(s)

[Mom-ninja.]

how often do you vacuum?

 

I have to vacuum every single day. Sometimes I vacuum 2x a day. I have a fairly good sized downstairs so it takes me 30 minutes for a quick job and longer for a thorough job.

 

I'm really really hoping that when the weather cools down, my dog and cats will stop blowing out their entire fur coats every hour.

 

And can I just say that hair splinters really hurt. This makes me just a bit more of a cat person.

[bettyandbob]

My dog is mostly no shedding--poodle-bichon mix. I have hard wood floors throughout my house, with some area rugs. I vacuum weekly.

 

ETA I read this as vacuuming only. We sweep/swifter a few times a week. Our dog is an anxious little guy and doesn't like to go out. He goes for walks, but doesn't do extended outdoor play.

[AlmiraGulch]

I vacuum about every other day, and that includes the one couch the dogs are allowed on.   I have to sweep/vacuum/dust mop the hardwoods every day, sometimes more than once.  

 

2 dogs, 2 cats.  

 

 

[weaver_67579]

We vacuum about every other day and Swiffer every day. We have one dog and two cats. The kids cause far more mess on the carpets and floors.

 

Blowing coat in spring and fall is normal, shedding all year in housepets is also not unusual. Some breeds just shed more. Our Dalmatian was a shedding machine. Or German Shorthaired Pointers not much of a problem. Our Beagle mix is not a big shedder, but she is fed a very high quality food and skin and coat is gorgeous. Our elderly cat with Thyroid issues is having shedding problems, but that is normal with thyroid patients. Our other cat doesn't shed unusually much, but she alsogets fed a very high quality food and is generally very healthy. Keeping the skin and coat healthy will help with excessive shedding. Feeding a very high quality diet is important in that. Some breeds are also prone to skin issues and/or allergies that can make the problem worse.

[stephanier.1765]

Last fall we adopted a medium hair cat; our first non short hair. Oh man, the hair is killing me. It covers everything including the computer screen I'm trying to see through right now. I don't vacuum every day but I probably should. I vacuum every other day and use the brush accessory to do a quick dusting on the furniture to help with the regular dusting I do weekly.

 

The hair is so bad that my sheets still come out with cat hair on them. And the fact that it is black hair makes it that much worse.

[zoobie]

We need to vacuum daily, but only in the main living area which does not take that long. We have hardwoods with a big rug in the couch area. I roll that up and vacuum under it and then the carpet pad about every other week. We have two dogs and three cats. I needed to spot vacuum about twice a day when we had our sweetheart 100lb golden. She shed like it was her duty in life, even with brushing! Our small golden doesn't shed nearly as much.

[Ellie]

HA. I have two parakeets who shoot feathers off their bodies the way porcupines shoot their quills. They are WAY worse than my cats and dogs were, lol. And you can't sweep those feathers. You must vacuum.

 

I am seriously considering looking for a home for these birdies!

[Spryte]

Hair splinters.  Oh, yes - they hurt!   :lol:

 

2 dogs here - one sheds, one doesn't.  We do thorough vacuuming weekly (the kind that involves moving furniture and vacuuming under couch cushions), a quickie job once a week in between the thorough job, and daily sweeping.  But we have these amazing air filters on every floor and they suck up a *lot* of hair, so I have help in that area.  We only have one area rug in the house, but still, it shows hair quickly.

 

What we do isn't enough.  We really need to vacuum daily, but I just can't.  And DS can't - he's got asthma and the vacuuming stirs stuff up.  

 

I fantasize about a roomba sometimes.  

[Pawz4me]

I have one very low-to-basically-no shedding dog (Shih Tzu) and one who sheds a lot.  And two senior cats who mostly lay around and sleep all the time and so don't spread a ton of fur around.  I vacuum the kitchen area at least once a day.  The rest of the house gets vacuumed weekly.

 

As already said, a good quality diet can help minimize the shedding.  And brushing really helps.  I try to give the cats and the shedding dog a thorough brushing at least every other day.  Thankfully they all either like or at least tolerate it.  It does take a chunk of time, but it's worth it for my sanity.

[JustEm]

I have 2 dogs. One shed a lot and the other does a normal amount. If I don't brush them at least once a week I have to sweep daily. If I do brush them then I can usually stretch it to every 3 days except in the summer its every other day. Speaking of...I'm going to go brush them jow

[Guest]

Never.  Not once in 9 years.  But to be fair, we are tile only in this house. :)  I sweep at least once a day.  During shedding times it can be 2-3 times a day.

[LostSurprise]

We vacuum 2-3x a week. 1 dog, 1 cat (although we used to have 2 cats). Although the dog has longer hair, I see the cat hair much more often. We need a better brush for him or something. 

 

Also, birds. Finches. Messssy. 

[TammyS]

how often do you vacuum?

 

I have to vacuum every single day. Sometimes I vacuum 2x a day. I have a fairly good sized downstairs so it takes me 30 minutes for a quick job and longer for a thorough job.

 

I'm really really hoping that when the weather cools down, my dog and cats will stop blowing out their entire fur coats every hour.

 

And can I just say that hair splinters really hurt. This makes me just a bit more of a cat person.

 

I have a Great Pyrenees.  Giant hair ball is what she is.

 

But I only vacuum about 1-2x week.  This is because I have tied the dog brush to her leash.  She gets brushed, outdoors, for 1 minute everyday.  This is not a thorough grooming, by any means, but it means that a lot of hair comes out outdoors.

 

I also reach the broom into her crates and sweep hair out of there, which is a big help.  I don't know why she sheds so much in her crate.

 

[MissKNG]

I vacuum often regardless. We recently purchased a Bengal cat and they do not shed. I still vacuum about 2x a week just because I like nicely vacuumed floors!!

[elegantlion]

One cat, one big dog. We vacuum area rugs weekly (including the furniture) and then I sweep the hardwoods about 2-3 times a week. At some points in the year, it's daily. I'm really glad we don't have carpet. 

[Carrie12345]

I need to vacuum daily. But I wind up doing it twice some days and letting it go for a few here and there.  (NOT an effective trade off, lol.)

[Mom-ninja.]

Never.  Not once in 9 years.  But to be fair, we are tile only in this house. :)  I sweep at least once a day.  During shedding times it can be 2-3 times a day.

 

I don't have any carpet downstairs, but I vacuum. I despise sweeping. Hate it. Don't see the point cause then you just have to sweep up the pile of dirt/hair. Besides I find vacuuming pet hair much more efficient. 

 

We also have grooves in our wood and tile floor. Sweeping does nothing except push dirt into the grooves.

 

 

I need to vacuum daily. But I wind up doing it twice some days and letting it go for a few here and there.  (NOT an effective trade off, lol.)

Yes, if I'm lazy and skip a day or so I deeply regret it.

[Mom-ninja.]

All the responses are helping feel better. I was thinking I'm the only one who vacuums every day.

 

My dog is a Lab. Lots of shedding. He is afraid of the brush. I'm not sure what happened to him in the past to make him scared of it. His also afraid of the vacuum. I used to be able to vacuum my other dogs. No chance of that happening with him.

[I talk to the trees]

3 shelties here and a fully carpeted house, except kitchen and baths. Vacuuming should be done daily, but in reality gets done 2-3X a week. All of us have been sick with a rotten old summer cold for the past week or so, so the vacuuming has been put on hold. I fear I will be the one who has to drag herself (and the vacuum) around to keep us from wading though waist-deep hair drifts!

[BrookValley.]

Two short-haired dogs and one short-haired cat and I vacuum at least two times per day downstairs (the main living area). We have all tile and hardwood throughout the house, and it's just crazy the amount of hair I vacuum every day. I also have a crawling baby, so I'm constantly trying to keep up with the areas where he plays most frequently.

[elegantlion]

All the responses are helping feel better. I was thinking I'm the only one who vacuums every day.

 

My dog is a Lab. Lots of shedding. He is afraid of the brush. I'm not sure what happened to him in the past to make him scared of it. His also afraid of the vacuum. I used to be able to vacuum my other dogs. No chance of that happening with him.

 

My lab barks at the vacuum, doesn't mind being brushed, but hates getting a bath. What lab hates water? 

[dirty ethel rackham]

We have a low shedding dog (labradoodle with a partially shedding coat.  We swiffer several times a week and vacuum once a week.  I should do so more often, but there are a lot of things I should do, but don't.  That said, the hair isn't that bad - not as bad as the bathrooms with two long-haired kids. 

[zoobie]

My lab barks at the vacuum, doesn't mind being brushed, but hates getting a bath. What lab hates water?

We have a golden retriever who will neither swim nor fetch. And we have a pool!

[Pawz4me]

I don't have any carpet downstairs, but I vacuum. I despise sweeping. Hate it. Don't see the point cause then you just have to sweep up the pile of dirt/hair. Besides I find vacuuming pet hair much more efficient. 

 

We also have grooves in our wood and tile floor. Sweeping does nothing except push dirt into the grooves.

 

 

Yes, if I'm lazy and skip a day or so I deeply regret it.

 

I'm with you -- I've never liked or understood sweeping.  Sure brooms are inexpensive, but it seems like a terribly inefficient way to "clean" to me.  I feel like I never get up everything, and that what I'm really doing is just creating a lot of dust and putting stuff in the air so it can land on counters and furniture.  Especially pet hair.  Sweeping just seems to make it fly around.

 

All the responses are helping feel better. I was thinking I'm the only one who vacuums every day.

 

My dog is a Lab. Lots of shedding. He is afraid of the brush. I'm not sure what happened to him in the past to make him scared of it. His also afraid of the vacuum. I used to be able to vacuum my other dogs. No chance of that happening with him.

 

Have you ever tried a Zoom Groom?  Lots of dogs who don't like regular brushes will at least tolerate a Zoom Groom, 'cause it's more like a massage than typical brushing.

[Danestress]

I vacuum most days. I don't even think about it - I just do it. Brushing outside helps. I have always had dogs with soft shepherd coats and consider it the price of ownership.

[Lady Florida.]

I have a Great Pyrenees.  Giant hair ball is what she is.

 

But I only vacuum about 1-2x week.  This is because I have tied the dog brush to her leash.  She gets brushed, outdoors, for 1 minute everyday.  This is not a thorough grooming, by any means, but it means that a lot of hair comes out outdoors.

 

 

 

We have a Sheltie and live in Florida. Most rooms are tiled. Two bedrooms and the small living room have carpet. I only vacuum once or twice a week but the dog gets brushed daily. I can always tell if ds didn't brush him due to the amount of hair on the floors. 

 

I also vacuum the reusable A/C filter 1-2 times a week.

[Mom-ninja.]

My lab barks at the vacuum, doesn't mind being brushed, but hates getting a bath. What lab hates water? 

Mine. We've only had him since April and he's two. He is absolutely terrified of the hose. He's afraid of water from a spray bottle. He was afraid of the pool, but my dad and I worked with him and it didn't take long for him to like it. Now, he jumps in the pool uninvited. :lol: But that doesn't transfer to the hose. He's still terrified of it or the sprinkler. It took a while to teach him to drink from the dog water spout outside.

 

He's the first lab I've had that doesn't like water. My other labs loved bath time, the hose, the sprinkler, the shower, etc. My dad is happy he helped this poor pup over his fear of the pool. Now, we just need to figure out how to get him to use his back legs while swimming. :huh: 

 

As I type this a large puff ball of cat hair just wafted by.  

[jewellsmommy]

My dog loses enough fur to a make a whole other dog almost every day. The floors get swept/swiffered every day. The couch gets vacuumed only twice weekly, but needs it everyday. In between I rely on people to remove the fur with their tooshies. It seems to be working thus far. :D

 

I don't notice that much cat fur, except on dh's bench chair in the garage. The tabby leaves a lot of fur there, but the 2 black cats hardly seem to shed.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Mine. We've only had him since April and he's two. He is absolutely terrified of the hose. He's afraid of water from a spray bottle. He was afraid of the pool, but my dad and I worked with him and it didn't take long for him to like it. Now, he jumps in the pool uninvited. :lol: But that doesn't transfer to the hose. He's still terrified of it or the sprinkler. It took a while to teach him to drink from the dog water spout outside.

 

He's the first lab I've had that doesn't like water. My other labs loved bath time, the hose, the sprinkler, the shower, etc. My dad is happy he helped this poor pup over his fear of the pool. Now, we just need to figure out how to get him to use his back legs while swimming. :huh:

 

As I type this a large puff ball of cat hair just wafted by.  

 

My labradoodle is terrified of water in droplet form.  He hates his bath (which is really a shower.)  He makes me cross the street when there are sprinklers.  It took me forever as well to teach him how to drink from the doggie drinking fountain.  It is no picnic trying to push the button continuously while bending over and cupping the water with your hands.  He likes a doggie pool, but only if it is big enough and only if it really hot.  Otherwise, he treats it like a big water bowl. 

[TammyS]

All the responses are helping feel better. I was thinking I'm the only one who vacuums every day.

 

My dog is a Lab. Lots of shedding. He is afraid of the brush. I'm not sure what happened to him in the past to make him scared of it. His also afraid of the vacuum. I used to be able to vacuum my other dogs. No chance of that happening with him.

 

My dh used to vacuum a cat he had when we were first married.  She would hear him turn it on and she would come running!

 

For your dog, there is a mitt type thing you can get at Pet Smart.  It has a rubber palm with short (1/2 inch) nubs on it.  Just put the mitt on and pet him.  It doesn't look or feel like a brush.  It just feels like being petted, but it will grab his shed and pull it out.  They are awesome for short haired shedders.

[Guest]

My lab barks at the vacuum, doesn't mind being brushed, but hates getting a bath. What lab hates water? 

 

Ours, lol.  We acquired him from my parents because he wanted nothing to do with hunting, and hated the water.