3 Organizing Tips For Pet Ownership

Pets are wonderful.  They give us unconditional love, are our loyal friends and put a smile on our faces even on the worst of days. With pet ownership comes a whole set of things that we need to have in our homes.

Pet ownership means more “stuff” to store

There’s toys, beds, leashes, food, blankets, medicine, grooming accessories, and the list goes one.  It’s no wonder that as much as we love our pets, they do add a certain amount of clutter and disorder to our homes, sometimes even a sense of chaos.  If you have more than one pet, that sense of disorder and chaos multiplies considerably.

My Tess, a little Schnauzer/Poodle/Maltese mix means the whole to me but there are certainly times when I walk into a room, see pet toys everywhere and realize the impact that pet ownership has on our home. Before even considering getting a pet there are a few things to take into account in terms of the impact and keeping your home organized.

Keep a lint roller at your front door

Tess is a non-shedding breed of dog which is great for us.  However with many cats and dogs the pet hair can definitely be a point of contention, irritating and impact your wardrobe as well.  If you have an animal that sheds you really need to invest in a vacuum specially designed to pick up pet hair.  I also suggest purchasing a great handheld pet hair vacuum for quick and easy clean-ups of furniture.  There’s nothing worse than sitting in your favorite chair with your dark slacks on just before leaving for work or an event and discovering your clothes full of pet hair. This can be very frustrating. A lint brush is also a very effective tool for a quick clean-up of your slacks before you leave the house.  Keeping it at the front door (or any regular exit door of your home) makes it easily accessible and more efficient. If your pet is one that sometimes travels with you in your vehicle, it’s good practice to keep a lint roller in your vehicle as well.

Isolate one shelf for your pet food and accessories

Pet food, snacks and accessories all add to clutter in our homes.  As such, these items all need to have a place to live.  For instance, at our front entry way we keep Tess’ leash, coats and poop bags all in one handy basket so when we leave for a walk everything is all in one place.

Pet food is kept in an air-tight bin stored in our pantry, right beside her treats.  In fact, we are lucky enough to have an entire shelf devoted to pet items, such as food, grooming tools and accessories.  Grooming tools should be kept close to or in the room in which the grooming is performed.  This makes it easier for you to grab the tools you need, perform the task and put them easily away where they belong.  In terms of feeding your pet, there some very creative ways to feed your pet without having food and water bowls all over the floor.  The photo in this blog shows a great way to create a food station in your kitchen using a lower cabinet drawer.

Keep pet medicine separate from the rest

Unfortunately there are times when our pets get sick and require treatment and medicine.  This medicine should be stored separately from where you store first aid and medicine for your family.  Containing any and all pet first aid and medicinal items in a small bin in your kitchen cupboard (out of each of small children) helps to keep these items organized.  The kitchen makes sense as the place for storing these items if this is the space where you would be when you are administering the first aid to your pet.

Caring for your pet while still maintaining the organization in your home requires a certain amount of commitment.  If you find that you are already challenged to keep your space organized and you don’t yet have a pet it may be that bringing one into your home is not the best idea without a plan of action and a commitment to maintain a healthy environment for everyone,