Does having lots of pets at home automatically mean your house will be smelly and messy? One devoted pet owner proves otherwise. She shared her secrets for maintaining a tidy, odor-free home — even with 13 cats and 3 dogs under one roof.
Her friends are often amazed, asking, "How come there's almost no fur on your clothes? Your home doesn't smell at all!" Her answer lies in consistent cleaning habits and a well-thought-out schedule.
Every Monday, she does a full deep clean. Why Monday? She explains that her community collects garbage on Tuesdays, so she can throw out all the trash right away instead of letting it pile up and smell. During her cleanups, she takes it room by room — bathroom, bedrooms, living room, kitchen, entryway, and even the cat litter area. She starts by wiping surfaces, then moves on to floors.
Nothing escapes her attention — coffee tables, toilet bowls (inside and out), bathtub, top of cabinets, cupboards, walls, and even light switches. For floors, she moves the sofa aside to vacuum and wash underneath, and cleans under the bed about four times a year. The cat litter boxes are cleaned daily, so the entire routine only takes about 1–1.5 hours each week.
Aside from the big Monday cleanup, she wipes small messes whenever she spots them, vacuums every two days, and washes all bedding — hers and the pets' — once a week. Her golden rule? As soon as laundry is dry, she folds or hangs it immediately to avoid pet hair sticking to it.
For those concerned about pet fur, she recommends closed-lid laundry baskets, which help keep lint and fur from spreading. As for fur on clothes, she says not to worry too much — the dryer already removes most of it, and a lint roller can easily take care of the rest.
"I love a clean home, but it's okay if I can't finish everything in one day. Doing even a little bit is worth appreciating. A home should feel lived in — don't stress yourself trying to make it look like a show house."
Her story has inspired many netizens. One called her "a genius" for the Monday cleaning strategy, admitting they used to clean on Saturdays but often skipped it due to weekend plans. Others joked that her entire weekly routine sounded like their workload for a whole week. Another pet owner shared, "I have four cats, so I change litter daily, disinfect the boxes, and wipe the floor while making coffee. Stepping onto a clean floor while sipping that first cup feels amazing."
