Best Cleaning Practices for Homes With Pets

Pets bring companionship and comfort to millions of households, but they also bring allergens. The main culprits aren't hair itself but proteins found in pet dander (tiny skin flakes), saliva, and urine. These particles are small, lightweight, and sticky, so they cling to fabrics, settle into carpets, and stay suspended in the air for long periods.

You can't eliminate pet allergens entirely, but a consistent cleaning routine can dramatically reduce how much of them builds up in your home. Here's where to focus your efforts.

Start With High-Traffic Areas

Allergens concentrate wherever your pet spends the most time. Prioritize these spaces in your cleaning routine:

• Living rooms and family rooms, where pets lounge on floors and furniture.
• Pet sleeping areas, including beds, crates, and favorite napping spots.
• Carpets and rugs, which trap dander deep in their fibers.

Vacuum these areas at least once or twice a week using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, which captures fine particles instead of blowing them back into the air. If you have allergies, consider wearing a mask while vacuuming, or ask a non-allergic household member to handle it.

Clean Fabrics and Upholstery Regularly

Soft surfaces are allergen magnets. Couches, cushions, curtains, and rugs hold onto dander far longer than hard surfaces do.

• Vacuum upholstered furniture weekly using an upholstery attachment.
• Treat carpets and upholstery with an anti-allergen spray to help neutralize allergens that vacuuming leaves behind.
• Wash pet bedding, throw blankets, and removable cushion covers weekly in hot water. Our laundry care products can help remove allergens in the wash.
• Use washable slipcovers or throws on furniture your pet uses often.
• Have carpets deep-cleaned or steam-cleaned periodically.

If you're redecorating, hard flooring and leather or tightly woven fabrics are easier to keep allergen-free than wall-to-wall carpet and plush upholstery.

Don't Overlook Hard Surfaces

Dander settles on tables, shelves, baseboards, and windowsills. Dry dusting tends to stir particles back into the air, so use a damp microfiber cloth to trap them instead. Mopping hard floors after vacuuming picks up whatever the vacuum leaves behind.

Groom Your Pet to Reduce Shedding

The less loose hair and dander your pet carries, the less ends up around your home. Regular brushing removes that material before it spreads.

• Brush your pet outdoors or in one designated area that's easy to clean.
• Bathe your pet as recommended by your veterinarian, since over-bathing can dry out their skin. An anti-allergen pet shampoo can help reduce dander.
• Between baths, a dander-reducing solution like Allerpet/D for dogs or Allerpet/C for cats helps keep allergens in check.
• Wash your hands after handling or grooming your pet.

Keep the Air Clean

Because pet allergens float, air quality matters as much as surface cleaning.

• Replace HVAC filters regularly, and consider higher-efficiency filters rated for fine particles.
• Run a portable HEPA air purifier in the rooms where you and your pet spend the most time, especially the bedroom. Remember to change its replacement filters on schedule.
• Open windows when weather allows to improve ventilation.

Not sure which purifier to choose? See our guide to the best air cleaner for pets.

Create Pet-Free Zones

Keeping pets out of the bedroom gives you a lower-allergen space to rest in for several hours each night. If that isn't realistic, keep pets off the bed and use allergen-proof pillow covers and mattress encasements. For a complete bedroom plan, see How to Reduce Pet Dander in Bedrooms.

Make Cleaning Part of a Bigger Allergy Plan

Cleaning is one piece of managing indoor allergens. It works best alongside good bedding hygiene, proper ventilation, and humidity control, with indoor humidity ideally kept between 30% and 50%. Together, these habits help you enjoy life with your pet in a more comfortable home.

If allergy symptoms persist despite a consistent routine, talk to an allergist. They can confirm what you're reacting to and recommend treatments that make living with pets easier. For more on this, read Can You Keep Pets If You Have Allergies?

Ready to get started? Shop our pet dander control products.