Can't Live Without Cleaning Products

On a cleanliness scale of 1 to 10, I'd say I'm about a 7 or 8 (1 being a slob, 10 being an anal perfectionist). I WISH I were a 10, if that tells you anything about my preferences. I don't spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning my house, but I do keep things tidy. I probably vacuum about twice a week and sweep the kitchen and dining room floors every other day. Still, the amount of dog hair I find in every nook and cranny of the house does not make me a happy homemaker.

Enter the Pet Hair Magnet!! If it's possible to be in love with a yellow piece of plastic that costs $10 (or only $8 if you use your 20% off coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond), then I am.

I have a Miele, which is a very nice German vacuum cleaner. However, no matter how much I go over the same spot, I can't pick up all the Cabana hairs on the carpet. My poor black jeans are a sure indicator of this fact. The carpet may look clean, since Cabana is the same color as the carpet, but the black jeans tell the truth.

Here is Cabana in front of our Christmas tree, which we just brought home and decorated yesterday. The carpet has been thoroughly vacuumed, to get up all the loose pine needles. The carpet looks pretty clean, right? But wait...



After taking the photo, I was able to get this mound of dog hair out of the 2 sq ft space immediately in front of Cabana. Okay, it's not a huge amount, and some carpet fibers are probably mixed in--but remember that I did just vacuum yesterday. Also, this isn't a spot where Cabana spends a lot of time. There would be more around her dog bed, which is another place where the Pet Hair Magnet would come in handy, as well as in the car. Best of all, there are no refills to buy. It's fast, cheap and easy.

While I'm on a product recommendation jag, I'll tell you about one other product that is AMAZING. It's called the Magic Eraser, by Mr. Clean, available at grocery and hardware stores. This isn't necessarily a pet-related cleaning item, but it's just too fabulous not to mention.

You get two sponges in a package. They are made of melamine foam, and I don't think there is anything added to them (no chemical or cleaning agent). The melamine foam itself is the active ingredient. Take a pair of scissors and cut each sponge into 4 pieces (you don't need to use the whole big thing at once). You wet the sponge and use it to wipe away all those stains that nothing else seems to get rid of. I had a few marks on my walls that I had tried to clean before, but they wouldn't go away. A few wipes with the Magic Eraser, and they are gone. There's also a bathroom cleaning version, which is fantastic, too. Think stocking stuffers, people!