Easy tricks to enjoy the woofs without the whiffs

Iam an animal person and if I could get away with sharing our London terraced house with a menagerie to include a couple of donkeys, an alpaca, some fancy hens and perhaps a few pygmy goats, I would. Unfortunately, according to my husband, this is not a practical idea, so for now I will make do with our two dogs, Barney and Gracie, and our cat, Dixie. I don’t want them to think I am settling, because I adore them. Dixie is a first-rate cat, not an alpaca substitute, but you get the idea. But with great pets comes great responsibility, invariably with a side order of extra housekeeping. So here are my tips for inter-species domestic harmony.

STAINS AND ODOURS

Puppies, kittens and even the besttrained dogs and cats when sick, stressed or old have accidents. Act swiftly to remove the stain and – most

importantly – the smell, or they will return to the spot and continue to mark it. Blot up any messes immediately then use an enzyme-based cleaner such as Simple Solution Stain & Odour Remover, £8, or Dr Beckmann Pet Stain & Odour Remover, £5, both from pet shops and online. Clean cat litter trays daily.

If anxiety is the reason for the marking, plug-in pheromone diffusers can help: try Adaptil Home Kit for dogs (£17.75); or Feliway Classic Starter Pack for cats (£18.21), both from fetch.co.uk.

FUR AND FLUFF

Regular vacuuming is essential if you don’t want dust bunnies the size of actual bunnies. My Miele Cats & Dogs vacuum cleaner has served me well for years, and friends say the Shark version is also good (Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner, £300; Shark NZ801UKT Anti Hair Wrap Pet Corded Vacuum Cleaner, £199). For quick clean-ups, mini vacuum cleaners (ie for car use) are great, as are lint rollers. A reader emailed me with a great tip: running a rubber-gloved hand over upholstery quickly removes pet hair.

Regular vacuuming is essential if you don’t want dust bunnies the size of actual bunnies

BEDDING AND BLANKETS

That “doggy” odour can linger in bedding, so make sure you buy beds that are easily washable. I once, like an idiot, bought a dog bed that was spot-clean only; make sure you read the care label. Toss beds and blankets in the machine with a biological detergent.

SCRATCHES

We once rented a summer place when Gracie was very small and her claws still very sharp, unblunted by London pavements. She scratched the bottom of a dark wooden door, and fearful of losing our deposit, I rubbed in dark brown shoe polish, buffed it off and followed up by the tiniest amount of beeswax: good as new, or more correctly, as old.

Get your vet or your groomer to teach you how to clip their claws.

WHAT TO AVOID

There are some common household items which are fine for us but dangerous for our pets. Key things to avoid:

FOODS h Avocados h Chocolate h Cooked bones h Grapes and any dried vine fruits such as raisins and sultanas h Macadamia nuts h Onions and other alliums h Anything with alcohol in it (including much reduced, like gravy) h Anything with the sweetener xylitol – often in peanut butter and baked goods

PLANTS

Many houseplants and cut flowers can be fatal to dogs and cats, so check before you bring anything into your home. Some to look out for are: h Lilies (if the pollen gets on a cat’s fur and is licked off, it can be fatal) h Tulips h Aloe vera h Cyclamen h Devil’s ivy h English ivy h Jade plants

Do you have a question for Debora or a domestic tip to share? Email her at askdebora@ telegraph.co.uk h Peace lilies h Poinsettia h Snake plants h Swiss cheese plants

HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS

Most pets won’t seek out cleaning products to eat, but they may lick them up, get them on their paws and ingest them while grooming, or make a “fun” game of chewing bottles, so be cautious with what you use and what you leave out. So be extra careful with dishwasher tablets, laundry detergent and oven cleaner, or anything with “phenol” on the label – which usually indicates those cleaning products such as Dettol which go cloudy when mixed with water.

If you are cleaning the loo with bleach or use a toilet block, always leave the seat down.

i Pets in harmony: beds that are easily washable will save you from a headache

j Pollen from cut flowers such as lilies, below, can be fatal to cats