What Does A Spring Cleaning Include? The Pet Parent Edition

TL;DR: A spring cleaning with pets covers the usual top-to-bottom deep clean plus the stuff pets add: bedding, crates, bowls, toys, old accident spots, hair and lingering odor. The fastest way to cover it is four Skout's Honor products: Laundry Booster for bedding and blankets, Stain & Odor Remover for carpet and upholstery, Urine Destroyer for old pee spots, and Odor Eliminator for beds, couches and crates. All four are plant-powered and safe around pets when used as directed. Add a brush-out and a bath for shedding season, wash bowls after every meal, and let everything dry before your pet moves back in. This checklist works for any deep clean, spring or fall.

What does a spring cleaning include for pet parents?

A pet-parent spring cleaning includes everything on a standard deep clean, plus every surface your dog or cat sleeps on, eats from, sheds on or has an accident on. Skout's Honor has a product for each of those jobs, so you can work room by room without a cabinet full of single-use sprays.

The numbers behind the checklist:

• Weekly: how often the American Kennel Club recommends washing your dog's bedding
• Every 2 to 3 weeks: the EPA's advice for deep cleaning dog beds to help control fleas, as cited by the AKC
• After each use: how often the FDA says to wash pet food bowls and scoops, with soap and hot water
• Less than 5% of 417 dog owners in a 2022 North Carolina State University study published in PLOS ONE knew the FDA's pet food handling guidelines existed (AARP)

How do I deep clean my house with pets?

Deep clean a pet home from the top down: hair and dust fall, so fans and shelves come first and floors come last. Wash bedding with Skout's Honor Laundry Booster while you work, then spot clean carpet and upholstery with Stain & Odor Remover.

1. Strip the soft stuff. Pull pet beds, covers, blankets and throws, and start the first load.
2. Vacuum everything fabric. Couch cushions (flip them; everyone thinks the couch is fine until they flip the cushion), under furniture, along baseboards.
3. Hunt down old spots. Saturate each one and a 1 to 2 inch border with Stain & Odor Remover or Urine Destroyer, wait 5 minutes, then blot up the excess.
4. Clean pet zones. Crates, bowls, toys and the litter box area.
5. Floors last. Vacuum, then mop hard floors.
6. Air it out. Open windows, let every surface dry, then let your pet back in.

Your dog will supervise the whole thing, usually from the one spot you are trying to vacuum.

How often should you wash pet bedding?

Wash your pet's bedding once a week, which is what the AKC recommends, and give beds a full deep clean every few weeks. Skout's Honor Laundry Booster goes in with your regular detergent and breaks down pet stains and odors (urine, feces, mud) at the source.

• Add 1 to 2 oz per load, in the bleach reservoir or straight into the basket on a top loader
• Works in any water temperature and is compatible with HE washers
• Up to 32 loads per bottle
• For a set-in stain, saturate the spot, rub gently and let it sit 5 minutes before washing
• Skip wool and leather

Vacuum the bed before it goes in the wash, and dry it completely before it goes back on the floor. Expect it to be claimed within minutes.

How do you get pet smells out of the house for good?

Pet smells stick around because odor sits in soft surfaces and old accident spots, not in the air. Skout's Honor Odor Eliminator breaks down odor molecules on contact on beds, couches, carpet, car seats and crates, without a cover-up scent. For urine, Urine Destroyer works on old and new stains on carpet, rugs, tile, laminate and upholstery.

• For fabric, saturate, wait about 5 minutes, then wash as usual
• For cat pee, use Cat Urine & Odor Destroyer
• Apply in a well-ventilated area and spot test natural materials first

More on the day-to-day side: how to keep an odor-free home with dogs and how to own cats without smelling like one.

Odor Eliminator, Stain & Odor Remover, Urine Destroyer or Laundry Booster: which do I need?

Most homes need two: Laundry Booster for anything that goes in the washer, and either Stain & Odor Remover or Urine Destroyer for spots. Add Odor Eliminator when the problem is a smell with no visible stain.

All four are plant-powered and meet California Green Chemistry standards, and the three spot and laundry formulas are enzyme-free.

Are cleaning products safe for pets?

Most are, if you follow the label. The ASPCA says "most cleaning products are safe to use around dogs and cats as long as they are used per labeled directions." Skout's Honor's cleaning line is plant-based and safe around pets when used as directed.

• Household products were the 8th most common pet toxin in 2024, at 6.5% of exposures, out of more than 451,000 calls to ASPCA Animal Poison Control
• Undiluted bleach can injure the mouth and esophagus if swallowed; if you use diluted bleach on toys or kennels, rinse thoroughly and let the smell clear first (ASPCA)
• Birds are extremely sensitive to fumes, so ask your vet before cleaning around them

If you think your pet swallowed a cleaning product, call your vet or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435.

How do you handle shedding season?

Brush more and bathe on a schedule. The AKC says the heaviest shedding usually happens in spring and fall, and heavy shedders may need brushing several times a week or daily during peak periods. A bath with Skout's Honor Probiotic Shampoo + Conditioner gently cleans and moisturizes the skin and coat and helps loosen what the brush missed.

• Healthy dogs do well with a bath every 2 to 4 weeks
• For cats, use Cat Probiotic Shampoo + Conditioner Fragrance Free
• Keep HydroClear Grooming Wipes by the door for muddy paws

You will still find hair on your black pants by Thursday. Less of it, though.

How often should you clean pet bowls, toys and crates?

Wash food bowls after every meal: the FDA says to wash pet food bowls and scoops with soap and hot water after each use. Toys and crates can go on your deep-clean schedule, finished with a spray of Skout's Honor Odor Eliminator once they are dry.

How do you know your deep clean actually worked?

Our take: the only test that counts is your nose after time away. You stop noticing your own home's smell within minutes, so judge the result when you walk back in, not while you are holding the spray bottle. Run this check after any deep clean:

1. Leave the house for at least 30 minutes.
2. Walk in the front door and note the first thing you smell.
3. Sniff at pet height in four spots: the pet bed, the couch, the rug by the back door, and the crate or litter area.
4. Any spot that still smells gets a second round of Urine Destroyer or Odor Eliminator.
5. Repeat the check a day later. Some odors come back as a spot fully dries.

If a spot keeps coming back after two rounds, the odor may be in the carpet pad or subfloor, which is a repair job, not a spray job.

FAQ

Can I use Skout's Honor cleaners on hardwood floors?

Yes, if the hardwood is sealed with a water-safe sealant. Skip unsealed or untreated wood, and test a small, hidden area first.

Do Skout's Honor cleaners use enzymes?

No. They use plant-based Bio-Kore and a mineral-based Molecular Deodorizer, so there is no waiting on enzymes and no pretreatment.

Is a spring cleaning only for spring?

No. The AKC notes shedding usually peaks in both spring and fall, so this checklist works as a fall reset too, or any time the house needs one.

Bottom line: Wash the bedding, find the old spots, brush the coat, open a window. Laundry Booster, Urine Destroyer and Odor Eliminator handle most of it.

Sources

• Gemma Johnstone, "How to Clean a Dog Bed," American Kennel Club, updated March 16, 2026
• AKC Staff, "Dog Shedding: What to Expect and How to Manage It," American Kennel Club, updated August 5, 2026
• "Tips for Safe Handling of Pet Food and Treats," U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Peter Urban, report on the 2022 NC State PLOS ONE pet food handling study, AARP, updated July 28, 2023
• "Poisonous Household Products," ASPCA Animal Poison Control
• "The Official Top 10 Toxins of 2024," ASPCA