This post is sponsored by Swiffer, all opinions are my own.

Many people say that when you bring a new pet into the family, it's like having a new child. After owning 7 dogs in the last 20 years, as well as fostering, adopting and rescuing a plethora (yes, I do mean a plethora) of kittens and cats, I can tell you...that statement is completely valid! While I do have a lovely housekeeper who comes to our home twice a month to help me with deep cleaning, the ONLY way I've been able to maintain a clean and sanitary abode despite the fur babies running amok in our home is with the regular use of Swiffer products! The Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Pet and Sweeper Dry and Wet Pet with Febreze Odor Defense that Trap + Lock are just one more fantastic addition to our cleaning arsenal, and I couldn't be happier that they're specially designed for pet owners! With that in mind, I thought I'd share my 5 Tips For Loving A New Furry Family Member!

5 Tips For Loving A New Furry Family Member

Adopting a new pet is a big decision. Each time Angeline has asked me to bring a new pet home, it's been a struggle to take the plunge. We used to foster kittens for our local Humane Society, and if I were to tell you that we cried each time we had to take a kitten back to be adopted out, we cried...it would not be an exaggeration. We grew so attached to these little fur balls that we had to stop fostering because we ended up adopting TWO kittens one year - bringing out total cat count to four cats.

Over the next few years, we would take the plunge again and again...in 2014, Angeline's vet teacher (she was in a veterinary technician program in her magnet high school) brought in a small Nebelung kitten that she'd found on the side of the road...then Angeline found a tiny kitten in the park that she brought home in 2015. Then it was a tiny chihuahua from the dog rescue shelter where she worked in 2017...

Of course, Angeline is a very responsible pet owner, as she's gone through a zoological middle school program, a veterinary technician high school program and has worked for a dog rescue shelter and now a dog training and boarding facility. But that doesn't mean that the cleaning up is any easier! Swiffer has made our lives so much easier and helped us keep our house clean and tidy, despite all of our pets! The products are so easy to use that Angeline even has her own set of Swiffer products in her room and helps me with the rest of the house throughout the week!

When I received a call about a little dog named Kilo who needed a new home, I talked to Angeline about it, as our little Chi dog Kyrie had been tragically killed in a car accident a few months prior. Neither of us were really over it yet, as she was the light of our lives! But this sweet little dog needed a home, and we agreed to give him a chance. Of course, we immediately fell in love with him...I am so glad that I took the plunge with Kilo, as he's become my new little best furry friend!

Bailey and Toby (our Shelties) and the cats get along with Kilo so well, you'd think they'd all grown up together. Every time they play together, I am reminded of what a great decision we made when we adopted him from his previous owners.

Whether you are thinking of bringing a new pet into your home or if you are just looking for ways to make it easier to keep your home clean with your existing fur ball family members, you don't have to sweat your pet with Swiffer!

5 Tips For Loving A New Furry Family Member

Make sure you have LOTS of toys for your new dog or cat. Remember that puppies and kittens love chewing on things or scratching on things! Invest in a scratching post or cat tree for cats and lots of squeaky or chewy toys for a new puppy! It will make your life easier, as they won't attack your shoes and furniture quite as badly...and if you are lucky, not at all!

Make training a priority with new puppies. If you are bringing home a new cat, make sure they know how to use the litter box and where it is located. Puppies aren't always easy to house break, so I personally suggest teaching them to use puppy training pads as well. This worked well for our family when our dogs were puppies, as both my ex husband and I worked full time and there was no one to let the puppies out to use the potty for long periods of time. Even now that Bailey is 9 and Toby is 8, they still use the training pads when I am away from home or in the middle of the night. It makes life so much easier and it saves you from cleaning up accidents! If there are accidents, you can break out your handy Swiffer Sweeper Dry and Wet Pet with Febreze Odor Defense that Trap + Lock to quickly and effortlessly clean it up.

Socialize your new pets! When we first rescued Hazel, she was only 4 weeks old and very, very skittish around anyone besides my ex husband, Angeline and myself. She is still skittish when people come over, it actually took her months to warm up to one of my best friends who would stop by a few times a week. It's so important to socialize dogs so that they don't develop dog aggression. This is something I kind of knew about, but when Angeline began working with dogs, she explained it in more detail to me. Take your dogs to dog parks, walk them frequently, or even just introduce them to your friends who have doggies! It's even easier if you have other pets, as they can all play together.

Spend LOTS of time loving on your new furry family member! It is important to let them know that they are a part of the family, especially if they are rescues. They may be feeling a sense of rejection, missing their old family, even be afraid that you are going to leave them too. Our new dog Kilo has severe separation anxiety and freaks out every time I leave the house, even though he has Bailey and Toby to keep him company. He gets upset and scratches at the bathroom door every day when I take a shower, it's that bad. Cuddle your pets, play with them - just let them know that they are safe and loved!

Keep the PET mess under control with Swiffer! Swiffer Sweeper Dry and Wet Pet with Febreze Odor Defense that Trap + Lock Refills and Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Pet Refills make cleaning up pet messes and fur and dander a breeze with their trap and lock features and great-smelling Febreze Odor Defense.

AS my dogs run in and out all day, they're constantly tracking in dirt, grass and leaves - all of that is in addition to their fur and dander, and the fur and dander from the dogs. I usually Swiffer every other day, but sometimes do it daily if they're out there rolling around in the grass and dirt. It is SO helpful, especially when you have guests over with allergies.

Now, while all of the Swiffer products, including Swiffer Sweeper, Swiffer WetJet, Swiffer 360 Dusters, are safe for use in households with pets, the Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Pet and Sweeper Dry and Wet Pet with Febreze Odor Defense that Trap + Lock are especially designed and formulated for homes with pets - we all know that a little Febreze goes a long way when it comes to pet odors!

Swiffer offers easy-to-use sweeping, mopping, and dusting cleaning tools for virtually every household surface. They’re quick and help you not sweat your pet so your family can spend less time worrying about the mess and more time playing with your pet.

A few of the traditional Swiffer products that I use on a regular basis:

Swiffer Sweeper: A 2-in-1 hard surface sweeping and mopping tool. The dry cloth has deep ridges and grooves that conform to the surface of your floor to trap and lock dirt, dust, and hair, while the wet cloth dissolves dirt and grime and traps it away giving you an amazing clean.

Swiffer Dusters: With Dust Lock Adhesive™ and 50% more fibers than regular dusters, this amazing all-around design cleans deep into grooves to trap and lock up to 3X more dust than a feather duster.

Swiffer WetJet: All-in-one system that cleans floors thoroughly using cleaning solutions specially formulated to break up and dissolve tough messes.

The Swiffer Pet product line is available at grocery, retail, home improvement and mass merchandise stores nationwide including Target, Walmart, Kroger and now Petco. I actually got my Swiffer Dusters Heavy Duty Pet Refills and Sweeper Dry and Wet Pet with Febreze Odor Defense that Trap + Lock Refills at my local Petco! Talk about convenient! You can find out exactly where to buy these Swiffer products near you here.