Six Tricks for Living With Pets (and Keeping Your Home Clean)

The stickiness of duct tape makes it perfect for a makeshift pet hair remover, and this method is faster than vacuuming. It also works on seats in vehicles. A sponge or cloth wrapped with duct tape works great for getting into corners. Wrap duct tape around a paint roller cover, sticky side out, then roll the cover over furniture or carpet to pick up pet hair, adding more tape as the surface gets full.

If there's a funky pet smell lurking in your couch or upholstered chair, sprinkle a generous amount of regular baking soda onto the fabric and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. The baking soda helps release odors and break up some light stains in the fabric. After about 20 minutes, remove the baking soda, and the funky smell, with a handheld vacuum or a hose attachment for your large vacuum.

Instead of brushing your pet and then cleaning up the fur with a vacuum, use the vacuum with an upholstery attachment to brush the dog directly. The vacuum sucks up all the loose fur so you don't spend any extra time cleaning afterward.

It's not fancy, but it's a cheap way to keep litter in the litter box where it belongs. Trace an opening on one end of a plastic storage container, then push a sharp razor knife into the plastic and cut out the opening. Pour in the litter and your cat will figure out the rest.

Keep your cats off the couch with aluminum foil. Tear off a piece long enough to cover the top of your couch and set it on the cushions. The feel and sound of the foil drives cats nuts, and they'll immediately jump off.

Protect your doors from your dog's claws with a sheet of plastic. Buy 1/8-inch or thinner Plexiglas at any home center and cut it so it fits just inside the door jambs and is 1 foot higher than the reach of your dog. Most home centers will cut it for you, but you can also cut it yourself with a utility knife and a straightedge, then mount it to the door with 3/4-inch roundhead wood screws.