9 Hacks for The Ultimate Pet-Friendly Apartment

You may have found the perfect pet-friendly apartment, but that doesn’t guarantee your pets will be apartment-friendly. That’s why we’re offering nine hacks for keeping your apartment cleaner and more relaxed while living with a pet.

Note that finding a pet-friendly apartment isn’t always easy. Moreover, the challenges of pet ownership often don’t end there. Keeping a pet in an apartment can be a headache for a variety of reasons, including apartment damage, noise and droppings.

Still, being a pet owner and responsible apartment renter don’t need to be mutually exclusive. With the following nine pet-owner apartment hacks, you can love your pet, love your apartment, and love your pet in your apartment.

Because dogs and cats are far and beyond the most popular (and high-maintenance) pets, most of these tips will focus on our canine and feline friends. However, we’ll also include a couple tips for bird owners who, while fewer, often find their hands full with noise and bird droppings.

1. Build Your Own Patio Doggy Potty – Does old age or illness prevent your dog from getting up and down the apartment stairs? Perhaps you just want to save yourself from suffering through rain or snow any time your dog needs to go to the bathroom. Either way, a patio doggy potty is the perfect solution.

You can purchase everything you need for this little project for around $20. You can even top it with real grass!

2. Dampen a dish glove for easy pet hair removal – This one’s as easy as it is effective. Simply dampen a rubber glove and run your gloved hand over the hair-covered upholstery.

3. Create your own discreet kitty loo – Nobody wants their cat’s litter box sitting out in the open (give the cat some privacy for crying out loud). Furthermore, if you’re living in a cramped apartment, just finding a place to put it could be difficult.

This do-it-yourself guide shows you how to turn an ordinary cabinet into a concealed kitty litter box that’s easy to access and clean

4. Help your cat escape your apartment with an awesome cat tent – Fun for your cat, easy for you. All you need is an old t-shirt, some wire hangers and a piece of cardboard. Then, craft those materials into a cat tent similar to the one shown below. You can also add in a pillow for extra cushioning.

5. Use baking soda and vinegar to remove “potty” stains – The old school, tride and true method for removing pet stains from carpeting. Here’s how you do it:

Pour enough vinegar to soak the entire stain and then add a small amount of baking soda on top. NOTE: You must add the vinegar and then the baking soda for the solution to lift the stain. You’ll know it’s working when you hear a bubbling, cackling sound.

Then, let the spot sit for a day or two until the solution fully dries (cover the area with a plate or bowl to prevent yourself from accidentally stepping on the stain). Once it’s dry, you can sweep up and vacuum the stain away!

6. Give your dog a scrap-filled “Hol-ee” ball to gnaw on – Do you own a dog that won’t stop tearing apart its chew toys? Maybe it’s even starting to chew on your furniture. With this homemade Hol-ee ball, your dog can rip, tear and unstuff to its heart’s content – without destroying your stuff.

You’ll need a durable activity ball with holes, some cut up fabric and your dog’s favorite treats. Stuff the fabric and treats into the ball, and then, let your dog go to chow town.

7. Velcro down your rugs – Fact: 100 percent of cat owners hate rugs. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch. But we’d be willing to bet that every cat owner hates the way their cat moves the rug when it runs across.

Velcro to the rescue! Lay down some velcro strips to prevent your cat from constantly rearranging your rugs (not that it doesn’t do a great job…).

8. Lay down a bird office mat – Birds poop. A lot. It’s messy, tough to clean, and all around unpleasant. To make cleanup easier, place a piece of cardboard underneath the bird cage.

9. Mimic the sun with direct UV light for better behavior – Birds that are exposed to direct UV light tend to have better health and feather conditions. Furthermore, it improves their mood, helping with behavioral issues such as screaming, plucking and biting – all good things if you want to prevent your birds from annoying the neighbors.

We want your pets to have the best possible relationship with your apartment. These nine pet-friendly apartment hacks can help you (and your neighbors) live in peace with your pet. Seem like too much work? Consider our final hack: Get a beta fish.

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