As far as we’re concerned, there are few things more important in life than getting your first pet. Handled properly, it’s an event that focuses on the entire family and their responsibilities. The new dog or cat (or other species) “technically” belongs to the entire family, but if you’re like I was when I was younger (or any other child at that age), you know in your heart that the newest four-legged friend is all yours.
It’s an experience that every child in the world should look back on with fond memories. Sadly, according to the second annual Swiffer Cleaning Index, while 93% of American parents feel that having a pet is one of the most rewarding experiences a child can have, 75% of those parents agree that concerns over pet-related messes could prevent them from getting one.
That’s why we’re talking about ways that you can keep your home spotless (and make cleaning so fun your kids will help)
This year, we’re working with Swiffer® to show every parent how easy it is to keep their home clean, even if they have a pet. We don’t want any child to miss out on the opportunity to live with, care for, and bond with an animal – the experience is THAT important!
[note style=”5″ icon=”yes”]This post is sponsored by Swiffer® and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am helping spread the word about Swiffer but PetsWeekly only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Swiffer is not responsible for the content of this article. [/note]This holiday season, Swiffer teamed up with Bark & Co to help more families experience the ease of pet adoption and teach them that they can have more time for playing with their pets rather than cleaning up after them.
The two companies are providing 10,000 Welcome Home Kits to participating shelters across the country and Swiffer is making a $50,000 donation to support the needs of these shelters this holiday season!
Last month, we took a look at what’s included in this fun new Welcome Home Kit from Barkbox and Swiffer. The kit includes:
- Welcome Home Guide: This adorable welcome guide is created by an educator and its designed to help your kids welcome a new pet into your home. The book details responsibilities and expectations for any age group.
- Swiffer Duster™ and Refill
- Coupon for a Swiffer Sweeper™
- Coupon for Free Febreeze Freshener
- Toy
- Treats
- Chews
This month, we’re showing you how much fun kids can have while learning responsible behavior and things like “chore charts”!
We received two BarkBox kits to help get the message out about easy cleaning (especially when you have kids and pets)! We gave our second Swiffer Welcome Home Kit to my sister and her family to show her kids how much fun cleaning can be. The kids took to it right away!
They even brought their dog, my beloved Cody (who you can read about in Cody Is My Sister’s Dog), into the game by dusting her!
Fortunately, Cody is a very good-natured pup!
Now that Cody has reached old age (she’ll be 14 years old soon!), my sister and her husband have thought about whether they want to add another pup after she’s gone. The kids are very intent that they will. The parents, well, not so much. And I get it. Raising a family is tough enough without adding a pet. But it’s so important to the growth of kids that I am doing my best to convince her that she will need to think about adopting another dog.
Changes have happened quickly over the years, even in the areas of cleaning. Swiffer offers easy-to-use sweeping, mopping and dusting tools that can easily clean nearly every household surface. This makes cleaning your home easy and efficient, so you can spend time on the things that really matter. It’s also why adding another pet to your home is easier than ever – especially when you have children.
Chore charts will help and this is a fun one that we like. You can download a high-resolution template for free here. As your kids get older, add chores like dusting, mopping, hair removal (especially from couches!), grooming, and more.
Swiffer makes cleaning fun!
If you only buy two items from Swiffer (you’ll want more as soon as you try them), I strongly suggest the Swiffer Sweeper™ and Swiffer Duster™.
Tthe Swiffer Duster is absolutely indispensable if you live in the desert and are plagued with ongoing dust and a year-round shedding season. We’ve been using the Duster for years and the easily extended handle and cleaning power is something you won’t live without once you’ve tried it.
Here are a few facts about the Swiffer Duster and why we love it:
- The Dust Lock Adhesive has 50% more fibers than regular dusters, which allows it to reach deep into grooves and “lock” the dust into place. Rather than pushing the dust around, only to have it settle again, the Duster keeps the dust contained!
- The extra long handle extends and locks so you can easily reach the top of ceiling fans, on top of beds, and vents (where hair and dust settles).
- The easy to move handle lets you reach around the back of items (like your TV and Computers) without knocking those expensive pieces on the floor!
- #Shed Happens. that’s a fact. But it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. And if you are holding off on getting a dog or cat (or ferret or any other species of pet), you don’t need too. This is an excellent time to teach kids responsibility with pets and in their home.
Share a photo of your new fur-ever family and everything in the box with @swiffer and @barkbox to show how ready you are for when #ShedHappens!