(Family Features) It can be a challenge to keep the house clean, especially for busy families. When the kids are home from school, it means more dirt, mud and sand get tracked in, whether it’s from sports practice or backyard fun.
Pets add to the mess, too. In fact, a recent study conducted by the NPD Group revealed more than half of pet owners (51 percent) reported that managing and cleaning up pet hair is their number one cleaning chore.
Pierra Jolly, founder and editor of JollyMom.com, a website devoted to her daily trials and tribulations of raising a three year old and Labrador retriever in Atlanta, can relate. “Certain times of the year I typically double my cleaning efforts, making sure that everything is under control just in case we are babysitting, dog sitting or hosting an unexpected cookout or sleepover,” says Jolly. “Unless I stick to my established cleaning schedule, I fall behind.”