Dog owners urged to ditch one piece of furniture to keep home smelling fresh

We're a nation of dog lovers, but let's be honest - they do smell.

If you've owned your four-legged friends for a long time you may not notice the unpleasant odour, but any guests you invite over will likely turn their noses up as soon as they enter your home, even if they're too kind to say anything about it to your face.

Some foul smells can be a sign of poor health in your pet including skin diseases, poor grooming, and dental issues, but even the most healthy dogs don't exactly smell like roses.

It's normal for your dog - or your cat - to smell as all mammals have natural odours. Your pet only smells unpleasant to humans because we're not used to being exposed to the scent, but it's there to allow for individual animal recognition by other animals.

While you can't stop your pet from smelling, there are some things you can do to make sure the "dog smell" doesn't permeate through your whole house and all your furntiure smell too.

According to pet owners and cleaning fans on Reddit, making a few simple swaps to your home furnishings can make all the difference when it comes to getting rid of unpleasant smells.

The advice was shared after one person said they were about to become a dog owner for the first time and wanted tips on making sure the "distinct dog smell" didn't hang around in their house. They added: "I'm specifically concerned about the smell and keeping the amount of fur in the carpet and on furniture to a minimum."

And avid dog lovers quickly took to the comments with one key piece of wisdom - throw out your fabric sofas. Instead, people urged pet owners to invest in leather sofas and chairs as they're much easier to wipe down and keep hair-free.

On top of ditching your fabric sofa, some also suggested that getting rid of any carpet may also be a good idea. Wood floors are easier to maintain and don't absorb odours as easily. You can then lay down some rugs to keep the cosy feel, which are much easier to clean than a carpet.

Someone shared: "I have a friend who has two large dogs and she asked me what her house smells like and if I can smell the dogs ... I honestly couldn't smell them. She has washable rugs and leather furniture, also wood floors so I don't think there's anything the smell can really stick to."

As another added: "We have two cats and these are the things that have made my house easy to take care of. No carpet, covers for our furniture, try to have things that are made with materials that repel cat hair and an air purifier. We used to live in a house with wall to wall carpet and it was really hard to keep clean. Never again will I have carpet."

Other advice included investing in air purifiers to try and help clean the air in your home, as well as a vacuum that has been tried and tested on pet hair and covers for your furniture that can easily be removed and washed.

And, of course, many said it's also paramount to ensure you regularly give your dog a bath.

Someone shared: " Wash your dog regularly. Not everyone bathes their dogs much. The recommended amount can depend on the breed. Make sure you use a shampoo designed for dogs, they have a different ph balance than humans. Everyone else has great advice for cleaning the home, but I find cleaning the dog to be the most important."