Pet Owners, Listen Up: These Items Will Make Sure Your Home Is Always Clean (and Smells Great!)

Anyone with a pet knows that their hair will get stuck in every material in the house. Plus, you're unlikely to go through pet parent life without an accident happening on the rug. This machine-washable rug ($200) from Ruggable will be a godsend when you come home to a little "surprise" in the living room — it's also waterproof, stain-resistant, and nontoxic to boot.

An air purifier is a must when you have a dog or cat (or bunny, or any other hairy animal) in the house, period. Dyson's air purifiers ($500) are pretty much the gold standard when it comes to removing allergens from the air, including pet dander that they track in from outside. This one includes a fan, heater, and purifier in one, and the sealed HEPA filter captures 97 percent of allergens as small as 0.3 microns.

This spray ($6) should be an essential element in any pet owner's cleaning arsenal. It packs a serious punch in multiple areas — it disinfects, deodorizes, and removes even the toughest stains on everything from countertops to appliances. The ingredient that sets it apart? Bleach! Whether it's cleanup after spilled wet food or removing puppy paw prints from white baseboards, Clorox® Clean-up® Cleaner + Bleach will kill 99.9 percent of bacteria.

A pet bed ($16) that you can throw in the washing machine will save you a lot of stinky headaches. Besides sleeping, our lovable animals often bring not-so-nice prizes into their beds while we're not looking — think: lizards from the yard, weird-smelling bones to chew on, and oh-so-many dirty paws. Make sure you choose a bed for your fur baby that is both cozy and cleanable. Plus, use Clorox® Regular Bleach with CLOROMAX® to really get those whites back to looking brand new.

A microfiber towel ($18) might not be the prettiest item in your linen closet, but it will seriously come in handy anytime your pet is wet. Before they have a chance to shake after a bath or a romp in the rain, grab one of these superabsorbent shammies to quickly soak up any excess water. Your hardwood floors will thank you.

Every pet-owning household needs a pet-specific vacuum — there's nothing that will work as well as the machines targeted to clean the messes your animal will inevitably make. From dander and hair to puke and pee, this Shark ($300) model will rid your home of all those unwanted droppings. It even has a mini motorized brush that extracts dirt, dust, and allergens from pillows and upholstery.

Speaking from personal experience, you must buy a waterproof mattress protector ($35). Seriously. Do it right now. It saved my mattress when my dog hadn't yet grasped the concept of peeing outside. It's there for me when she has the occasional accident during a particularly deep sleep. It gets me through those moments when you feel like everything is covered in pet hair, and start suffering from multiple sneeze attacks. And, hey, it'll even protect against bed bugs!