I’ve been writing about pets for as long as I’ve been a mother and I’ve found a few products that I’ve adapted for use with my non-furry babies. You’d be surprised how a trip to the pet store may just reveal some handy items that you can’t find on the baby aisle.

1.  Petrotech spray by SeaYu.This spray, which eliminates urine smells easily, is good for the environment and safe around children and pets. I bought two cans of this spray from my local pet store and the woman at the checkout counter asked, “Do you have a new puppy?” I said, “No. I’m potty-training my two-year-old.” She frowned at me and looked horrified. What difference does it make who dribbled on the carpet? If the product works on dog urine then you can bet it works on kids, too. And it did! I recommend this to anyone who is potty-training a new puppy or a toddler.

2.   Solutia Pet Hair Eliminator Brush. I keep this brush in my car (it fits inside the door) and I use it to brush out any crumbs, smooshed Cheerios, sand, leaves, dirt clods from soccer practice, and pretty much anything else that my kids leave behind. It has a compact head that can get in all kinds of knooks and crannies that are hard to get to. It’s great when you need to clean up your car in a hurry and don’t have time to do a full detail.

3.  Doggie Walk Bags. Not only are these bags scented, they also come with fashionable holders that clip onto diaper bags or purses or fit inside a glove box. They came in handy in our car when we had kids in diapers (thank goodness that stage is over), and now we use them when someone gets sick in the car, makes a mess, needs a baggie to carry something in, etc. I’m sure you can think of oodles of uses for plastic bags but don’t want to carry grocery sacks in your car for fear of accidental suffocation or because they just take up a lot of space. One compact roll can last a long time and take up little space.

 

Question: What non-traditional products do you use around the house?