Any pet with easy access to the garden will bring plenty of the great outdoors in on its coat and paws. Keeping your dogs and cats clean, and taking preventative measures when you know they have got especially dirty, will reduce the amount of dirt they can bring into your house.

1. Keep a clean rag by the door that your pet uses so that you’ll be more likely to remember to wipe off muddy, wet paws and claws before your beloved animal makes unsightly tracks through the whole house.

2. Once a week, take your dog outside and give its fur a good going-over with the type of brush recommended for its coat. Do this well away from the house, so that the tufts won’t tumble back inside.

3. The miracle way to lift pet hair from furniture and other surfaces is to wipe with a damp sponge or cloth. The hair will gather in clumps, and onto your cloth. An excellent alternative is a lightly-dampened rubber glove, rubbed quickly back and forth. It will pick up bundles of hair. Or you could use one of those special rubber brushes with nubs on it that is intended for grooming cats and finer-haired dogs (available at pet shops).

4. Nothing beats your vacuum cleaner for pulling pet hair out of your rugs and carpets. If you have a number of pets or an animal that sheds a great deal, it could be worth considering a vacuum cleaner which has been specially designed to deal with fur. Typically they have greater suction power for sucking up fur and special filters for trapping potential allergens.