Your Guide on How to Move With Pets

No matter how you spin it, moving is difficult. From packing all your belongings to working with movers, there’s a lot to keep track of, especially if you have a pet. Moving can also be stressful for your pet—and more stress on your furry friend can mean more shedding¹, which can decrease your indoor air quality. To keep your pet happier and your air cleaner, add these moving to-dos and tips for reducing pet stress to your agenda. Your pet (and your indoor air) will thank you for it.

1. Moving with pets: Create a packing room

The leadup to moving day often looks like a house full of half-packed boxes strewn across every available surface. Keeping the mess designated to one room can help you feel more organized—and help keep your pet away from anything you don’t want them to get into. Choose a room your pet doesn’t spend much time in, and do your packing there. It’ll help reduce the amount of dander that travels with you to your new place.

2. Moving with pets: Clean fabric items before packing

As a pet owner, your lint roller is already your best friend. Wash clothing and lint roll blankets, pillows and fabric items before packing them away. If you’re working with movers who will wrap furniture in protective sheets, you can prep large pieces of furniture like couches and mattresses beforehand by vacuuming them with a brush attachment and washing according to the label instructions. Just make sure to give everything ample time to dry before it goes into the van.

3. Moving with pets: Keep a brush handy

Whether you’re driving or flying to your new home, that travel time might be extra stressful. Brushing your pet before you begin your journey, during stops and before bringing them into your new home can greatly reduce the amount of dander and fur that will end up in your new home’s indoor air.

4. Moving with pets: Filter your air

Before you start unpacking, replace the filter in your new home’s HVAC system. Even if the items you’re unpacking are spotless and your pet is freshly brushed, a fresh filter can help capture airborne particles that were there before you arrived—and the ones that will sneak in from outside as you bring everything in. Filtrete™ Filters come in a variety of sizes that can filter out particles as small as bacteria and viruses.

If your new home doesn’t have an HVAC system or you want extra filtration, Filtrete™ Air Purifiers and Smart Air Purifiers come equipped with a True HEPA filter that captures 99.97% of airborne particles.* If you have a Smart Air Purifier, you can check your indoor air quality and control your device through the Filtrete™ Smart App.

5. Moving with pets: Designate a “pet room”

You can help mitigate your pet’s stress (and shedding) by giving them their own space to adapt to their new environment. Pick a room in your new house for your pet to get familiar with first, and fill it with items that have their scent like beds, toys or scratching posts. The pet room should have a door you can keep shut while you move everything else in—giving your pet some space while you’re moving and cleaning will help them stay calmer. You can also keep an air purifier here to filter pet dander before it ever leaves the room.

*As small as 0.3 microns, from the air passing through the filter media. Initial efficiency value.

Sources

1. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/signs-your-dog-is-stressed-and-how-to-relieve-it