Featured Pet At San Diego Humane Society

Bubbas – the Purrrrfect Choice!

Check out Bubbas’ bio:

This handsome boy is not only an absolute lovebug, but also has an adorable personality that is sure to capture your heart. Bubbas is 7-year old Domestic Longhair who is apt to be mistaken for a motor boat whenever he’s being pet, as he loves to purr! In fact, he has a tendency to enjoy such exchanges (petting for purring, and the like) so much that he might even drool a little! Despite how it might sound, I assure you, it’s adorable. This sweet guy takes just a bit of time to come out of his shell, but once he does – anyone who meets him is quick to fall in love. Bubbas is great about using his scratching post, and has a particular affinity for cat nip if one sees fit to offer him a treat for being so very awesome.

Bubbas would do well in a variety of homes, but doesn’t prefer to share the spotlight with another kitty and would therefore love to be the only cat in your life. But we’re certain that won’t be a problem with the abundance of personality and love this guy has to share.

For more information about this lovable gem of a kitty, or if you’d like to meet him, please contact Customer Service at (619) 299-7012 or stop by our Gaines Campus.

Animal ID 99289

Spring Cleaning Tips

Now is the time for Spring Cleaning! Set a day aside to get your house looking it’s best for the warmer months with the following tips:

• Organize your closet: This is the first step to organizing the rest of your home. Clear out unused clothing and accessories and organize by how you get dressed in the morning. It is also useful to organize your clothes by color and style.
• Eliminate odors: First blot up as much of the mess as you can. Use a stain remover to get rid of any stains. You can then sprinkle Clear The Air Carpet and Furniture Odor Eliminator on the soiled area. Leave on for 24 hours then vacuum up. If odor still lingers a bit, use a second application.
• Shine up your stainless steel: Use a light mist of wax-based aerosol spray once or twice a week. Don’t use too much, you don’t want to soak the surface and make it greasy. Wipe the mist with a clean, lint-free cloth. Don’t use anything abrasive such as Soft Scrub or Scotch Brite pads. This will scratch and ruin the surface.
• Remove oils and marks from walls in your home: Start with a clean cloth or sponge and water. You can add a little dishwashing liquid into the water if you have stubborn wall marks. After cleaning, make sure to rinse the wall afterward with plain water.
• Give your interior a different look: Make a fast easy change with bedding, towels and table linens to create a different mood. You can also switch things out seasonally or whenever you want to play with a certain color or pattern.
• Clean your carpets: Always take your shoes off when you get home but leave your socks on because your bare feet leave natural oils which attract dirt. For high traffic areas, bring in a professional carpet cleaner 3-4 times a year.
• Reorganize your shelves: Sort your books on your bookshelf so they don’t look uniform. Remove any ripped dust jackets. Line your books horizontally and vertically in a pattern to relieve monotony or rows.

Do you have some spring cleaning tips? We’d love to hear them! Comment on our blog to tell us your spring cleaning suggestions.

Why Is My Cat Peeing In The House?

Cat urine is one of the most difficult odors to eliminate. If your cat has been going to the bathroom in your house, outside of his litter box, there may be some ways you can fix this problem.

In order to eliminate the cat urine odor, use our Cat Urine Odor Eliminator product to eliminate the odors.

Medical Problem: A kidney or bladder infection is the most common cause. Your cat should be checked out by your vet to exclude any medical issues. If your cat’s problem is behavioral, you’ll need to find out why he is misbehaving. Any kind of stress can make your cat stop using his litter box. If you have recently moved, had a new baby or have introduced another pet; all these actions can cause your cat to feel threatened.

Litter Box: A cat that is unhappy with his box will stop using it. Think about it: would you use a dirty, smelly toilet? Of course not. Cats are very clean animals and some of them are extremely finicky about their litter boxes. The problem could be a different litter, dirty box, location, or sharing with another cat. If you have multiple cats, they each should have their own litter box. A cat that has been declawed will have special needs when it comes to litter. You may need to switch to paper litter that is softer on his delicate paws. Make sure the litter box is cleaned daily. Sometimes all it takes is changing to a new litter, getting a new box or moving the box to another part of the house.

Behavior Change: Pay extra attention to your cat and praise him often. Remind him that he is loved and an important part of the family. Moving to a new home is a big change in your cat’s life. He could be stressed by the move. He could also be reacting to the scent of a former tenants pet. This will cause your cat to start peeing in a certain spot. To stop this, you need to completely remove the odor so your cat won’t want to leave his scent.

No More Urination: you must remove the odor from your home. Your cat will keep returning to that area if he can pick up the scent. Urine should be cleaned up as soon as possible. Wipe up the mess with a paper towel and then clean it. Sprinkle Cat Urine Odor Eliminator where your cat went to the bathroom and leave on for 24 hours. You may then vacuum it up. In some cases a second application may be necessary. Remember, our products are 100% non-toxic and safe even if ingested.

How To Keep Your Pets From Getting Bored

With the colder winter months here, it is sometimes difficult to get your dog out for his normal exercise. Cats may not be keen on going outside when it’s raining or snowing either.

Clear the Air would like to share some helpful tips to keep your pets entertained and avoid bad behavior when it is difficult to get outside:

• Just like humans like to be entertained by technology, cats can too. Have you ever had your cat follow your mouse pointer on your computer screen? What about a laser toy for your cat to run around the house and chase? As crazy as it sounds, there are even apps you can download on your iPad just for cats!
• Use a clicker to train your dog indoors and teach him new tricks. In clicker training, a distinct and consistent signal marks a desired behavior of your pet in real time. Once you click, follow the signal with a motivating reward like a treat. Because your dog understands which action earned the click and reward, he will learn new behaviors quickly and enthusiastically.
• Cats love hunting and love to explore hidden things. How many times have you unpacked a package you received and watched your cat be entertained for hours with the box? I know our cats love new things like that! Try putting a couple treats in a paper cup and letting them bat the cup around until they find the treat.
• Both cats and dogs can perform agility training by navigating through obstacles such as a hoop or tunnel, especially if a treat is rewarded at the end of it. Set up different obstacles for your pets and put a treat at the end of it.
• Have your dog use his nose and search for a treat. Nose work is a variation of search and rescue and a popular way to keep your dog moving by tapping into their natural scenting abilities.
• Use items around the house to make a toy for your pets. Poke a hole in a plastic jug so food comes out of it when your pet rolls it around. Of course it is important to monitor your pet to make sure he doesn’t chew or ingest any bits of the homemade toy.
• Get a toy designed to keep your dog busy. Stop by your local pet store and ask them what they suggest to give to your dog to keep him entertained. If you have to leave for a while, give him a toy that will keep him busy while you’re gone. One of the ones we like to use on our dogs is the Kong. You can easily refill it with peanut butter or anything else your pet likes.
• Associate your dog with other dogs at indoor dog parks. There are many doggy day cares which offer socialization with other pups.

How To Care For Your Dog In Cold Weather

We are experiencing harsh weather around the nation and while we take precautions to make sure we stay warm, it is important to make sure your dog is warm enough during harsh weather conditions as well.

Clear the Air is here to provide some tips on caring for your dog in the cold weather this winter is bringing:

Dog Jackets and Sweaters: Dogs with heavy coats, such as Huskies, can withstand cold weather even on long walks. However, dogs with shorter hair and smaller dogs have trouble retaining heat, especially in wet and windy weather. Dogs that are skinny, sick, old and very young need to have an extra layer put on when they go outside. Just think about your bones and joints: if you experience stiffer and achy joints when it’s cold, your dog probably does too.

Ice Melters: Ice melters and rock salt will burn your dog’s feet. When you go for walks, make sure your dog stays away from visible ice melters and get it off his feet as soon as you can if he steps in it. If he does walk in it, have him walk in the snow and wipe it off with fresh snow. Don’t let him lick the ice melter. You might want to consider putting booties on your dog’s feet to protect them.

Antifreeze is Dangerous: Many know that antifreeze is extremely dangerous for your dog (or cat) to ingest and can cause death. Just 6 tablespoons of it is enough to kill a 45 pound dog. If you think your dog may have licked up any antifreeze at all, take him to the vet immediately.

Space Heaters: Make sure to turn off AND unplug your space heaters in your home. Not only can your dog burn himself from the space heater but an unattended space heater can also burn your home down. No matter what, turn off and unplug your space heater.

Cold Weather: If you wouldn’t leave your dog in the car during the heat of the summer, why would you leave your dog in the car in the middle of winter? On the same note, don’t leave a dog tied up outside a store in the cold weather. If you wouldn’t want to be stuck in the cold, don’t do it to your dog.

Thin Ice: Be careful about letting your dog roam around near ice covered water. That being said, if there is a blizzard with limited visibility do not let your dog off his leash. Dogs get lost in whiteouts and if he wanders the wrong direction, he could break thin ice and fall into freezing cold water.

Bottom line: keep your dog indoors with you during the winter. Just as you would enjoy curling up by the fire, so would he!

Eliminating Odors Around The Home

Many different odors can emerge throughout your home. Thankfully, Clear The Air can eliminate all those odors, no matter how bad they smell! Please share with us how Clear The Air has helped eliminate odors in your home.

Refrigerator Odors: Place one to two of our Odor Eliminator Bags in your refrigerator and let our product do its magic. Of course, taking out any old or spoiled food from your fridge will help take the odor away faster.

Cat Litter Box: Add granules to bottom of litter box, add litter, then add additional granules on top. Add ½ cup of granules each time litter is changed, scooped or as needed. This will prolong the life of your litter, along with making the odor unnoticeable to your nose and your cats!

Doggie Smell On Carpets/Furniture:  Remove feces and excess urine then sprinkle granules over area until dry granules are present on top. Our product will also work well on old dry urine odors. Leave product on overnight, then sweep or vacuum. Clear The Air pulls odors from carpet, padding, and subfloor. Typically one application will eliminate all odors; occasionally a second application is necessary. One canister covers 100 square feet.

Cigarette and Cigar Odor:  Hang 1-2 Earth Care Odor Eliminator Bags in each room that smells like cigarette smoke. One bag will cover 50-100 square feet. The odor will be eliminated in 24 hours. One bag will last 1-2 months, if room is heavily permeated with smoke odor the bag may need to be changed more often at first.  If odors are particularly strong or room has been smoked in for years sprinkle Clear The Air Odor Eliminator for Carpet and Furniture granules on carpets and furniture. Leave down 24 hours and vacuum. Odors will be completely eliminated. One canister of Clear The Air Odor Eliminator for Carpet and Furniture covers 100 square feet; one bucket covers 900 square feet. Granules can also be placed in ashtrays and cigarette butt receptacles.

Basement: Hang 1-2 bags in basement. One bag cover up to 100 square feet. Bags will continue to eliminate musty odors for up to 3 months. If odors are strong (or you have had a flood) also sprinkle Clear The Air Odor Eliminator for Concrete or Carpet granules on floor, leave down 24 hours and sweep or vacuum. Odors will be completely eliminated. One canister of Clear The Air Odor Eliminator For Concrete or Carpet granules covers approximately 100 square feet.

New Carpet: Some new carpets contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted as gases when they are first installed. When exposed to VOCs people may experience a wide range of symptoms that can include nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, nausea, fatigue, and dizziness. Sprinkle Clear The Air Odor Eliminator granules over entire carpet. Leave down 24 hours and vacuum. When granules are down it is best to have some ventilation in the room such as a window open. One bucket covers 900 square feet. Also hang 1-3 bags in each room. Bags will last 3-4 months; we recommend you leave the bags up to continue removing new carpet odors. One bag covers 100 square feet.

How Do I Know If I Have Rodents In My Home?

Mice, rats and other rodents can cause a lot of damage in your home. Not only do they carry and spread disease, they can chew on everything causing property damage and even risk of fire when chewing on electrical wiring.

Clear the Air would like to share some tips on how to find out if you have a rodent infestation in your home. Remember to use our Clear the Air Odor Eliminator Bag to eliminate any dead rodent odors from your home, garage, shed or anywhere else.

Droppings of feces are one of the easiest ways to know you have an infestation. You may notice them in your garage on the rafters, on boxes, or anywhere else high up the rodents are running around.

Use a black light to see rodent urine. It will be a bluish to yellowish white color. Not all fluorescent colors you see under black light in your home may be rodent urine. Many bleaches and lubricating oil will show up under black light too.

Mice mark their trail with their urine for other mice to follow their tracks to food sources. If you find a urine trail into your home, make sure to block the entrance to avoid mice from getting in.

Check corners in your home for food stashes and nests made by mice and/or rats. Another way to find out if you have rodents in your home is to look for chewed corners of boxes and wires.

If you have a rat or mouse die in your home, the odor can be so bad you can’t be in your home. Fortunately our Clear the Air Bags don’t have to come in contact with the odor producer, thus avoiding the huge task of taking down drywall to remove the dead carcass. All you have to do is simply hang the bag where the odor is strongest and within 24 hours the odor is eliminated. Sometimes two bags may have to be used if the dead rodent odor is extremely strong.

Do you have questions about our product? Call or email Pat in our customer service department!

We’re A Green Product

Everyone wants to use green products nowadays. Not only is Clear the Air green, but it is so safe you can eat it! Our product can be used anywhere in the house to eliminate foul odors and doesn’t even have to come in contact with the odor producer.

For example, if you have a rat that died in the walls of your house, simply hang a bag or two where the odor is strongest and the odor will be eliminated. It’s really as simple as that.

Earth Care is made from an all natural mineral. It is non toxic, non hazardous, non-caustic, and biodegradable. It can safely be used around pets and children. It is safe to sprinkle in your pet’s cage; it will not hurt your pet even if eaten. It can be applied directly to you pets fur; this is excellent if your pet has encountered a skunk, or to get rid of the “doggie” smell.

Many of the odor and pollution control products on the market today act merely as masking agents. This means they add chemicals to the air to cover up odors and actually increase the level of indoor pollutants in the process. Earth Care, on the other hand, truly eliminates odors and cleans the air by adsorbing and neutralizing odors. Earth Care Products are especially beneficial to those that suffer from chemical sensitivity which can be aggravated by fragrances.

Earth Care is safe for Planet Earth. To dispose of Earth Care simply add to your soil, it is an excellent nitrogen soil amendment.

Where have you used our product? We’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment at our blog!

Keep Your Pets Warm This Winter

Merry Christmas from Clear the Air! We would like to share some tips to keeping your pets warm this winter from the Humane Society of the United States.

Keep in mind, dogs and cats are social animals who crave human companionship. Your animal companions deserve to live indoors with you and your family.

In many areas, winter is a season of bitter cold and numbing wetness. Extra precautions during winter months will make sure your four-footed family members stay safe and warm.

Help your pets remain happy and healthy during the colder months by following these simple guidelines:

Indoors and warm – Don’t leave dogs or cats outdoors when the temperature drops. Most dogs, and all cats, are safer indoors, except when taken out for exercise. No matter what the temperature, windchill can threaten a pet’s life. Regardless of the season, shorthaired, very young, or old dogs and all cats should never be left outside without supervision. Short-coated dogs may feel more comfortable wearing a sweater during walks.

The best way to keep your pets safe (and happy) is to keep them with you.

If your dog spends a lot of time outside – A dog or cat is happiest and healthiest when kept indoors. If for some reason your dog is outdoors much of the day, he or she must be protected by a dry, draft-free shelter that is large enough to allow the dog to sit and lie down comfortably, but small enough to hold in his/her body heat. The floor should be raised a few inches off the ground and covered with cedar shavings or straw. The house should be turned to face away from the wind, and the doorway should be covered with waterproof burlap or heavy plastic.

Keep the water flowing – Pets who spend a lot of time outdoors need more food in the winter because keeping warm depletes energy. Routinely check your pet’s water dish to make certain the water is fresh and unfrozen. Use plastic food and water bowls rather than metal; when the temperature is low, your pet’s tongue can stick and freeze to metal.

Be careful with cars – Warm engines in parked cars attract cats and small wildlife, who may crawl up under the hood. To avoid injuring any hidden animals, bang on your car’s hood to scare them away before starting your engine.

Safety and salt – The salt and other chemicals used to melt snow and ice can irritate the pads of your pet’s feet. Wipe all paws with a damp towel before your pet licks them and irritates his/her mouth.

Avoid antifreeze – Antifreeze is a deadly poison, but it has a sweet taste that may attract animals and children. Wipe up spills and store antifreeze (and all household chemicals) out of reach. Better yet, use antifreeze-coolant made with propylene glycol; if swallowed in small amounts, it will not hurt pets, wildlife, or your family.

The best tip of all: keep your pets with you – Probably the best prescription for winter’s woes is to keep your dog or cat inside with you and your family. The happiest dogs are those who are taken out frequently for walks and exercise, but kept inside the rest of the time.

Eliminate Odors In Your Home

Are you expecting company this Holiday season? If you’d like to get your house smelling its best, we have some helpful tips.

No matter what odor may be lurking in your home, we guarantee we will eliminate it. Please visit our website to order.

Directions to Eliminate Cigarette and Cigar Smoke Odors:

• Hang 1-2 Earth Care Odor Eliminator Bags in each room that smells like cigarette smoke. One bag will cover 50-100 square feet. Odor will be eliminated in 24 hours.
• Bag will last 1-2 months, if room is heavily permeated with smoke odor the bag may need to be changed more often at first.
• If odors are particularly strong or room has been smoked in for years sprinkle Clear The Air Odor Eliminator for Carpet and Furniture granules on carpets and furniture. Leave down 24 hours and vacuum. Odors will be completely eliminated.
• One canister of Clear The Air Odor Eliminator for Carpet and Furniture covers 100 square feet; one bucket covers 900 square feet.
• Granules can also be placed in ashtrays and cigarette butt receptacles.

Directions to Eliminate Dead Animal & Related Urine/Feces Odors:

• It is not necessary to remove dead carcass to remove the odor.
• More bags =better faster results, we recommend a minimum of 3 bags.
• Hang a bag in every room you smell odor.
• If you believe dead animal is in attic or crawl space hang one bag there also.
• Bag will outlast odor from carcass and handle any urine or feces odors that may exist from previously infested areas.
• One bag covers up to 100 square feet. It will last 3-4 months in use, or indefinitely in plastic wrap.
• Minimum of three bags needed to remove dead Rodent/Animal odors.

• Remove feces and excess urine.
• Sprinkle granules over area until dry granules are present on top. Also works well on old dry urine odors.
• Leave overnight, then sweep or vacuum.
• Clear The Air pulls odors from carpet, padding, and subfloor.
• Typically one application will eliminate all odors; occasionally a second application is necessary.
• One canister covers 100 square feet.

Directions to Eliminate Musty Mildew Odors from your Basement:

• Hang 1-2 bags in basement. One bag cover up to 100 square feet.
• Bags will continue to eliminate musty odors for up to 3 months.
• If odors are strong (or you have had a flood) also sprinkle Clear The Air Odor Eliminator for Concrete or Carpet granules on floor, leave down 24 hours and sweep or vacuum. Odors will be completely eliminated.
• One canister of Clear The Air Odor Eliminator For Concrete or Carpet granules covers approximately 100 square feet.