Eureka Fetches Innovative Cleaning Tips From America's Pet Owners and Vacuum Lovers in "My Messy, Smelly, Dirty, Hairy Best Friend" Contest

Is your best friend messy, smelly, dirty and hairy? The nearly 140 million pet owners in America love their pets, but not what they leave behind, which is why Eureka invited pet owners to share their best pet cleaning tips along with photos of their messy, smelly, dirty, hairy pets at www.acleanpethome.com.

Bloomington, Ill. (PRWEB) November 21, 2008 -- Is your best friend messy, smelly, dirty and hairy? The nearly 140 million* pet owners in America love their pets, but not what they leave behind, which is why Eureka invited pet owners to share their best pet cleaning tips along with photos of their messy, smelly, dirty, hairy pets at www.acleanpethome.com.

For 10 weeks, pet owners from across the country submitted their most effective tips and photographs** for a chance to be featured in the "winner's circle" on the Web site and win a Eureka Boss® 4D Pet Fresh™ (http://eureka.com/index.php?option=com_productdisplay&view=productdisplay&task=getproducts&productid=17&product_model=5893BVZ) vacuum or Capture+™ Pet Lover (http://eureka.com/index.php?option=com_productdisplay&view=productdisplay&task=getproducts&productid=24&product_model=8853AVZ) vacuum and ARM & HAMMER® Pet Fresh ™ Fresh-Ins™.

"Throughout the contest, we were amazed at the creative, valuable cleaning ideas we received from pet owners," said Jackie Cooper, director of marketing and communications for Eureka. "We used consumer insight to design our Eureka pet vacuums, so it was great to hear tips from people who deal with pet cleanups every day."

Getting Rid of Odor

•     "Each weekend, we clean the rugs, floors and crate of our Doberman. We give him a bath every 2 weeks, but use baby wipes to wipe off his paws in between baths when he gets really smelly!" - Rebecca Rouvier and dog Toby of Mount Orab, Ohio

•    "The trick for cleaning is to keep up with the grooming of your cat. I use a wet facecloth to clean my cat twice a day (a.m. and p.m.) since you know they hate water and the bath. I also use different types of brushes and she loves it, except the underside." - Carolyn Correira and cat Daxie of Nutley, N.J.

Picking Up Pet Hair

•    "In the summer I leave a trough of water in our backyard and that seems to clean off most of the loose hair and dirt they collect during the day. Then use the water to freshen up the grass every evening." - Darryn Matsushima and dogs Da'Kine & Haole of Vancouver, Wash.

•     "To get ground-in pet hair off carpet, especially on the stairs, I use a window squeegee. It's like a hair magnet!" - Katie Poch and Maizy of Denver, Colo.

•    "For embedded hair on furniture I moisten a rag with water or fabric refresher, wipe it down and then vacuum." - Laura Cistaro and cat Angelina of Round Lake, Ill.

•    "Vacuum three times a day!" - Janet Richardson and dogs Bryse, Tyler, Glenys, Morgan, Gwen, Aled, Kyrkie, Ceri and Miley of Birmingham, Ala.

•    "Using a … dog comb has reduced the amount of fur on the carpet and furniture. Then in the middle of the week, I take the vacuum around and just use the nozzle to pick up the hair fluff on the hardwoods. Never ending job, I might add." - Kay Allred and dog Garrett of Cumming, Ga.

General Pet Messes

•    "For Petey's water and food bowl, I use a rubber mat for when he gets messy - that way I just pick up the mat and scrub it clean in the sink instead of having to lug out the mop and broom."

- Jeffrey Mayo and dog Petey of Amarillo, Texas

•    "My tip to keep my Mom's formal sofa clean from Sophie's hair is to keep it from getting dirty. I lay tin foil on it and Sophie won't get on it because of the sound and feel. Cats don't like tin foil!" - Judy Shell and cat Sophie of Ramsey, Minn.

•    "Tiger loves to play outdoors, so we've taught him to stop and eat a small treat at the back door while we clean his paws and fur before coming inside!" - Cathy Mealey and cat Tiger of Lynnfield, Mass.

The contest celebrated pet products from Eureka, including the Boss 4D Pet Fresh and Capture+ Pet Lover vacuums, and ARM & HAMMER accessories. Eureka's Boss 4D Pet Fresh retails for $148.83 nationwide at Walmart stores and on Walmart.com. Capture+ Pet Lover retails for $169 and is available at leading retailers. ARM & HAMMER Pet Fresh Fresh-Ins are also available at Walmart for $2.48 for a package of nine. For more information on the contest, please visit www.acleanpethome.com.

*According to the 1998-2006 American Pet Association Polls

**Winning photo submissions are available upon request

The ARM & HAMMER® and Pet Fresh™ names are trademarks of Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (http://www.churchdwight.com)

About Electrolux Home Care Products, Inc.

Electrolux Home Care Products, Inc. (EHCP) leverages consumer driven insight to manufacture and market innovative floor care products under its well-known Eureka and Electrolux consumer brands. The company also sells high-quality commercial products under its Sanitaire brand name and central vacuums made by its Electrolux Central Vacuum Systems division (formerly known as Beam Industries). EHCP is based in Bloomington, Ill., and is a part of The Electrolux Group. Visit www.electroluxusa.com, www.eureka.com, www.sanitairevac.com or www.beamvac.com for more information.

About Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. manufactures and markets a wide range of personal care, household and specialty products under the Arm & Hammer trademark and other well-known brand names.

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