Your house is a place where your mind and body need to feel comfortable, calm, protected, loved and welcomed. We all want to live in a place that provides us with these feelings – warmth, comfort, tranquility. A place that feels authentically “you”.
What about the furry members of your family? When decorating a home, pet parents should care to make the place pet-safe. Not only will you benefit, but your pets who provide you with emotional support daily will feel more comfortable at home too. To make a house feel more like a home, you can start with introducing the small changes. We hope these tips will help you.
Tip #1 Choose durable floors
If you’re ready to upgrade your floors, and you’ll need to find durable ones that will work for you and your pet. Here are the best options:
- Tile and stone floors are water and stain-resistant, and easy to clean. Those floors are also resistant to pet’s sharp nails, so you don’t have to worry about scratching. The downside is that tile and stone floors are quite cold. So if you want to make it more comfortable, you should install a radiant heating system that will add warmth.
- Cork floors are eco-friendly, safe, and durable floors. These are also naturally antimicrobial – a surface called suberin repels microbes including bacteria, insects, microbes, viruses, and other germs. Another benefit of cork is that it’s also a great way to soundproof the room too. So if you are not a fan of the sound of your pet’s noise, this is a good option.
- Bamboo floors are also extremely durable and easy to maintain. Food and water spills or pet accidents won’t damage these floors if cleaned up properly. Plus, bamboo floors are eco-friendly as bamboo is a wholly renewable resource. Unlike trees, which can take decades to mature, a bamboo stalk can be repeatedly harvested every five or six years. Unfortunately, bamboo floors are not scratch-resistant, and they are prone to cracking in conditions where humidity levels swing dramatically.
Tip #2 Choose durable furniture
It can be really challenging for pet parents to keep nice furniture with a fur-baby around. Wrapping it in plastic or locking your pet in a particular room isn’t a solution. What you should really do is to choose furniture that can live with your pet! Make sure your furniture is stable and avoid fragile interior items. For example, there’s no reason to avoid glass, but if you have a coffee table made of glass, you should make sure it’s sturdy enough to stay upright if it’s bumped or jumped on.
You can also consider using small furniture pieces as blockers for areas where you would rather your pet did not stray (like near a breakable vase). Such blockers may save your breakables from getting knocked over by your nimble furry one.
Tip #3 Choose pet-friendly fabrics
If you suffer from pet’s fur everywhere in your house, that means you should consider choosing more pet-friendly fabrics. First of all, choose a fabric that is stain-resistant for your furniture and slipcovers. It’s also a good idea to opt for untextured, plain fabrics so your pet doesn’t damage it with the claws. Try to match the fabric’s color with the pet’s fur color — this will make the pet’s furless visible. Patterned fabric is a better choice than a solid color in terms of visibility of pet hair too.
Pay attention to the following fabrics:
- Leather: Fur and hair don’t stick to it, and the smooth surface makes it easier to clean up. However, leather does scratch.
- Denim: Durable and easy-to-clean denim makes a good choice for pet owners. The tight weave of the fabric makes it easy to vacuum off pet hair or clean it with mild soap.
- Crypton: Crypton is considered to be the leading choice for many pet-loving families, as it’s high-quality fabrics while also being odor and stain-resistant.
- Ultrasuede or microfiber: It doesn’t rip or scratch easily, so it’s known as a ‘cat-proof fabric’. It’s also easily cleaned, and most stains come out of it with mild soap and water.
- Canvas: It’s a durable cotton fabric that is also quite inexpensive. So if it becomes ruined with pet’s claw marks or stains, replacement is much less of a financial hurdle.
It’s better to avoid the following fabrics:
- Linen and silk: Although it’s a very easy fabric to clean, it’s also easily damaged by pet’s claws.
- Wool: Although it’s a durable fabric that resists pilling, wool is really tough to clean from pet’s odor and stains.
- Chenille: Although many people choose it for their upholstery because of its texture, softness, and durability, we cannot recommend you as a pet-friendly fabric because of its tiny loops that can easily be destroyed by animal claws.
- Olefin: It’s a fabric that is synthesized from petroleum, so while it is resistant to stains, it attracts oils. It is also easily damaged by friction.
- Rayon: It isn’t a good choice for pet owners as the fabric wears easily and loses strength when it becomes wet. It is also prone to wrinkling and shrinkage.
Tip #4 Design a feeding area
Almost every pet owner is painfully aware of the mess their beloved pets can make of a kitchen at chow time. If your pet is one of those messy eaters, you should consider a feeding area, preferably in the kitchen. First, use large and deep bowls, as shallow ones will likely lead to food being dropped out of them. To eliminate mess, you can also place a silicone feeding mat under your pet’s dishes. When creating a feeding area for your pet, it will be better to avoid carpeted surfaces and consider having hard surfaces such as lino or tiled floors.
Tip #5 Build a pet’s play space
Every pet that is full of energy needs space to blow off steam. That’s why the furry ones desperately need their place at home to play. However, letting your nimble little friends run around the whole house is not a good idea.
Creating a designated pet’s play space with some off-limits will allow your pet to enjoy themselves freely while you won’t need to worry about having your house upside down because of a pet. Equip the play space with a basket for toys, a jar with treats, and a cozy mat to relax or take a nap on.
Tip #6 Take care of pet safety
Curious pets can sometimes eat things they shouldn’t, like toxic plants, cleaning supplies, and small toys, or chew on electrical cords. Make sure to have a safe and pet-friendly environment to keep your pet safe. Put unsafe toys away, secure breakable items, and keep potentially harmful food (like alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, etc) out of pet’s reach.