How to Make Your Home Pet Friendly

When you live with pets, you have to be prepared to make some adjustments to your home environment. You will need to vacuum and sweep a little more often if you have birds whereas you may have to get a scratching post if you have cats. And, hardwood or tile floors are easier to keep clean than carpeting when you have dogs. Overall, it pays to create a pet-friendly home when you share your life with feathered or furry friends. Here are some points to consider:

Use Carpeting Tiles

Even well-trained pets can have accidents in the house. To avoid the most damage, consider investing in carpeting tiles because you can easily replace sections of carpeting that are ruined from pet accidents or scratching activity rather than replace all of your wall-to-wall carpeting. Whether you use all one color or create a pattern with different sizes, shapes and colors, carpeting tiles are one of the best options for floor coverings for the pet-friendly home.

Have Durable Fabrics

Delicate or expensive fabric-covered furniture may look great and make you feel good, but is generally not a good idea with pets. Cat or dog hair and odors will quickly ruin that beautiful and expensive silk chaise or velvet sofa. And, you’ll be unhappy when the cat makes quick work of the delicate sheer drapes you ordered. Remember that any heavily textured fabric will be harder to rid of pet hair than smoother surfaces.

However, just because you have a pet doesn’t mean that you can’t have nice furniture, drapes and accessories. When picking these items out, just be sure to choose easy-to-clean fabrics like denim, canvas or stain and odor resistant materials. Microfiber and microsuede fabrics are easy to clean with soap and water. If your pet doesn’t dig or scratch, leather can be a great option to easily keep it free of fur and hair.

Be Clean

Once you have decorated and arranged your home the way you like, you’ll be happier with your home and your pet if you practice regular pet hygiene. Keep pet shedding under control by regularly brushing your dog or cat (bunnies and ferrets benefit, too) and giving your pet bird access to regular hydrating and cleansing birdie baths. Invest in a good vacuum that reaches into corners, and keep it clean by emptying it after every use. Make sure your pet bedding is easily washable and get in the habit of cleaning it weekly.

In addition, your home will be cleaner if you have a pet-friendly entry. Whether it’s a side entrance off the garage, a kitchen entrance or a full-service mud room at the back door, have one entry set up to deal with pet grime before it gets tracked through the house. Implement easy to clean flooring, semi-gloss paint on the walls and storage for leashes and pet supplies like outdoor apparel, extra collars, toys, food and medicine.

Stay Safe

Your pet-friendly home needs to be safe for you and your pets. Especially with bigger pets, breakables are at risk if they’re within reach or on tables that can be bumped or knocked over. Keep collectibles safely out of traffic patterns, and secure them from running and roaming pets. Choose furniture and décor with rounded edges and sturdy bases that won’t break with bumps and jumps instead of weak or spindly accessories.

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