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6 Ways to Make Your Interiors Pet Friendly
If you’re like us, pets are an important part of your family and your home. As such, you want to allow for their comfort just like any other member of the family. Here are six ways to help your space more pet friendly.
1. Carve out a space for them: Create a hazard-free zone in your home with a cozy bed, a source of water and toys that are safe for them. This way you don’t have to worry about them getting into things they shouldn’t. Pets need a sense of comfort and a place that feels their own where they know they can stay.
Built-in niches inside everything from kitchen islands to banquet seating to end tables are becoming more and more popular ways to give pets a home without the telltale metal or plastic crate in the middle of the room. With these ideas, your pets can have what they need without you giving up the style you love.
2. Be wary of chemicals that can be harmful: When remodeling or updating any space in your home, be wary of chemicals that can be harmful to your pets. Selecting low or no VOC paints and other finishes will help keep your pets from getting ill. Even hanging wallpaper can generate noxious fumes for everyone in your household. As much as many of these chemicals can be harmful to you and your family, they can be even worse on sensitive pets. If you’re going through a remodel, especially if you’ll be living on site throughout, be sure to let your contractors know your wishes regarding air quality during construction.
3. Choose flooring that works: Hard surfaces are a harder material and easier to maintain because they will not trap pet hair, dander or other airborn allergens. If you have to select carpet, make it easier on yourself by selecting a color that matches your pet – it will help better mask any shedding. Also, be sure to select a carpet that is more durable in order to help it last longer.
If you’re able to select a hard surface, be sure to select one that is more resistant to scratches and dings that pets, and families, can cause. One of your best options is cork flooring. Cork is a natural product, eco-friendly, soft underfoot and extremely durable. Today’s cork come in a wide variety of colors and patterns.
4. Consider your furniture upholstery: Select tightly woven fabrics. These fabrics work best as they resist tears and rips. Leather, ultra suede and micro fibers are durable, odor resistant and easy to clean. Smooth leather should be less tantalizing to cats, who like clawing at tufted fabrics, while the micro fiber and suede materials will wipe up easily without staining permanently. When buying large pieces of furniture, you’ll want durability on these more expensive pieces.
If you absolutely cannot replace what you have or cannot afford a more durable material, you’re best bet is slipcovering your furniture. This way your covers are easily removable and washable. It can lend your space a more casual feel, but you may have to tough it out until you’re able to upgrade to better quality, more durable furniture.
5. Be careful with window treatments: Avoid vertical blinds, draperies with pooling fabric, dangling tie-backs and intricate fringes. These items will not only serve as potential choking or strangling hazards, but in many cases they will be damaged as pets work their way through them to peer out of windows. Keep your treatments, clean, simple and tight and save yourself a ton of headache.
6. Make Care Easy on Yourself: Keep pet supplies close at hand in a non-intrusive, yet functional way. Keep leashes and mess bags near the exit you take your pets out of and keep food supplies near feeding areas. Use existing cabinetry to create designated storage areas or add inexpensive, freestanding pieces to hide pet storage. When it comes to personal care, keep brushes, shampoos and other maintenance items in or near the areas where they get the most use. This will help cut down on the frustration of digging for supplies when you need them and will ensure that your pet gets the proper care it needs, when it needs it. Frustration can easily lead to procrastination, so make it easy on yourself.
