By Kim Schneider
Oh, how our furry family members bring so much joy and can also cause a lot of wear and tear to our furniture and floors. Does your dog or cat lounge on your furniture? Do they zoom through the house like they’re on a racetrack? If you said yes, chances are they’re leaving behind pet hair, drool, scratches on the furniture, nicks on fabric and maybe even leaving their mark too. All of these things are common occurrences with indoor pets. While we work on training them, we can also choose durable, easy-to-maintain materials that can resist stains and repel odors.
I realize that you cannot run out and buy new furniture or install new flooring, but you can treat the fabric and rugs you have and quickly clean up any spills or messes to prevent damage to your flooring. Below are some of the best options without sacrificing design style:
Carpet: Wall-to-wall carpet isn’t ideal with pets, but if that’s what you have, you can protect it by layering with rugs. Rugs made of natural materials (sisal for example) can be harder to clean than a synthetic rug.
Indoor-Outdoor Rug: These are a good investment and many are designed with stain-and odor-proof synthetic materials. When your pet makes a mess, you can take the rug outside, clean and dry it according to the manufacturer’s directions, then bring it back inside. You can also add a little comfort to your indoor-outdoor rug by adding a rug pad but you should consider replacing the pad yearly due to its absorbency and inability to be cleaned.
Wool Rug: These rugs are fairly easy to spot clean, but for tough stains you should consider having it professionally cleaned. Avoid the higher pile rugs, as they’re more difficult to vacuum and they take a longer time to dry after being cleaned.
Washable Slipcovers: You can treat your upholstery with Scotch Guard (always test a small area first) or have it professionally treated to help prevent stains from absorbing into the fabric. A slipcover can also be used for better protection. Slipcovers have come a long way since we were kids and you should be able to find one that suits your style and fits snugly over your furniture. Custom slipcovers can be made to fit any size furniture and in an easy-to-clean outdoor fabric too.
Leather: Keep in mind that leather is easy to scratch, but if you have the “distressed look” those scratches will not be as noticeable as the smooth option. Leather doesn’t absorb pet smells and it’s easy to wipe off, but if you have a pet with longer nails you may want to consider using a slipcover (see above).
Tile: Ceramic and porcelain tile are easy to clean and scratch-resistant. They’re also non-porous and don’t easily absorb smells from accidents. However, grout can be more absorbent, so keep the grout lines thin and seal them regularly (at least twice a year).
Faux Or Treated Hardwood Floors: If you have LVP (luxury vinyl plank) flooring, you have a great pet-friendly floor that is more resistant to scratches and liquid messes than a laminate or engineered wood option. For all of those with other types of hardwood floors you’ll need to do your best to spot the mess quickly and swiftly clean it before damage sets in.
Here’s to all the furniture snuggles with your fur-kids. If you have questions or would like to discuss flooring, fabrics or even a custom slipcover, contact Coastal Design by Kim at (850) 904-6622 or kim@coastaldesignbykim.com.
Views: 0
