Having pets is wonderful! Your beloved cat or dog is a constant, faithful companion who will bring happiness to your life. However, they’re also really good at shredding your furniture and ruining your interior decor. Here are ten tips to decorate without your furry friend ruining your hard work.
Ditch the Carpet
Carpets are overrated for pet owners. Soft, absorbent fabric that covers your entire house and can’t be removed for deep cleaning is a tough sell when you’ve got a pet who could relieve themselves on it. Steam cleaning your carpet once a month is much more costly than just tearing it all up and starting from scratch.
Embrace Hardwood Floors
Rather than fighting to keep carpets clean all the time, get hardwood floors. It’s much easier to clean pet messes on hard, non-absorbent floors than out of carpet. What’s more, hardwood floors just look great. They’re a classy, retro look that will make your home more inviting for guests.
Bath Time
Make sure your pet gets regular bath time and groomer visits. This is especially important for dogs, as, unlike cats, they don’t usually clean themselves. Keeping their fur trimmed up and bathing them regularly helps prevent pet hair from settling on every fabric surface in your home. And cuts down on smells.
Mud Room
Get a dedicated mud room or pet room near an entrance to your home. You can use this as a cleaning station for your dog after a walk, or as a litter box room for your kitties. This helps contain pet odors to one room and lets your guests enjoy visiting your home without all the pet hair.
Stain-Resistant Material
Get furniture upholstered with stain-resistant materials. Your pet could easily have an accident on the couch or a love seat, and it’s much easier to clean up a matte surface than to go through the trouble or steam cleaning a porous, absorbent couch.
Vacuum
Cats and dogs alike can’t stand the sound of a vacuum cleaner. However, it’s still important to vacuum regularly. Not only will this pick up all the stray fur from your floors and furniture, but it’ll also eliminate any potential flea eggs hiding in the nooks and crannies of your home. Flea-free animals are happy animals!
Keep Toys Tidy
Your cats might love cardboard scratching posts and your dog could go bananas for a rawhide chew, but you may want to rethink these toys. Offer them tidier toys, instead! A rope or wood scratching post leaves much less of a mess when a kitty sharpens their claws on it. A plastic or rubber chew toy is also much neater for a dog, as it won’t leave shards of rawhide all over your home.
Match Fur Color
If your pets all have a similar fur color, you can match your interior design colors to their palette. This won’t help if you have, say, a white cat and a black dog, but if you can match your pets’ general aesthetic then you’ll be able to get away with slightly less upkeep to get fur off furniture.
Read More: How to Get Sap Out of Your Dog’s Fur
Easy to Wash Fabric
Put easy-to-wash blankets and soft pillows on your furniture where your pets like to relax. These can be easily picked up and cleaned, unlike the underlying furniture. You can even get some dedicated pet pillows and blankets that are reserved just for your furry friends. Just make sure to wash them regularly so your pets (and houseguests!) don’t get overwhelmed by the smell.
Read More: 10 Ways to Stop a Cat from Scratching the Furniture
Scent Neutralizers
You can use scent neutralizers to keep your pet’s odors from permeating your home. Cat owners can use baking soda in their litter boxes to cut down on that harsh ammonia smell. Dog owners can use aerosol fragrances and candles to help eliminate that iconic “dog smell” from their homes.
Read More: How to Reduce Cat Allergens in Your Home
