Tips for pet-friendly interior design

When you have a pet, he or she is a member of the family. Just as you want to make sure your home is meeting the needs of each human family member, you want to be sure that your home accommodates your pet(s) as well. Not only will this make their life easier, it will make yours easier as well. Here are a few tips for creating a pet-friendly home.

Opt for hard floors

Between shedding and accidents that pets are prone to, you don’t want to have carpeted floors, at least not in any of the rooms that pets will spend time in. The best options are tile or laminate since they’re the most resistant to scratches and they’re easy to clean up should there be any accidents. If you do want to go with hardwood floors, choose only the hardest woods like oak or they’ll get scratched up quickly.

Short fiber rugs

Since you can’t have carpets, you can have some rugs to go on your hard floors but make sure they’re short fiber so they’re easier to clean. Also make sure they have a skid-proof mat beneath them so that your pet(s)--or you--don’t slip and fall.

Keep all pet amenities on the main level

If your home has a basement or second floor, avoid putting pet amenities such as a mud room, litter box, pet bed, or food/water dishes on those floors. As pets age many develop arthritis and will have difficulty climbing up or down stairs.

Invest in a mud room

If your pets frequently go outside and come back in dirty, it may be worth investing in a mud room complete with tiled floors, hot and cold water sprayers and a drain for rinsing them off. If you don’t have a room off the entryway where you can have a mud room, you can create the same kind of set up outside your front door.

Keep breakables out of reach

Pets can get a little too excited and knock over and break any fragile items that you have displayed within their reach. Not only do you want to try and keep anything breakable up high where they can’t reach, you don’t want to display them on an end table that is unsteady enough for them to knock over. Cats are tricker because they can reach higher up places. For cats, keeps breakables away from windowsills or other favorite perches.

Install baseboard radiator covers

Baseboard radiators might be a faster and more efficient way to heat your home but they’re problematic for pets who are curious and might come into contact with the heating elements causing serious burn injuries. Installing baseboard radiator covers protects your pets and makes your baseboard radiators look more stylish without negatively impacting their effectiveness.

---

Also in EZ Snap Covers Blog