How to Have a Pet Friendly Home

We all know pets can be a blessing… and a curse. They can give us tons of hours of entertainment and love, but let’s be real about it – they can be a pain in the butt to take care of! You have the food, the cleaning, the regular veterinarian visits. And on top of this, you have to keep a clean home. Usually clean homes and pets don’t go together – like oil and water! I’m personally a cat guy, but I’ve had dogs and birds and they can all get your place wild. But there are ways to keep your home clean even when you have some furry creatures roaming around – we’ll go through each pet tip one by one.

Pet Tip #1: Make your furniture pet-proof

When I say pet-proof furniture, I mean taking care of the upholstery. Obviously, if we’re talking about plastic lawn furniture all you need is a good hose and maybe some soap. But with upholstered furniture, you’re going to want to cover your seat cushions with covers that you can zip off. This makes it easy to just zip-off and throw in the laundry to wash and clean. When you’re dealing with pets on a daily basis, easy-clean is key. Don’t even bother buying fabrics that you have to dry clean – it isn’t worth the hassle and headache involved. Get covers that are easy maintenance.

When purchasing a sofa or love seat, make sure to get a fabric that’s a dark color like tan or brown (that way dirt won’t show) or a white color that can be bleached. Don’t worry too much about light colors like cream because many spot removers work very well when you’re dealing with light colored fabrics.

Pet Tip #2: Get pet beds that are easy clean and comfortable for your pet

If you have a pet that always sleeps on the same seat, you might want to cover that seat with a throw that’s washable for example. You’re going to want to go with fabrics that react well to regular laundering. If you have a cat that likes snoozing on a dining or coffee table, make those items you have on the table durable and simple. Don’t bother with expensive and easy to break table accessories – they won’t last too long!

Pet Tip #3: As a pet owner, remember you are responsible for pet training

Instead of getting upset at your pet, focus your attention on learning techniques that will make it easier for you to teach your pet about what they can and can’t do. Have a system where you consistently dissuade the pet from jumping on the dining if you don’t like them there, for example.

The key to pet training is consistency and firmness with a loving touch. And lots of treats help too (of course).