If you’re a pet parent, finding dog-approved furniture that’s durable and can last for years is crucial — that is, if you want to get your money’s worth.
For that, you’ll need to find easy-to-clean fabrics and durable materials from the best selection of furniture in your area. But if you’re not sure what you need in terms of pet-friendly furniture, here are five ideas to get you started.
1. Easy-to-Clean Fabrics
Finding furniture with materials that are easy to clean can help you avoid unsightly stains you can’t get rid of and smells that seep into the fabric. Easy-to-clean fabrics usually come with descriptions like “stain resistant” and “high-performance fabric.”
Meantime, materials that are usually easy to clean include wool, polyester, leather, microfiber, polyurethane and faux leather. Find furniture comprised of one or a variety of those materials and you should have no problem keeping it intact throughout the years.
2. Metal Instead of Wood
Say goodbye to your wooden furniture, because it’s nothing but a life-size chew toy for your pets.
From our partners:
With that in mind, you’ll need to swap out any wooden furniture you own and replace it with something metal to keep it from getting gnawed up by Fluffy and Mr. Whiskers.
That means coffee tables, end tables, office furniture, dining room tables, TV stands and more. Take an inventory and decide what you need to toss and what can stay.
3. Cooling Mattress
If your furry friend tends to hop in bed with you to get a good night’s sleep, consider buying a mattress that features cooling fabric and resilient material to protect against overheating and those sharp claws.
A cooling mattress contains materials that allow it to absorb extra heat and helps regulate body temperature so that you and your pups can sleep better at night.
4. Durable, Low-Pile Rugs
When it comes to finding a rug, consider a durable, low-pile rug, which can help keep hair and dander at bay. These kinds of rugs can also help reduce your pet’s urge to scratch. Try to find one with a tight weave and avoid anything too heavily textured, as these materials tend to attract pet hair, making it difficult to clean.
Make Your Furniture (and Home) Pet-Friendly
- Avoid light fabrics: Know that light colors always show stains and marks faster than darker colored fabrics, especially when it comes to high-traffic areas.
- Match your fabric to your pet’s fur color: Choose your fabric color based on the fur color of your pet(s), if possible. Find something that’ll make the pet hair blend in, rather than stand out.
- Remove wall-to-wall carpet: If you have wall-to-wall carpet, remove it and go for rugs that can easily be cleaned, or leave your floors bare.
Fabrics to Avoid
If you want to keep your furniture in good condition, there are certain fabrics you should avoid altogether when shopping for your next piece. They include:
- Chenille: Chenille can easily get caught in your pet’s claws.
- Velvet: Velvet is hard to clean and attracts pet hair like a magnet.
- Silk: Silk is much too delicate for pet paws, and it holds moisture and stains easily.
- Woven/tweedy fabrics: Woven or tweedy fabrics can also attract pet hair easily and can be hard to clean.
Shop for a Wide Selection of Furniture
Now that you know which materials and fabrics are best suited for you and your pets, start shopping for furniture that’s durable enough to last for years.
Remember to look for furniture with a tight weave and that minimizes the appearance of fur. Shop for a wide selection of pet-friendly furniture to fill your home that the whole family, including your pets, can enjoy.
From our partners:
