As proud pet owners, of course, we want to give our cats and dogs full range of our homes and let them follow us wherever we go and keep us company at all hours of the day and night. But keeping your home clean and functional with one or more animals living in it is a tall order.
Just one dog or cat can create quite a bit of mess all by themselves without even trying to! Keeping the floors and walls free of stray pet hair is a constant struggle for the majority of pet owners. And if your pets aren’t housebroken, you’ll have a whole other set of problems to deal with.
Not to worry though! With the right smart adjustments to your living space, you can mitigate the worst of the mess and keep it from getting out of control. Here are four pet-friendly interior design innovations that should improve both your and your pet’s cohabitation experience.
1. Pet-Friendly Mudroom
To keep your home free of dirt and grime when taking the dogs in from a walk, consider converting the entryway to your home into a mudroom. By creating a barrier between the entrance and the rest of the home, you can set up a space for your dog to get cleaned up before entering the house.
This is also a good place to store pet supplies you’ll need when leaving the house, such as leashes and pet carriers. You can even store your service dog registration paperwork in this room, so you can grab it easily before leaving for the airport to take your service dogs on a plane.
2. Designated Pet Room
If you have a spare room in your house or apartment, a room set aside for your pets alone will help to keep the naturally occurring animal debris from accumulating throughout the rest of the house. If your pets spend most of their time in their own space, the worst of the mess will stay there, out of sight of any houseguests that might be visiting.
You can keep all of your pet’s belongings in this room, such as their bed, toys, food, leashes, pet carriers, and anything else they might need. You’ll need to clean this room thoroughly once in a while, but it will be worth it to keep the pet hair and potential accidents from occurring throughout the entire living space.
3. Easy-to-Clean Flooring
With a furry pet walking around your house all day, the stray pet hair is bound to start piling up on your floors pretty quickly. And if your pet has an unexpected accident, depending on what kind of flooring you have, it can be a real chore to clean up.
Avoid carpet and hardwood flooring for rooms frequently occupied by pets. It can be rather annoying to get the hair out of carpet, and pet urine will stain hardwood floors if not cleaned up right away. Instead, opt for laminate or tile flooring, which is much easier to sweep and mop and less prone to staining.
4. Fur-Free Walls
Besides the floors, another place that tends to gather pet hair that is often overlooked by pet owners is the walls. Even if your pet isn’t actively rubbing its body up against the wall, walls that are textured will attract stray pet hair from the air. It can look quite unsightly when so much fur has been collecting on a single wall for months.
To avoid this, opt for paints and wall finishes that are less textured, such as satin or semi-gloss paint.
Conclusion
Pets can be a messy addition to the family, but the companionship they provide is more than worth it. With these simple tips and tricks, you can help keep your home as neat as possible while allowing it to be a safe haven for your furry friends.
