5 Home Decor Tips For Pet Owners

If you're a pet owner, I don't have to tell you that you'd much rather have Rufus/Sasha curled up against you, than sleep alone on Egyptian cotton sheets with some fancy thread count. But then if you are house-proud and want to pimp your pad, here are some pointers for you.

Floor

The choice here has been made for you, my friend. Embrace hard floors - stone, tiles, red oxide, painted concrete. You don't want wall to wall carpets when there's a high possibility of "accidents" even if pooch has been toilet trained.

Keep floor rugs at a minimum 

Keep floor rugs at a minimum or use rugs that can be easily washed. Your rugs will need frequent washing thanks to paw prints, piddle and other fluids. Sometimes rugs help to protect floors, so choose hardy rugs. Secure rugs with antiskid pads so you don't have your own version of Rufus and the Flying carpet being scripted in your home.

Upholstery

Fabric upholstery on sofas and chairs is a bad idea for exactly the same reason as the above. Choose leather or mock leather to upholster your furniture. A good wipe down will make maintenance easy.

For bed linen

Choose easy care fabrics that allow you to launder them at home. You will be laundering sheets frequently to rid them of hair and stains.

For upholstery and furnishings

Choose colours that match closely to your pet's fur. That way, when Sasha is shedding or coughing up fur balls, it's not going to be stand out. Vacuum your carpets and sofas often to take care of fur.