We all love our pets, whether it’s cats, dogs, birds, rabbits or reptiles, and we want to make them a part of our family. That doesn’t necessarily mean we love what they do to our furniture. Unfortunately most pets tend to shed fur, have accidents, scratch, or otherwise harm your beautiful furniture. If you’d like to keep that investment looking great, then we have some pet friendly tips for you.

Texture and Design
Obviously, the all white cloth couch is out of the question for most pet owners, but did you know that certain designs and textures can actually mask the appearance of grime and fur? Jay Jeffers of the Jeffers Design Group had this to say on the matter in a Chicago Sun Times article, “I would always suggest a fabric with a small pattern or texture – a herringbone pattern or small check creates a great disguise.” Also getting furniture that matches your pets fur to a degree can be helpful – you wouldn’t want glaring black fur on a cream colored couch, right?

Fabric Versus Leather
This is an age-old debate when it comes to furniture, so you’ll have to choose what best suits your family, but here are some pros and cons:

Leather is easy to clean: simply wipe away any mess or dirt with a damp cloth and dry. And it won’t catch fur and dust as easily as upholstered furniture can. Unfortunately, you run the risk of your friend’s claws ripping or scratch your leather furniture. Shoot for high-end leather, not bonded, and the more forgiving over-stuffed look. Leather can also feel cooler and some pets don’t prefer to lay on the chillier, slippery surface.

Fabric you can be treated with many different types of cleaners to remove stains and smells. The Gonzo pet stain remover for example is an American made and does the trick. Fabric furniture also typically comes in many varying colors and designs for better camouflage. You won’t feel guilty slip covering a fabric furniture piece, as the actual material was not what you dropped major bucks on.

Microfiber
Unlike most of other fabrics, microfiber is less appealing to cats that enjoy scratching. It’s also much easier to clean off pet hair and dander, simply vacuum or lint roll the surface to remove unsightly fur.

Grooming and Other Products
Lastly, we suggest grooming your dogs and cats regularly. With a good brush and nail trim you can almost eliminate most couch destroying problems. Removing the undercoat on all furry critters helps immensely in the shedding department, and getting nails ground down with a pet grooming Dremel can reduce sharp edges. Training is another great option, you never have to worry about pets on the couch if the well trained pets know they aren’t allowed.

We hope that with these tips you and your pet can love your furniture and keep it looking its best as long as possible. Let us know how you deal with pets on the living room furniture in the comments below!