Furniture often suffers scratches, stains, and other kinds of damage as pets play or move on and off different pieces. Pet paws, in particular, can lead to tears because pets rely on them for grip. Unfortunately, they tend to be quite sharp or rough even with frequent grooming.
Does this mean that you should deny yourself or your family the companionship of pets? Not at all. Quality pet-friendly furniture coverings can help mitigate pet challenges and keep your furniture in good condition.
But, what exactly are pet-friendly furniture covers? How do you identify them? What should you consider when picking between different pet-friendly furniture cover options? Here is a detailed guide with all the answers you need.
What Are Pet-Friendly Furniture Coverings?
Pet-friendly furniture coverings are covers manufactured with qualities that:
- Protect furniture from scratches and stains
- Make it easy to clean up after pets
- Offer a fair amount of durability even amidst pet and ordinary household challenges
Some furniture cover brands manufacture specific collections of pet-friendly furniture coverings. Others, however, may not have pet-friendly furniture cover collections. Still, you can identify the right pet-friendly cover options from them if you know the factors to look for.
Qualities to Aim For When Selecting Pet-Friendly Furniture Covers
Scratch-resistant Materials
Scratch-resistant fabrics make it hard for pets to leave visible scratches or tears on your furniture covers. Tightly woven fabrics are ideal for this because they do not have gaps between fabric threads where pet paws can get stuck and cause tears.
Examples of such fabrics include cotton canvas or heavy polyester blends.
Stain Resistant Materials
Slobber, liquid spills, outdoor dirt, and bladder accidents are not uncommon with pets.
A stain-resistant fabric has poor absorption. It ensures that such incidents do not leave your furniture covers with stains that make the covers unsightly. Additionally, they:
- Give you a chance to spot clean before the mess sips through and settles in the fabric fibers.
- Delay liquid spills from reaching your furniture’s upholstery.
Most heavy-duty polyester fabrics offer good stain resistance. It is also a good idea to look out for fabrics treated with stain-resistant coatings; they seal the fabric and make it hard for stains to set in.
Waterproof Protection
Waterproof furniture covers prevent spills from wetting the upholstery of your furniture or staining it. They have a waterproof fabric on the interior part of the cover.
When your pet slobbers or makes any liquid-related messes, this type of cover keeps the liquid from sipping through it and onto the chair. The best part about this design solution is that the waterproof membrane can be added to most fabrics. You can thus order it as a custom feature if you find ideal covers that do not have it.
Easy Maintenance
According to the Allergy and Asthma Association of America, about 20% of the world’s population suffers some kind of allergic reaction to dog or cat fur. Other credible bodies like the NIEHS also indicate that the presence of a pet in a home can predispose you to allergies or other respiratory conditions.
Easy-to-clean furniture covers enable you to keep your furniture clean and allergen-free. Aim for machine-washable fabrics that you can wash every alternating day or weekly. Easy removal and installation are equally a plus as they facilitate cleaning.
On non-wash days, consider sanitizing the covers by vacuum cleaning and steaming. It is fast, gets rid of allergens, and kills germs. It is recommendable too if you choose light polyester furniture covers that may not fare well with very frequent machine-washes.
Breathability
A breathable fabric allows air to flow through it easily. As a result, it does not hold on to odors for too long. This is highly recommended for households with pets as they do not always carry the most ideal scents.
A Proper Fit
Pets can move a lot during play. Their movements can be fairly aggressive as well due to excitement or urgency.
Proper fitting furniture coverings or elastic ones have a snug hold on furniture. They are thus less likely to become dislodged when pets move on and off your furniture. This keeps your home looking tidy. It also keeps your furniture well-protected; loose covers easily get caught on paws and can be less effective at providing full coverage.
Elegant Aesthetics
Performance features are certainly a vital consideration when selecting pet-friendly furniture covers. That, however, does not mean that they should not look beautiful.
Aim for colors that accentuate your furniture and add positive attributes to your home decor. Furniture coverings with patterns or prints are a great pick too. They do not showcase flaws as easily as plain-colored covers.
Comfort
Both you and your pets should enjoy maximum comfort as you unwind. Prioritize soft fabrics, like cotton canvas and smooth polyester blends, that can offer such comfort. Microfiber is equally renowned as the king of comfort and would thus make a good choice too. However, it can be a fur magnet and, therefore, demands more frequent and thorough cleaning.
Customized Pet-friendly Coverings
As we have seen from the list of qualities above, it takes numerous features to make ideal pet-friendly coverings. Most furniture cover options are thus more likely to only have some of the pet-friendly features and lack others.
Customization allows you to get ideal pet-friendly furniture coverings made to your liking. You can:
- Select a suitable fabric
- Get the furniture coverings custom-fitted to your furniture
- Choose custom colors, prints, or patterns
- Request specific pet-friendly treatments like stain-resistant coating or a waterproof lining
The key here is to find a reputable furniture cover manufacturer who can work with you through the design process and deliver quality covers.
Conclusion
Maintaining a clean, lovely home with pets does not have to be an impossible challenge. Take advantage of solutions like quality pet-friendly coverings to make it all easier to handle. We also hope you explore customization options if the features you require are not available in off-the-shelf furniture coverings.
