Pet Friendly Furniture Buying Guide

Your pets are a part of your family; however, that doesn’t eliminate the unpleasant byproducts of your furry roommates. Shedding, scratching, and “accidents” can cause permanent damage to your furniture. This guide will help you find furniture that can endure your pets so you can live a happy and stress-free life together.

Step 1: Know Your Pets

You know your pets better than anyone. Use this knowledge to help prevent long-term damage to your furniture from having your pets inside the house. As you begin shopping keep the following pet habits in mind.

Scratching

Cats and dogs who scratch their claws on your furniture can cause lasting damage and unsightly marks. Choose a tightly woven fabric or a patterned fabric to resist damage and hide claw marks.

Licking / Chewing

Pets clean themselves by licking their fur. This can cause unsightly wet spots on your upholstery similar to water marks. If your pet is more of a chewer, this can be detrimental to any furniture with exposed wood. Be wary of microfiber materials as they are prone to water marks.

Training

Young animals can take some time to house train. Messy accidents are going to happen. Choose a fabric that is easily wiped clean and doesn’t retain odors.

Step 2: Choose the Right Fabric

Upholstered pieces are the least to survive naughty pet behavior and damage. In most cases leather, distressed leathers, and synthetic fabrics, have the greatest chance of survival. By choosing a fabric that you love and reduce your worry, you will save both money and time.

Leather

Benefits

• Easy to remove stray hairs
• Easily Wiped Clean
• Odor Resistant

Disadvantages

• Easily scratched
• Blemishes are apparent

To learn more about leather, click HERE to see our Leather Buying Guide.

General Fabric (will differ depending on the type)

Benefits

• Easy to remove stray hairs
• Easy to wipe clean
• Scratches are not as apparent.
• Tightly woven fabrics tend to resist damage

Disadvantages

• Vulnerable to trapping odors
• Solid colored fabrics:
• Show blemishes
• May show water marks

Fabrics to Avoid

Tweed

Nearly impossible to remove pet hair from tweed.

Velvet

Cannot clean stains out of velvet.

Chenille

Clawing will easily destroy Chenille.

Silk

Much too delicate for daily use.

Other Things to Consider

• Taking frequency and proper care of your pets will help minimize furniture damage. Routine bathing, nail clipping, and outside potty breaks is not only a healthy lifestyle for your pets, it minimizes the amount of wear on your furniture.
• When accidents do happen, take the time to properly wipe them up in that moment to help prevent potential permanent stains and odors from setting into your furniture.
• If you want to maintain the maximum lifespan of your furniture, consider buying furniture specifically for your pets. Dog beds and cat trees will give your pet a place of their own to relax without worrying you.
• If your pet loves to scratch or chew, get a scratching post or extra toys so they’ll avoid your furniture for such activities.
• Slipcovers can protect your upholstery from your pets and can also be easily changed out for a quick new look.

• If your cat loves to scratch or dog loves to chew, make sure they have scratching posts or toys nearby to steer them away from your furniture.
• Slipcovers are a great way to not only protect your upholstery from your pets, but to also introduce a new look or color for your piece.