Though pet owners often opt for hard-surface flooring for longevity within their homes, scores of animal lovers aren’t ready to part with their carpet just yet. With the rising popularity of specialty flooring such as Smart Strand and soil-free carpeting, it is evident that homeowners are choosing to stick with carpets even in spite of their four-legged family members.
If you revel in the comfort of carpet flooring as much as you love your pets, you shouldn’t have to choose one over the other. Rest assured that with the right amount of effort and insight on your part, both pets and carpets can cheerfully coexist within your home. Take the following tips into consideration when choosing a pet-friendly carpet or learning to maintain the one you already have installed.
Choosing Carpet Fibers
If you’re like most carpet lovers, you pay more attention to how the pile feels beneath your feet and not as much to which fibers make up its bulk or how it is constructed. As a pet owner, make an effort to educate yourself on the various types of fibers as outlined in this ElleDecor carpet buying guide.
Each fiber type such as polyester or nylon has a unique set of attributes. One may outshine the others, depending on your individual circumstance. Pet owners should weigh their carpet fiber options based on the big versus small animal philosophy described in Carpet Captains guide to pet-friendly flooring.
Pet-Proofing Your Floors From the Get-Go
There are a few nonnegotiable tips you need to keep in mind when choosing a pet-friendly carpet. Regardless of your individual needs, your best bet is to install one that is least susceptible to damage from your pets. The following three factors are key to pet-proofing your floor:
• Choose a cut-pile versus a looped-pile carpet. Loops can become unraveled by a pet’s claws.
• Match the color of the carpet to your pet’s fur so that shedding is not as noticeable.
• Install the carpet in tiles rather than sheets; this way you can replace or repair damaged patches more easily.
• Choose a stain-resistant carpet; your pets accidents will only result in a surface stain instead of setting deep into the fibers.
• Support the carpet with waterproof padding; this will prevent any pet accidents from seeping through to the floor underneath.
Keeping Up With Regular Maintenance
No matter how efficient your carpet is in terms of accommodating your pets, you still have to keep on top of maintaining it. Damage control in the form of carpet repairs and routine cleanings is paramount. More often than not, even if your carpet sustains damage from a pet’s propensity to scratch and chew on it, you can salvage it by immediately bringing in the professionals. If you choose to wait before repairing a small hole or removing a barely-there stain, your problem is likely to expand, as is the cost to have it fixed.
With such a wide variety of carpeting on the market today, it’s safe to say that floor surfaces are being adapted to various lifestyles instead of the other way around. When neither sacrificing a pet nor living without carpet is an option, the wealth of educational resources on carpet fibers and maintenance are your best allies. Enlisting the help of carpet repair professionals to ensure regular quality maintenance is also key. Ultimately, pets and carpet flooring can go hand-in-hand with some effort on the part of the homeowner and pet owner.
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