Even if you match your chaise to your Siamese so well that the hairballs are barely noticeable, vacuum the furniture twice a week. Your pet may shed daily, requiring daily vacuuming.
Cleaning your dog or cat helps your house stay cleaner longer. Nails trimmed won't damage flooring or furniture. Brushing and showering regularly prevents stray hair from getting on your floor, bed, throw pillows, and drapes.
Avoid silk, chintz, and velvet, which attracts pet hair. Enjoy Crypton, a practically indestructible synthetic fabric that resists stains, odors, bacteria, and muddy paws.
A thick pad will protect your mattress from the inevitable. Use medium-colored or patterned cotton bedsheets to disguise pet hair and stains between washings.
Carpet absorbs scents, retains pet hair, and acts as a sponge for pet-related stains.
Bare flooring are the way to go, but they don't have to be bland. Painted concrete, terrazzo, and brick are all beautiful and long-lasting materials. Hardwood floors are easy to mop or vacuum and provide a warm glow to a room, but large dogs can scrape the wood.
Pig's ears and rawhide bones are goodies for dogs but bad ideas. "They're hideous, they're smelly and they're as bad for your pet as they are for your floor," he said, citing their nitrate-based greasy stains on floors and furniture.
When choosing room colors, your pet can inspire you. Paint a concrete floor gray like your cat. Honey microfiber sofa covers match your golden retriever. The fur your pet leaves behind will be less visible
Your dog should be able to return inside through a super-impervious area." She finished turning a breakfast area into a mudroom for a client's two dogs. "She wanted a place where she could get dirt off them before they came in the house.