Dogs and cats may be your best friends, but they certainly don’t have the same regard for the finer things in your home that you do. Whether you have a puppy that likes to chew everything in sight, your cat likes to claw the drapes and climb through the blinds, or your dog goes ballistic and attacks the blinds when he sees a squirrel, the mail carrier, or family members returning from work or school, you could end up with destroyed window treatments before you know it.
What can you do to minimize the damage and preserve your pricy and attractive window treatments when you have pets in the home? Here are a few tips and tricks to stop the carnage, keep your pets happy, and maintain gorgeous window treatments for years to come.
Skip Long Drapes
Whether you have dogs or cats, drapes that pool on the floor might not be the best option for covering your windows. Sure, they add drama and depth to your décor, not to mention the illusion of greater height in every room, but when your rambunctious pets sit on them, claw them, or pull on them like they’re a toy, they’re going to get shredded, or worse, come tumbling down on your furry friends. If you’re going to use drapery to enhance your décor, it’s probably better to choose products sized to hit the bottom of the window frame instead of extending all the way to the floor.
Keep Window Treatments Open
Whether you have blinds, shades, shutters, or drapes, keeping them closed is an impediment to pets keen to look out the window. The outside world is like pet TV, providing an ongoing soap opera of neighborhood dogs being walked, mail carriers making deliveries, and birds and squirrels flitting by.
If you try to stop your pets from looking out, there’s a good chance they’ll find a way to get their entertainment, even if it means destroying your window treatments in the process. The simple solution is to open window treatments enough to give pets a good view, as well as keep materials out of reach of damaging paws and claws.
Opt for Vertical Blinds
Choosing the right products is just as important as what you do with them, and when you have pets that are prone to damaging horizontal window treatments by chewing or climbing through slats, you can nip the problem in the bud with vertical blinds. They shift and sway to allow pets to peek through and they’re much harder for dogs to gnaw and cats to use as a scratching post since the bottom portion is not fixed in place.
Choose Cordless Products
Just like kids, pets can get tangled up in cords meant to open and close blinds, shades, and drapes. If you want to eliminate this possible choking or strangulation hazard, just select window coverings that offer cordless functionality.
Choosing and installing the right window treatments can make a world of difference when it comes to keeping your pets safe and avoiding damage. Contact the experts at The Blinds Side at 410-630-6940 or [email protected] to learn more and find the best window coverings for your home.