We're a nation of pet lovers here in the UK. And when it comes to the relationship we have with man's best friend, we definitely consider our dogs to be part of the family. But, while we love our pets, our long-suffering sofas and sofa beds might not share in our devotion. Pets and sofas haven’t always historically been the best of friends. But we're here to show you that with the right choice of hard-wearing fabric, they can coexist in harmony.
Pet Friendly Fibres
House Collection House Linen Ink
Not every pet has a fur type that sheds. But, if your pet does drop hair the fabric you choose needs to be carefully considered. A man-made fabric such as our House Linen is great for hiding pet hairs, and also for disguising any snags or pulls. Our Stain Resistant Wool is another great choice as it's incredibly durable and doesn't attract lots of dirt and dust.
Of course, the best way to keep your sofa bed snag and hair free is to trim your pet's nails and give them a frequent brush, which will remove any loose hairs altogether.
Pet Loving Leather
Signature Collection Leather Cedar
You might think that, if you have a pet indoors, a leather sofa bed is off the cards completely. But contrary to popular misconception, leather can actually be a great fabric choice for pet friendly households. Leather is a hard-wearing fabric that only improves with age, so it's ideal for withstanding daily use. Plus, it can be easily wiped or spot cleaned if your pet should leave any dusty paw prints behind. Making it extremely easy to care for and keep in pristine condition.
Another tip for preventing dog paw prints on your sofa bed is to leave a towel by the back door. Then when your dog returns from the garden, give its paws a quick wipe before it jumps on any furniture. Not only will this curb your dog from leaving any marks on your fabric but it's also more sanitary too.
High Rub Count
House Collection House Velvet Sapphire
A fabric rub count is the measure of how hard-wearing a fabric is. The higher the rub count, the more hard-wearing. So it makes sense when sharing your sofa with a pet to opt for a fabric with a high rub count. This will ensure that the quality of your fabric doesn't deteriorate or start showing signs of age quickly. Our House Velvet fabric has an incredible rub count of 100,000. The highest in our fabric range. It's not only hard-wearing, but also stain resistant too - so it's an ideal choice for pets.
Another way you can further protect your sofa bed fabric from ageing is to have a dedicated blanket for your pet to sit on. By covering your sofa cushions with a dog blanket you're automatically putting a protective layer between your fabric and your pet. Which will also help with controlling the shedding of hair onto your sofa or sofa bed too.
House Collection Stain Resistant Broad Weave Linen Wolf Grey
No matter how careful you are with protecting your sofa bed fabric from your pet, accidents where animals are involved are hard to prevent.
One of the safest choices for pet sofa beds is to choose a fabric that's not only hard-wearing, but also washable too. Almost all of our House Collection Stain Resistant fabrics are ideal for home washing on a low heat setting. It should hold its shape and be resistant to shrinking. Removing your sofa covers and taking them to the dry cleaners every so often is also a great way to keep them fresh while protecting the fabric from deforming.
After all, the damage pets do to your sofa is not always visible to the naked eye. Fibres also have a way of absorbing scents, so a proper dry clean once a year can remove any pet odours from your seat cushions completely.
Properly Educating Pets
One of the best preventive measures you can take to instil respect for your furniture into your pet is to properly train them. Making sure to nip any bad behaviour in the bud early on in your pets' life.
It's part of a cat's nature to want to scratch and claw at things, even your beautiful love seat sofa bed. So, if you want to ensure the object of its attention isn't your sofa bed or sofa buy it a scratching post and teach it to use it. If it continues to claw at your sofa try spraying it with water whenever it starts attacking your fabric. This should soon get it to stop.
If the problem is with your dog, there are a couple of measures you can take to prevent your beloved four-legged friend from mistreating your sofa. Buy it chew toys to divert its attention away from your furniture legs or arms. And if it still wants to bite at your sofa, try putting sticky tape over the areas it repeatedly returns too. The texture should soon be enough to deter it, while protecting your fabric from damage from sharp teeth.
To explore our fabric collections, or order any of the fabrics shown above visit our free samples page.
For more advice on pet friendly fabrics contact our Customer Service experts on 020 8939 3800.
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