A cute and cuddly puppy or kitten or a fabulous feathered friend can help make a house feel more like home. But what if you share your home with one of these delightful creatures, and you still want an Oriental rug?
Is it possible to have a pet-friendly home and still keep an Oriental rug looking good? Of course it is! Just keep in mind that a little extra maintenance may be involved, for both your rug and your pet, and everyone will be happy and the rug will stay clean.
Keep Your Rug Out Of Reach
One way to do this is to keep the room where your favorite Oriental rug is located off-limits to pets. That way you won’t have to worry about them damaging or destroying your rug.
Cats love fringes and anything that dangles. If you have an Oriental rug that you use as a decorative wall hanging, make sure your cat cannot reach the fringe.
If you are able to block off the room in its entirety via a closed door, this may be best for you and your Oriental rug.
Distract Your Pet With Other Alternatives
One of the best things you can do for your Oriental rug is to make sure your sweet and precious pets have enough toys. How does this affect the rug? A dog that has plenty of chew toys is less likely to be interested in your rug’s decorative fringe. If your cat has a scratching post and toys to play with, they won’t have any interest in scratching up the fibers on the rug.
As a last resort, there are foul-tasting sprays that you can buy and spray on the rug to keep your pets from chewing on them.
Dealing With Accidents
If your pet is just a puppy or kitten, or if you have an elderly pet, accidents may sometimes happen. Don’t lose your cool. Cleaning up the mess as quickly as possible will prevent any permanent damage to the rug. Most solid waste can be picked up with gloves and paper towels, while pet urine should be blotted, sprayed with a specialty cleaner, and then blotted again.
Inculcate good “potty-training” habits in your pets right at the beginning. This is the best thing you can do to keep your rug clean. Make sure your pet has space where they may eliminate either outside the home or in a room that does not have a rug or other valuable items lying around.
Customize Your Strategies To Your Pet
Ultimately, the exact strategy will depend on what types of pets you have.
If you have a dog, give them plenty of toys to keep them occupied so they don’t chew the rug just out of boredom. Also, make sure to take them outside regularly to avoid any accidents on your rug.
If your cat is an indoor cat, make sure to clean their litter box regularly, and do not keep the litter box in the same area as the Oriental rug.
If you have a bird, do not allow the bird to fly around the same room where the rug is located.
Pets and Oriental rugs can happily coexist. Good training habits and quick clean-ups work wonders, and keep the entire family much happier.
