The Worst Fabrics for Pet Owners

If you're the type of person to allow the pets on the furniture you probably get frustrated with all the cleaning and vacuuming that has to be done. While you'll never be able to eradicate this completely, there are some pet friendly fabrics that will make the job a bit easier. There are also some that will make it a nightmare. If you're going to allow the pets on the furniture it's best if you don't use the following fabrics.

Chenille
Chenille is durable and soft which makes it appealing. It also has a very nubby pile (made up of tiny little loops), which is great for hiding dirt. Beware though, that same pile can be completely destroyed by animal claws (cat claws in particular). Once the loops are pulled (even just a little) they can't really be fixed.

Velvet
There's something wonderfully luxurious about velvet, which is probably why the pets always want to curl up on it. It's easy enough to get hair off of it by wiping with a lint brush but stains aren't so easy to get rid of. Velvet gets crushed very easily so cleaning up any stains will likely cause permanent damage, as will pets roughhousing on it.

Silk
It should go without saying that silk is not a very pet or child friendly fabric. It stains, it rips, it's incredibly tough to clean, and it doesn't hold up well against any moisture. It's beautiful though, so if you want to use it in a room where there are pets stick with window treatments and not the furniture.

Tweed
Tweed can hold up well to cleaning but it's a nightmare for removing pet hair. The hairs get caught in the uneven surface and can be very difficult to remove. It also suffers from the same cat claw problem as chenille.

As a general rule, fabrics with a really tight weave are the best bets for pet-friendly upholstery. Claws are less likely to cause damage and the hair will be easier to remove than on a fabric with a looser weave. Textured weaves are also great for masking dirt and hair. If you want to allow the pets on the furniture be sure to use pet-friendly fabrics to make your life easier and safe the others for places where they won't be damaged by your four-legged friends.