How To Choose a Pet-Friendly Area Rug

Would you love to have a beautiful rug in your home, but you’re afraid your pets might ruin it?

It’s true. Your four-legged friends could rip up the yarn or leave behind a stain if you don’t pick the right type of carpet.

Take some tips from Tufenkian on how to choose pet-friendly area rugs.

Best (& Worst) Materials

Hand-tufted and hand-knotted wool rugs are pet-friendly. The material is easy to clean, durable, and resistant to soil and stains. Other natural materials such as jute, sisal, and bamboo can also be good for pets; however, they don’t hide liquid stains well. Avoid fine materials like 100% silk and looped and hooked constructions— claws are not kind to these types of rugs.

Best Colors & Patterns

A dark-colored rug will hide dirt and debris better than a light-colored rug. But if your light-colored pet sheds, you’re going to see their fur all over the carpet. In that case, a light-colored rug may be more suitable, as long as you’re okay with stains being more visible. Your best bet is to try to match the rug color to your pet’s fur and consider carpets with patterns to help conceal stains, paw prints, and shedding.

Best Sizes & Placements

If you think you’ll need to wash your rug often because your pet isn’t potty-trained or has the occasional accident, consider using a few smaller rugs instead of a large one. You’ll have an easier time removing the rugs from the room to clean them when necessary. If you commit to a large rug, keep the majority of your furniture off of it, or else you’ll have to move everything each time there’s a mess.

Don’t Forget the Rug Pad

Using a pad under your pet-friendly area rug is a great way to protect the carpet and the floor, especially if you have larger pets that put a lot of weight on the rug as they step. The pad will also add a layer of moisture protection between your floor and your pet’s messes and keep your carpet in place if your pet gets rowdy at playtime.