When you have pets, you have to be careful with furniture. Your sofa or armchair can easily turn into a giant scratching post, chew toy, or hair magnet. And the upholstery fabric you choose can make a big difference.

Some fabric is more pet-friendly than others, Apartment Therapy points out. They share a a few of their best options for furniture fabric when you have pets. A couple of them include:

Consider Synthetic Fiber (Ultrasuede/Microfiber): It’s not always easy to get excited about this choice aesthetically (that said, there are always exceptions, especially if the shape of the sofa or chair is super stylish), but it’s about as close to “pet proof” as you can get. Cats don’t seem to like scratching it (especially if there is a scratching post nearby) and even if they try, it’s easy to brush away, if it even shows up. Cleaning is easy too, especially if the upholstery code is “W”: you can use a simple solution of soap and water.

Lots to Love with Leather: The allure of leather is that it is mostly resistant to odor and it doesn’t attract pet hair. If by chance some actually happens to find its way onto the cushions, it wipes off easily with a dust cloth. Cats seem to avoid leather as long as there is a scratching post nearby, and if your dog leaves a scratch you can usually buff it out. If it’s an option, choose distressed leather, it will draw less attention to scratches and scuffs.

Embrace Outdoor Fabric: Widely available and intended for (surprise) use outdoors, this fabric is extremely easy to clean and can be found in beautiful colors and prints and natural materials. While it might not always be as soft as the synthetic fibers mentioned above, it’s got more going for it in the way of patterns and prints. If your pet has found a favorite chair or spot on a specific sofa, it might be worth the effort to get a slipcovers made out of this fabric.

Fabrics to Avoid: chenille, velvet, wool, linen, silk, and tweed

They suggest staying away from tweed, which can trap the hair in its weave. Of course, pets and their habits vary, so your mileage will, too. But each of their suggestions have some valid points to consider. Check out the full post for yourself here.

Source: https://lifehacker.com Kristin Wong