The best pet friendly flooring ideas from Carpetright

If you’re a pet owner, you know the messes that come with the territory. Just know you’re not alone. The UK is a haven for pet lovers. In 2021 59% of British households owned a pet.

Pets can wreak havoc on the floors around them. Their claws can cause scrapes and carpet clicks, and then there are the inevitable accidents and muddy pawprints. The list goes on, as we’re sure you’re aware.

But you do have options when it comes to keeping your floor looking fabulous and furry friend approved at the same time. We’ve compiled a list of some of Carpetright’s best and most affordable flooring for pets (including laminate, vinyl and carpet) in a bid to help you make the right decision, both in terms of comfort for your animals and ease of cleaning.

That way, your four-legged friends can continue to play, and you can spend less time crying over spilt milk!

Carpet

To ensure maximum comfort for your pet, you could opt for a cut pile carpet. They do require a little bit more effort when it comes to cleaning compared to hard flooring, but carpet offers a comfortable, soft landing for your pets and comes in various colours and styles to suit your tastes. Plus, you’ll be pleased to know that carpet tiles are surprisingly easy to replace so if the odd spillage or stubborn stain does occur, there’s an easy solution and no need to fret. Just make sure to avoid cord or loop pile carpets, as your furry friends could get a claw stuck in the loops and tear the carpet or their claw!

Laminate

Laminate is another sensible choice for pet owners because of its water-resistant, easy-to-clean properties. Muddy paws and the shaking of rain-sodden fur don’t have to leave you scrubbing the floor for half an hour; try two or three minutes of effortless wiping when you’ve got laminate flooring. Another pro is that when scratches inevitably do occur, they are typically less noticeable.

Luxury vinyl

Luxury vinyl is an affordable alternative to wood or stone and the first choice for many pet owners. Why? Luxury vinyl is famously hard-wearing and perfect for combatting daily wear and tear. Its scratch-resistant and waterproof properties mean that the odd scrapes and scuffs caused by tail-waggers and mouse-chasers can be removed easily. Choose from a wide variety of different effects to complement your house décor.

Vinyl flooring

Affordable and animal-friendly, vinyl flooring often nabs the number one spot for pet-friendly flooring. Not only is it inexpensive and suitable for anywhere in your house, but vinyl flooring is also resistant to scratches and stains caused by mucky pups and playful felines. It’s also fairly noise-resistant and quick and easy to clean.

Rugs

Removable and easily cleaned, rugs offer a pet-friendly flooring alternative that appeals to a lot of animal owners. Should they get spoiled, rugs can be cleaned separately and even thrown away, if necessary, without directly impacting the rest of the floor. They also double up as beds for your pets, meaning any mess they make can be concentrated to one small area and therefore reduce the amount of time and effort spent cleaning.

At some point, spillages and staining will inevitably occur. To help with that, we’ve compiled a few tips and tricks to help keep pet-friendly flooring clean and free from dirt, muck and grime.

• Sharp claws can often do the most damage to surfaces so be sure to clip your animals’ nails regularly.
• Make sure you wipe up any accidents or spillages immediately after they’ve happened to lessen the effect they’ll have on the floor.
• Put mats underneath food and water bowls to avoid surface-scratching and unnecessary liquid spillages.
• Flooring unfortunately loses its shine fairly quickly. Be sure to refinish or condition your floors once a year if possible as that will help to protect and preserve them.
• Sometimes pets can become a little too playful inside! Try to designate a particular room/area of the house as your pet’s “play area” to make sure scuffs and scratches happen in one place only.

Get your claws on our whole range of cleaning tips for different types of flooring.