The Most Popular Window Treatments for Pet Owners in Gainesville
There’s an image Gainesville pet owners are all too familiar with: leaving your house only to look back and see your furry friend’s face looking at you as you leave. For pet owners with certain types of window treatments, frequent trips to the window could mean trouble, as dogs and cats can make for some of the worst damage to your window treatments.
So how do you protect against pet damage? The easiest way is to pick a pet-friendly window treatment that can stand up to even the most excitable pets. Let’s take a look at some of the best (and worst) window coverings for pet owners throughout Florida.
Window Treatments That Aren’t Pet-Friendly
We’ll start by taking a look at which window treatments homeowners with pets should avoid.
Corded Window Coverings
Just like with children’s window safety, cords are a big issue for pet owners. Dogs and cats alike are known to play with dangling cords, which can mean damage to your window treatment or in some cases, injury to your pet.
Opt instead for window treatments without cords, whether they’re shutters that attach to the window frame or other window treatments that have a top-down bottom-up configuration or are automatic.
Metal Blinds
Photo courtesy Carlos Castro via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Metal blinds are probably the absolute worst window treatment for homes with pets. Not only do the blinds usually operate by cord, but they’re incredibly vulnerable to damage from even the most well-behaved pets. Dogs or cats looking through aluminum blinds can warp, bend, and even snap the weak slats, so you’ll have to replace the entire set of blinds.
Fabric Window Coverings
Fabrics may be something to stay away from, depending on your pet and the style of window treatment. Long fabrics like curtains can “pool” on the ground, which makes them easy for dirty paws to stomp on. Fabric window coverings also usually end up collecting pet hair which eliminates any style value they could add. Finally, fabrics can tear, something cat owners know all too well.
Our Recommended Pet-Friendly Window Treatments
Now that we’ve seen which window coverings don’t get along with pets, let’s take a look at the most pet-friendly window treatments.
Wood and Faux-Wood Blinds
All of the problems aluminum blinds have, wood and faux-wood blinds fix for pet owners. Even if your pet wants to look through the window, resilient wood blinds can handle more abuse than aluminum blinds. Plus, their typical wide slats make it more difficult for pets to get their bodies tangled in them.
But, make sure that if you opt for wood or faux-wood blinds that you choose ones without cords.
Plantation Shutters - The Most Pet Friendly Window Treatment
If injury to your pet or damage to your window treatment has you concerned, plantation shutters may reduce those concerns. Since they’re mounted directly into the window frame, there are no dangling cords or fabric that might cause issues. And, even if your pets are able to climb up, Polywood® plantation shutters are resistant to scratches and extremely sturdy so damage is hardly an issue.
Plantation shutters keep your pets happy too. Does your dog want to look out the window as you leave? Shutters can make it easy without any chance of damage. Does your kitten want a patch of sunlight to nap in? Simply adjust the louvers and let the sunbeams come through without compromising privacy.
In effect, plantation shutters are the most ideal window covering for pet owners.
