Selecting the Right Fabric for a Pet-friendly Home Environment

When designing a home for pets, like in all things home, we want to balance beauty with durability and maintenance.  Pets can cause wear and tear on furniture, with their sharp, unlike claws and occasional spills on your fabric furniture, like a snack dropped by the kids on wood floors. Choosing the right fabric to ensure that your furniture survives pet ownership while still being beautiful and functional is essential, coupled with ensuring you or your pets don't feel boxed in while you are having fun! Scroll down this guide to learn which pet-friendly fabrics you want. 

Quick answer: Pet-friendly fabrics resist scratches, hide stains and clean up easily, so furniture survives life with pets. Microfibre is tightly woven and sheds fur, canvas is tough but less soft, treated performance fabrics resist stains, odors and moisture, and outdoor fabrics resist water, stains and mildew. Choose mid-tone or patterned colours to disguise fur, and vacuum regularly.

Why Choose Pet-Friendly Fabrics for Your Home?

Pet-friendly fabrics are a smart investment for your homes. Here’s why:

• Durability: Pet-proof fabrics are designed to resist scratches and tears, ensuring longevity and maintaining the striking appearance of your furniture for years. The right scratch-resistant fabrics withstand wear and tear from claws and active play.

• Ease of Cleaning: Pet-friendly fabrics offer stain resistance, which makes cleaning up messes easier. It simplifies cleaning routines, helping to keep your home smelling fresh and looking good.

• Hide Stains: Stain-resistant upholstery ensures that stains either do not stay or are very easy to get rid of.

Top Pet-Friendly Fabrics for Your Home

1. Microfibre

Due to its resilience, Microfibre is a well-liked and economical fabric option for pet parents. This synthetic pet-friendly fabric is closely woven; therefore, it resists scratching, and fur is less likely to cling to it.  

It is easy to clean - whether with the vacuum or a damp cloth - so it makes a good throw pillow fabric for a bedroom. For a deeper look at styling with soft furnishings, don’t miss our guide on how the right throw pillows can improve your bedroom décor.

Fewer pet smells absorb into a synthetic fibre versus a natural fibre, and because microfibre is a tightly woven fabric, pet hair has a tougher time getting embedded into the fabric. Nonetheless, microfibre attracts dust and lint, for which regular maintenance will be necessary to maintain its appearance. Be sure to select mid-tone colours to conceal fur or mud, and vacuum regularly; waiting for spills to dry before spot cleaning is usually a good idea.  High-quality microfibre is great at reducing the appearance of major damage from your cat's scratching, although you may see punctures from their claws, it doesn't pull in the same way a traditionally woven fabric would, therefore it isn't nearly as obvious as a blended weave fabric.

2. Canvas

Canvas is a heavy, durable fabric with a tightly woven construction that resists scratching, wear and tear, making it a smart choice for furniture in homes where pets live. Canvas does not inherently resist odors, but it can be pre-treated for stain and odor resistance, and its tightly woven construction allows for pet hair to not rarely get embedded deep into the fibre making clean-up easier than loosely woven fabrics. 

A negative to canvas is that it may not be as soft as other alternative pet-friendly materials. It may be helpful to use canvas slipcovers on outdoor cushions that can be removed for easy washing, and selecting darker and or patterned options will strategically help to hide pet hair and light staining. If you're considering canvas for your outdoor furniture, make sure you’re aware of the common mistakes to avoid when buying outdoor cushions, from choosing the wrong fabric to neglecting care requirements.

Any other tightly woven fabrics can also be dog-friendly home textiles, as they will resist and protect against scratching.

3. Treated Performance Fabrics

Treated performance fabrics are among the best fabrics for pets as it has great durability and protection. These high-performance fabrics are resistant to stains, odors and moisture, which makes them a great fabric for households with multiple pets or frequent messes. Their finish allows spills to bead up on the surface, making it incredibly easy to clean as well as actively preventing odor absorption which creates a fresh environment. 

On the downside, these fabrics cost more than standard fabrics. It is recommended to spot clean stains as soon as possible to avoid long-term stains, paired with using performance-fabric furniture with a washable throw if you want even more convenience.

4. Outdoor Fabrics

Outdoor fabrics are designed to resist the elements, making them exceptionally durable textiles for pets. These fur-resistant materials are often treated with special coatings that make them resistant to stains, water, and mildew, making them a fantastic option for homes with pets, where spills and messes are a common occurrence. 

The durable construction of outdoor pet-friendly fabrics means it can handle the daily wear and tear of pets. The weather and stain-resistant qualities of outdoor fabrics contribute to their pet-friendliness, and they are often mildew-resistant, which helps reduce pet odors that can build up.

By considering these factors when selecting pet-friendly fabrics for your home environment, you can create an inviting space that accommodates both your design aesthetic as well as your furry friends' needs. 

With careful planning around colour choices alongside appropriate material selections tailored specifically towards pet ownership lifestyles, your home will remain stylish while being functional enough even amidst all those playful antics.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sunbrella a good choice for indoor furniture with pets?

Yes. Sunbrella is an outdoor-grade, solution-dyed acrylic that works well indoors too. Most Sunbrella fabrics are water- and stain-repellent, so spills can be blotted and spot cleaned with mild soap and water, and the covers are machine washable. The colour also resists fading near sunny windows. Read more on our Sunbrella fabric page.

Can I order a pet bed in a pet-friendly fabric?

Yes. Custom dog beds and crate pads are made to the exact size you enter, so they fit a crate, a corner or the foot of a bed neatly. Choose a durable, easy-clean fabric in a mid-tone or pattern to help disguise fur and paw prints between cleanings. See our custom dog beds and crate pads.

Can I replace cushion covers that pets have damaged?

Yes. If the foam inside still feels supportive, order new covers only, measured seam to seam on the current covers. Each cover is made to within ±0.5″ of your sizes, and standard shapes ship in 2–3 weeks. There is no minimum order, so replacing a single damaged cushion is fine. Browse our custom cushion covers.