Ways to Make Your Kitchen Pet Friendly

If you have a four-legged furry friend in your home, you’ll know that they are plain and simple a part of the family. All the more reason to make every room in your home pet friendly, especially the room in the house notorious for familial bonding: the kitchen. Take a look at these five ideas for making your kitchen pet-friendly.

Set up a feeding station

Designating one spot in your kitchen specifically for your pets will not only welcome them into your kitchen, but lessen the pet-related clutter by keeping everything pertaining to your furry friends – food, leash, toys et cetera – in one spot.

Feeding stations can be pricey; luckily, you can DIY your own. Learn how here.

Photo Source: hgtv.com

Pet proof floors

The type of flooring you have in your kitchen definitely affects how welcome your pets are in the kitchen. Porous materials such as stone, or surfaces that are prone to scratching, like hardwood, may suffer when faced with claws and messes. Materials like tile, linoleum, laminate and vinyl are your best bets. You could also consider engineered hardwood: http://marcandmandy.com/hardwood-vs-engineered-hardwood/

Set up a daybed

Underneath your kitchen island, or even under a table of some sort, is the perfect place to set up a napping station for your four-legged family member.

Photo Source: st.hzcdn.com

Consider pet safety

Just like you would child-proof your home in anticipation for a new baby, you’ll need to take measures to pet-proof your kitchen. Pets can sustain injuries from eating food that’s laying around, jumping onto hot surfaces and chewing on electrical cords – just to name a few. If you’re going to welcome your pet into the kitchen ensure you’re taking preemptive measures to ensure their safety:

Keep all food tightly sealed and out of reach, either behind closed doors or on high shelves.
The same goes for cleaning products, keep them sealed and out of reach when you’re not using them.
Unplug corded appliances and keep them wrapped up and stored when they are not in use.
Consider switching from a gas burning stovetop to an electric model, which will cool down faster after use. Keep your burners covered after use.
Keep trash and recycling in a place where they can’t be accessed by your pet, or ensure that garbage, compost and recycling stations have lids that can be tightly secured.

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