The Right Window Treatments for Pet Owners in Houston
It’s an image Houston pet owners probably know too well: leaving your home only to look back and see your pet’s face looking at you as you walk away. For pet owners with certain window coverings, daily trips to the window could mean trouble, as pets can make for some of the worst and lasting harm to your window treatments.
So what can you do to avoid pet damage? The simplest way is to pick a pet-friendly window covering that can stand up to even the most excitable pets. Here are some of the best (and worst) window treatments for pet owners in Texas.
Window Treatments That Aren’t Pet-Friendly
First, let’s take a look at what window treatments pet owners should not choose.
Window Treatments With Cords
Just like with window safety for children, cords are a big issue for pet owners. Pets–especially cats–are known to play with hanging cords, which may result in damage to your window treatment or worse, injury to your pet.
Instead, choose a window treatment without cords, whether they’re shutters that fit in the window frame or other window coverings that have a bottom-up top-down configuration or are automated.
Aluminum Blinds
Photo courtesy Carlos Castro via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Aluminum blinds are probably the absolute worst window treatment for pet owners. Not only do they typically operate via cord, but they’re incredibly vulnerable to damage from even the most gentle pets. Dogs or cats peeking through aluminum blinds can bend, warp, and even snap the weak slats, resulting in you having to replace the entire thing.
Fabric Window Coverings
Depending on your pet and the style of window treatment, fabrics may or may not be something to stay away from. Lengthy fabrics like curtains can “pool” on the floor, which makes them easy for dirty paws to stomp on. Fabric window coverings also frequently collect pet hair which eliminates any aesthetic value they may add. Finally, fabrics can tear, something cat owners know all too well.
Our Picks for Pet-Friendly Window Treatments
Now that we’ve seen which window treatments don’t get along with pets, we’ll take a look at the most pet-friendly window coverings.
Wood and Faux-Wood Blinds
Most of the problems aluminum blinds have, wood and faux-wood blinds fix for pet owners. Even if your pet wants to poke its head through the window, durable wood blinds can stand up to more abuse than their aluminum counterparts. In addition, their typical wide slats make it less likely for pets to get tangled in between them.
However, make sure that if you go with wood or faux-wood blinds that you get ones without cords.
Plantation Shutters - A Pet Owner’s Best Window Treatment
If damage to your window treatment or injury to your pet has you concerned, plantation shutters may assuage those concerns. Since they mount directly onto the window, there aren’t any dangling cords or fabric that might cause trouble. What’s more, even if your dog or cat is able to reach them, Polywood® plantation shutters are scratch resistant and extremely durable so damage is hardly an issue.
Plantation shutters can help keep pets happy as well. Does your dog want to peek out the window as you leave? Shutters can make it easy without much risk of damage. Does your kitten like to have a patch of sunlight to lounge in? Simply adjust the louvers to let the sunbeams come through without giving up your privacy.
In short, plantation shutters are the perfect window covering for homes with pets.
