Life gets messy sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have nice things. We are new pet owners again after being a pet free home for over four years and we are reminded once again of the kind of damage these fur babies can do to our furniture. Claws, teeth and fur can all wreak havoc on your couches, armchairs and ottomans. Therefore, it’s important to know the most pet-friendly upholstery fabrics available so you don’t waste time and money reupholstering furniture that won’t be able to stand up to your pet’s paws and claws. While no fabric is 100% pet-proof, certain types of fabric options are more durable, resistant to stains and easier to clean than others. In this blog, we’ll cover our top recommendations for pet-friendly fabrics.

Breathe

Breathe by Milliken might be my favorite of all the fabrics we are sharing today. Breathe textiles are durable, repel everyday stains, clean easily, and are sustainably designed using natural or recycled fibers and a remarkable plant-based water repellent. While there are a lot of performance fabrics out there for polyester, acrylic and olefin, until Breathe there was no option for cotton.  Breathe checks all our boxes in terms of aesthetics, protection and sustainability. The Breathe fabric in our suppliers line we purchase our furniture from is pre-washed and shrunk, making it an ideal fabric for both slipcovered and fully upholstered furniture. Breathe fabrics are machine washable as well, which is a double bonus in our books.

Crypton

With its patented process, Crypton is leading the performance textile industry as the only textile that is stain, water and bacteria resistant. Crypton’s patented fabric and moisture barrier technology offers superior performance with exceptional protection from stains, odors, moisture, and mildew. The key to this super fabric is its weaving process coupled with its proven barrier. Nothing gets through Crypton to the cushion, nothing. CRYPTON fabrics are pet and kid friendly and can be spot cleaned with a mild detergent and water.

Sunbrella Fabrics

A lot of performance fabrics are simply regular fabrics with a protective surface finish. Over time, however, spills and abrasion gradually wear away at that finish, eventually exposing the fabric to potentially irreversible damage. Sunbrella fabrics’ performance doesn’t stop at the finish— it’s engineered into the core of each fabric with durable, chemically-stable fibers that are completely saturated with color. Saturated to the core with color, Sunbrella fabrics stay brilliant over time, maintaining color, vibrancy and quality no matter the environment. Sunbrella isn’t made only for outdoor furniture, they have a new line of fabrics for the interior of your home as well.

Leather & Faux Leather

Real and faux leather furniture are popular choices for pet owners. They are both stain, odor and puncture resistant, and fur doesn’t cling to them. It’s easy to brush away loose fur with a dry rag or dust catcher, and most stains wipe up easily with soap and water, or whatever cleaning solution the manufacturer recommends. Another benefit of real and faux leather is that since the material is nonabsorbent, pet dander can’t embed itself, making your furniture allergy-friendly for guests with dander and pet allergies.

Although the only way to completely pet-proof your furniture is to keep them away from it altogether, some fabrics are much more durable than others. Investing in quality furnishings that will hold up to your fur and real live human babies will you save you money in the long run. I hope you current and future pet parents found these recommendations helpful!