Pets are adorable, but who has time to supervise their pets 24/7? No one. That’s why it’s important to pet-proof your home to keep your animals safe and keep your home from looking like a disaster zone.
Revamping your house with your pet in mind does not have to be expensive or difficult. With a help of a handyman or some DIY kits, there are plenty of options to make pet-proofing home a stress-free undertaking. Here are 6 tips to pet proof your home:
Tip 1: Check Escape Routes
If your pet can dart through doors and under gates, or venture downstairs and run into the street, it’s important to make sure doors and gates close properly to keep them from escaping. Check these fixtures regularly because you’d be surprised how determined a pet can be in pushing against fixtures until they get through to the other side.
It’s also recommended to inspect fencing to fix any holes in, around or under hedging or fencing immediately. Many dogs and cats can scale fences, so ensure that your boundary enclosures are tall enough to stop your four-legged friends from journeying on adventures into the unknown.
Tip 2: Keep Poisonous Items Away
Pets love to eat. Keep kitchen, bathroom and garden chemicals safely locked away from where they can’t gain access to them. Most adult pets will instinctively avoid poisonous indoor and outdoor plants, however some (especially the young ones) can occasionally fall victim to them. And no one wants that.
Pets love to eat. Keep kitchen, bathroom and garden chemicals safely locked away from where they can’t gain access to them. Most adult pets will instinctively avoid poisonous indoor and outdoor plants, however some (especially the young ones) can occasionally fall victim to them. And no one wants that.
Tip 3: Allocate Your Pet Their Own Space
Pets love being in your space, but they like their own space too – where they can rest without ruckus and safely play and leave their own toys. Erect some barriers and/or call a local handyman to help you install a more professional (and probably more longer lasting) pet enclosure.
Tip 4: Create No-Pet Zones
If you like having your own space too – free from animal hair and pet toys, you might like to create no-pet zones by shutting doors to certain rooms or installing doorway barriers with safety latches.
Tip 5: Keep Electrical Cords Out of Reach
Pets can love to chew, so keep electrical cords out of reach and use ground fault interrupted circuits that help prevent shocks or sparks if chewed on. Consider also securing loose cords to the floor or baseboards.
Tip 6: Prevent Pets From Falling
If you live in a two-storey home or a high-rise apartment, it’s also important to protect your pets from falling unexpectedly by keeping lower windows shut – which keeps pets in and helps to keep burglars out. Depending how active your pets are, you may need to think about installing hard plastic to your balcony so they can’t fall through the railings – just like you would for babies and small children as well.
Final Tip…
However smart you might be, your pets can sometimes outsmart you. So it’s a good idea to read more tips online, as well as ask the advice of a handyman or some of your friends who have pets and have learned what works and what doesn’t, so you can keep your pet as safe as possible.