How to Pet-Proof Your Home: Everything You Need to Consider

Every pet own­er knows that you have to watch out for your fur­ry friend and make sure they stay safe. But did you know there are things in your home that can be harm­ful to them?

You may not real­ize it, but many of the same things we use every day, like clean­ing prod­ucts or plants, can be poi­so­nous if eat­en by our pets. Read on to learn how to pet-proof your home so you can set your­self and your good boy up for success.

Safely store cleaning supplies

This is espe­cial­ly impor­tant for prod­ucts like bleach or ammo­nia, which can be tox­ic if ingest­ed. Oth­er dan­ger­ous clean­ing sup­plies include fur­ni­ture pol­ish, over clean­ers and Draino.

Clean­ing sup­plies are dan­ger­ous for pets for a few rea­sons. Many of them are poi­so­nous if ingest­ed, and they can be harm­ful if inhaled. Plus, if they come in con­tact with your pet’s skin they can cause skin irri­ta­tion or chem­i­cal burns.

So it’s essen­tial to keep all of your clean­ing sup­plies in a cab­i­net or clos­et that your pet can’t get into. This way, you can be sure that they’re not acci­den­tal­ly ingest­ing any dan­ger­ous chem­i­cals or breath­ing in harm­ful fumes.

Keep electrical cords out of reach

Elec­tri­cal cords pose a dan­ger to pets because they can eas­i­ly chew on them and get severe­ly shocked. To pre­vent this, keep all of your elec­tri­cal cords out of reach. You can do this by using cord cov­ers or tuck­ing them away behind furniture.

Display plants up high

Many house­plants are poi­so­nous to pets if ingest­ed, so keep­ing them out of reach is essen­tial. Some of the most dan­ger­ous plants include lilies, tulips, pothos and azaleas.

If you can’t keep your plants up high, dou­ble check that they’re not poi­so­nous to pets. If you have any doubt about whether a plant is poi­so­nous or not, it’s always best to err on the side of cau­tion and keep it out of reach.

Keep your trash can covered

Trash cans can be dan­ger­ous for pets because they often con­tain left­over food and sharp objects that are harm­ful. To pre­vent this, make sure to keep your trash can lid closed. And if pos­si­ble, try to find a trash can with a lock­ing lid. Some foods are not safe for dogs to eat, so hav­ing a trash can out of their reach is a must.

Block off areas of the home that your pet isn’t allowed in

When pet-proof­ing your home, one of the most impor­tant things is to block off any areas that your pet isn’t allowed in. This might mean using baby gates or clos­ing doors shut.

This is impor­tant because it can help pre­vent your pet from get­ting into trou­ble or get­ting injured.

Use pet-proof covers on furniture legs

Fur­ni­ture legs can be dan­ger­ous for pets because they often have sharp edges. On the flip side, pets often love to scratch at fur­ni­ture legs dam­ag­ing the fur­ni­ture itself. To pre­vent this, add some pet-proof cov­ers to sharp or high­ly-cov­et­ed pieces, or buy used fur­ni­ture that is safe for your pet and can with­stand a few scratches.

Use a pet-safe cleaner to clean up messes.

If your pet makes a mess, make sure to clean up with a pet-safe clean­er. Many tra­di­tion­al house­hold clean­ers con­tain harsh chem­i­cals that can be dan­ger­ous for pets if ingested.

These clean­ers are specif­i­cal­ly designed to be safe for pets and won’t harm them if they ingested.

Even the most well-behaved pets can get into trou­ble when left unsu­per­vised. Now that you know how to pet-proof your home, its time to put these tips into prac­tice! By tak­ing these sim­ple pre­cau­tions, you can help keep your pet safe and out of har­m’s way.