A cute little kitten or puppy can be a great source of comfort and enjoyment to homeowners and renters everywhere. Unfortunately, these cute pets can also be the source of extensive damage to your home’s interior finishes and furniture. From stains on carpets to scratches on furniture, the list of pet caused damages can be wide-ranging. Fortunately there are easy and cost effective temporary surface protection products available to prevent this expensive damage.
Carpet stains are the most common type of pet damage incurred. This damage occurs prior to the pet being house broken or with older, incontinent pets. While there are products on the market to mask the smell of these areas, they do little to protect the carpet from additional accidents. Carpet film or carpet “mask” used routinely during construction, works extremely well at covering the carpet so that urine or feces cannot soak through the carpet and padding. Since film can remain on the carpet for up to 45 days, it gives owners time to train their pet or to replace the film as needed monthly. Carpet films can be found in local contractor supply shops as well as larger home centers throughout the country.
Scratches on doors are one of the most expensive damages incurred by pet owners. Whether constructed of wood, fiberglass or metal, doors can be protected temporarily by using DoorGuard™ door protectors. The DoorGuard™ easily attaches to the door using giant rubber bands and provides a ¼” layer of sturdy cardboard that pets cannot easily penetrate with claws. The DoorGuard™ can remain in place indefinitely giving the pet owner time to install a pet door or other means to prevent future scratching. DoorGuard™ is available online only. To prevent the scratching of door jambs, there are several products on the market including Jamb Saver,™ a temporary plastic jamb protector, or Jamb Pro,™ a compressed cardboard version that works similarly. Jamb protectors are available at select contractor or surface protection stores of via online purchase.
Perhaps one of the most common complaints from pet owners is the scratching of wood or upholstered furniture. Millwork protection or Protecta-foam™ is a safe and reliable product designed to protect wood and other surfaces from damage. This adhesive foam easily wraps around wood chair legs or table legs to protect them from pet claws. In test studies, surfaces protected by the adhesive foam were completely avoided by both kittens and puppies. It was not clear whether it was a particular foam smell that pets avoided or simply that the foam did not provide tactile satisfaction. Protecta-foam is readily available via online purchase or from select contractor retail outlets.
Adhesive mats or “sticky mats” used during construction can also be a great way for pet owners to control the effects of hair shedding on floors. These adhesive mats are designed with peel away plastic sheets that collect pet hair or dirt. When the plastic sheet is covered in hair or dirt, the pet owner simply peels it away and discards it to expose a clean adhesive sheet. Mats are packaged in either 30 sheet or 60 sheet packs and each sheet can last up to 7 days. Adhesive mats are available from pet stores, surface protection stores or contractor specific retail locations.
In summary, new pet owners can use many of the same products builders and contractors use during construction and remodeling to prevent expensive surface damage. Surface protection products give new pet owners time to train their pets and to cost effectively protect against the normal damage caused by new pets.
