The Best Window Coverings for Pet Owners in Tampa
It’s a scenario pet owners in Tampa know all too well: leaving your home only to look back and see your four-legged friend’s face in the window as you walk away. For pet owners with certain types of window coverings, regular trips to the window could spell disaster, as pets can make for some of the worst harm to your window treatments.
So what can you do to prevent pet damage? The simplest way is to pick a pet-friendly window covering that can stand up to even the most finicky pets. We’ve rounded up some of the best (and worst) window coverings for pet owners across Florida.
Non Pet-Friendly Window Treatments
Let’s start by taking a look at what window treatments homeowners with pets should not choose.
Window Coverings With Cords
Similar to children’s window safety, cords can be a big issue for pet owners. Dogs and cats alike are known to play with dangling cords, which might mean damage to your window covering or worse, injury to your pet.
Instead, choose a window treatment without cords, such as shutters that fit in the window frame or other window treatments that operate by a bottom-up top-down configuration or are automated.
Metal Blinds
Photo courtesy Carlos Castro via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Metal blinds are possibly the absolute worst window treatment for homeowners with pets. Not only do the blinds typically operate via cord, but they’re incredibly susceptible to damage from even the most gentle pets. Dogs or cats peeking through aluminum blinds can warp, bend, or even snap the thin slats, which means you’ll need to replace the whole window treatment.
Fabric Window Coverings
Depending on your pet and the style of window covering, fabrics may or may not be something to avoid. Lengthy fabrics like draperies can “puddle” on the ground, which makes them easy for dirty paws to stain. Fabric window coverings also have a tendency to collect pet hair which eliminates any aesthetic value they can add. Finally, fabrics can tear, which means trouble for cat owners.
The Most Pet-Friendly Window Treatments
Now that we’ve seen which window coverings don’t mix well with pets, let’s go over some pet-friendly window coverings.
Real Wood and Faux-Wood Blinds
Many of the problems aluminum blinds have, wood and faux-wood blinds fix for pet owners. Even if your dog or cat wants to peek through the window, sturdier wood blinds can stand up to more abuse than metal blinds. Also, their typically wider slats make it less likely for pets to get their bodies tangled in them.
However, be sure that if you buy wood or faux-wood blinds that you go with ones without cords.
Plantation Shutters - The Best Window Treatment for Pets
If damage to your window treatment or injury to your pet has you worried, plantation shutters may assuage those concerns. Since they’re mounted directly into the window frame, there aren’t any dangling cords or fabric able to cause trouble. And, even if your pet is able to climb up, Polywood® plantation shutters are scratch resistant and extremely sturdy so damage is rarely a concern.
Plantation shutters can help keep pets happy too. Does your dog want to poke its head out the window as you head out? Shutters can let it do so without any chance of damage. Does the cat want a patch of sunlight to nap in? Simply adjust the louvers and let the sunbeams come through without losing any privacy.
In short, plantation shutters are the best window covering for pet owners.
