The Most Popular Window Coverings for Pet Owners in Honolulu
It’s a scenario pet owners in Honolulu know all too well: leaving your home only to glance back and see your four-legged friend’s face peeking through the window as you leave. For pet owners with certain types of window coverings, daily trips to the window might mean trouble, as pets can cause some of the worst accidental damage to your window treatments.
So how can you avoid pet damage? The easiest way is to choose a pet-friendly window treatment that can handle even the rowdiest pets. Let’s dive into some of the best (and worst) window treatments for pet owners throughout Hawaii.
Non Pet-Friendly Window Treatments
We’ll start by taking a look at what window treatments homeowners with pets should not choose.
Window Coverings With Cords
Just like with window safety for children, cords are a problem for pet owners. Dogs and cats alike are known to play with hanging cords, which might result in 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 coverings that operate by a bottom-up top-down configuration or are automatic.
Metal Blinds
Photo courtesy Carlos Castro via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Metal blinds might be the absolute worst window treatment for pet owners. Not only do they usually operate via cord, but they’re extremely susceptible to damage from even the most gentle pets. Dogs or cats looking through aluminum blinds can bend, warp, and even snap the thin slats, so you’ll have to replace the whole thing.
Fabric Window Treatments
Fabrics might be something to avoid, depending on your pet and the type of window covering. Long fabrics like curtains can “puddle” on the floor, making them easy for dirty paws to stain. Fabric window coverings also frequently collect pet hair which nullifies any aesthetic value they might add. Finally, fabrics can tear, something cat owners know all too well.
Our Picks for Pet-Friendly Window Treatments
Now that we’ve seen which window coverings don’t get along with pets, we’ll dive into the more pet-friendly window treatments.
Wood and Faux-Wood Blinds
All of the problems aluminum blinds have, wood and faux-wood blinds resolve for pet owners. No matter if your pet likes to poke its head through the window, resilient wood blinds can stand up to more abuse than aluminum blinds. Plus, their usual wide slats make it harder for pets to get their arms or necks tangled in between them.
However, make sure that if you opt for wood or faux-wood blinds that you get ones that are cordless.
Plantation Shutters - A Pet Owner’s Best Window Treatment
If damage to your window treatment or injury to your pet has you concerned, plantation shutters can help assuage those worries. Because they mount directly onto the window, there are no hanging cords or fabric that may cause trouble. What’s more, even if your pet is able to reach them, Polywood® plantation shutters are resistant to scratches and durable so damage is almost never a concern.
Plantation shutters can help keep pets happy as well. Own a pooch that wants to peek out the window as you leave? Shutters can make it easy without risking damage. Does the cat like to have a patch of sunlight to sleep in? Simply tilt the louvers and let the light come through without giving up your privacy.
In effect, plantation shutters are the perfect window treatment for homes with pets.
