When it comes to pets and window treatments, there tends to be a huge conflict of interests. Those with pets know the horrors of curtains being used as scratching posts, or trampled and yanked down by overzealous dogs running to look out the window. What’s a doting pet owner to do?

Thankfully, motorized window treatments have more options that are better suited for pet owners. If you want your window treatments to stay attractive and pet-hair free, while still allowing your pets their favourite window seats, then consider the benefits of motorized shades.

Here are some tips when choosing a shade solution for homes with pets:

Ditch the Blinds

Blinds are fragile and just don’t stand up against common pet antics, such as persistent pawing  or attempts at pushing through the slats to see out the window. It won’t take long before your blinds are starting to look bent, crooked, or in some cases completely missing slats.

When upgrading from your standard blinds, look for an option that doesn’t use individual panels. Our options include roller shades, honeycomb shades, roman shades, and many others that will better withstand activity from pets.

Carefully Consider the Fabric

If you have pets who love spending time near a window, chances are fine fabrics like silk or velvet aren’t going to hold up for very long. In fact, you may need to get creative in what kind of pet-resistant fabric you choose.

Thankfully, there now exists many kinds of textures and colors that can be customized to your electric window treatments. You can effectively hide the appearance of pet hair by choosing a similar color, or woven materials that will better withstand the claws of cats.

But aside from curtains, there are many other options that are far more pet-proof and easy to clean.  These include wooden window treatments, such as roman shades, or the smooth surface of roller shades. By choosing wood or other wipeable materials, you can greatly reduce dust and pet dander from accumulating in your home.

Eliminate Cords

Pets and pull-string blinds are incompatible for a few reasons. For starters, your pet could potentially tangle and injure itself with tangling cords. But aside from pets injuring themselves, they can make your blinds unusable by breaking them with pulling and tangling. Pull-cords are notoriously finicky and easy to damage.

Electric window treatments eliminate the need for any kind of dangling strings. This gets rid of the temptation for your pets, as well as enhances the appearance.

Benefit from Timer and Control settings

Being able to control your window treatments from any room in the home can help you prevent pet damage. For instance, you can raise them before getting out of bed in the morning, or any other time you know your pet is rushing excitedly towards a window.

One of the convenient features of motorized window treatments are their ability to be set on a timer. Depending on the habits of your pet, this could prove to be an effective way of keeping pets from damaging window shades in order to look outside. You can set your window treatments to open while you’re at work, or at times of day when you know your pet is most active (around the time you come home, or when the mail is delivered).

Try Transparent Fabrics

If you want to maintain privacy while still allowing your pet a view outside, you can explore different transparency options. You and your pet can enjoy soft, filtered light without the intense heat that can come with direct sun rays.

There are also multiple different mesh options that can allow pets to enjoy outdoor breezes from the safety of inside your home, and without the annoyance of insects flying in.

As you can see, electric window treatments are a far superior option for pet owners. With our cordless and durable shade solutions, you and your pet can both enjoy your windows safely and comfortably. Contact us if you have any questions on our products  or customizable options.