Managing a household with kids and pets can be challenging. One moment, everything’s fine, and the next, it’s chaos. It gets even more complicated if your home isn’t a kid and pet-friendly environment. If you’ve ever returned home from a long day at work to find your living space messed up, then you should know what I’m talking about. You’ve probably tried all you can to organize things, but they’ve yielded little to no results. How about making some changes and improvements to your home? These changes don’t have to be costly, but they can help make your home better and more comfortable for your family and pets.
Why Should You Make These Improvements?
You have to make these improvements for many reasons, including your kids’ safety. Having a home where nothing is in the right place and pets running around messing up everything they can find is not the ideal space you want to raise a child or invite a guest. In fact, coming home every day to find your apartment disorganized can greatly strain your mental health and cause stress. Instead of sitting comfortably after a long day at work and planning your itinerary for the next day, you’re left cleaning up and trying to make things orderly, only to have them messed up the next day.
It’s more like adopting a temporary solution for a permanent problem; with time, you’ll get worn out soon enough. However, making the needed improvements to your home will ensure it’s
- Safety
- Organization
- Comfort, and increase its
- Resale Value
All of which will help you create a space that is not only beautiful but also functional and practical for your family and pets. Here are some ideas to get started on creating a kid a pet-friendly environment:
Switch to Durable Flooring for Kid & Pet-Friendly Environment
One of the first areas to work on when making improvements to your home is your flooring. This is because the floor is a prime space where your kids and pets play. Your attention should be on the high-traffic areas like the living room and playrooms. These are critical areas where you must have durable flooring materials that can withstand the wear and tear of playtime and the occasional spill.
Some recommendations are for:
Ceramic Tile
A traditional ceramic tile or porcelain tile will be an excellent idea for the high-traffic areas in your home. Ceramic flooring is not only durable but also waterproof to stains from spills. This flooring option will make cleaning very easy for you, and don’t worry about scratches from your pet’s claws; you won’t notice a thing.
However, due to the surface of this kind of flooring, if you have a pet with a limb injury, you may need an orthopedic device (like dog leg braces if you have a dog) to provide support and stability to their legs while they heal.
Luxury Vinyl Flooring (LVF)
This is another good option for creating a kid & pet-friendly environment. A luxury vinyl floor is very resistant to scratching and easy to clean in case your kids spill a drink on the floor.
What you may like about this flooring is its improved wear layer, which is two times better than standard vinyl tile flooring and even more durable.
You can have your luxury vinyl floor in any design you want to match with your home’s décor, and once fixed, it’s almost impossible for your guests to tell if it’s a natural wood floor or a ceramic floor. Plus, they’re very budget-friendly.
Invest in Accessible Storage Systems For Kids & Pets
Investing in the proper storage solution will help keep your home tidy and organized. And this is very important when you have kids and pets. The last thing you want is to come back from work and find your living room cluttered with toys, pencils, brushes, and books without any precise storage. You can’t begin to imagine the stress that can cause.
This is why you need storage solutions to help you store these items and keep your apartment clean and tidy. You can opt for built-in cabinets and shelves to organize the toys, books, and pet supplies. However, when installing the storage system, ensure it is anchored securely to prevent accidents. If you have very curious kids, a good idea is to have the heavy storage hung at a height their hands can’t reach (but should be accessible to you).
You can leave the lighter storage close to them to teach them how to tidy up their toys and play material themselves.
Create Designated Play Areas for a Kid & Pet-Friendly Environment
It’s not every area of your home that your kids and pets should be allowed to play in. Map out places that are safe and free of any potential hazards for them, and fix their play materials there so they can know precisely where to stay when playing. When creating kid and pet-friendly environment for playing, consider adding safety features such as gates or childproof locks to prevent accidents, especially when your attention is divided.
For your pets, add their favorite items, like their bed or a scratching post, to the space to help keep them entertained and comfortable. This idea won’t only keep your home tidy, but it will also ensure your kids and pets have a safe and fun space to play.
Household Chemical Storage Guide from SolvChem Custom Packaging Division, an organization offering custom chemical services
Final Thoughts on Making Your Home a Kid & Pet-Friendly Environment
At the end of the day, our greatest joy comes from our kids and pets, and no matter how playful, disorganized, and rowdy they may be, we just have to find the right strategy to accommodate their shortcomings.
These modifications we discussed should help you create the right environment for your kids and pets to be comfortable and happy while your home remains tidy.
