Pets bring so much joy, companionship, and fulfillment into our homes. They also tend to bring other things into our homes— things that might clash with carefully curated decor.

Keeping your house clean with pets can be challenging. Plus, the day to day items our pets need most— dog crates, food and water bowls, pet beds, cat trees and scratchers, and litter boxes— are usually eyesores in your space.

The best strategy when picking out pet items is to choose what will best blend in with your space. If you want to reduce visual clutter, you should choose items that will fade into the background, like a food and water mat that matches the color of your flooring. Or, if you don’t mind the extra visual clutter, find an item that will fit in with your style and color palette. Either option requires spending a little extra time digging past the standard options, but will result in a far more cohesive space that you and your pet will love.

Below are tips and finds for pet owners who want to preserve the style and cleanliness of their space while still making their furry friends happy and comfortable.

CLEANING

A lightweight vacuum and a good air purifier are must-haves for pet owners. Having to lug out the big upright vacuum all the time is just not practical. Investing in a smaller, lightweight vacuum will save you time and effort, and make it easier to clean upholstery. Running an air purifier will help filter out any allergens and pet odors that may linger. You don’t even need a giant, super fancy one— a small one that’s powerful enough to filter the space where you and your pets spend the most time together will suffice.

DOG CRATES

FOOD & WATER

CAT TREES & SCRATCHERS

Providing your cat with plenty of places to climb and sharpen their claws is both essential to their quality of life and the best way to prevent damage to your furniture. If you don’t like the look of a cat tree, cat shelves are a nice alternative. Cat shelves provide a great way for feline friends to exercise, play, and lounge in elevated spaces, while also saving floor space. Plus, they can be pretty cool looking and might be better suited to go with your decor than a cat tree.

It’s also a good idea to be proactive and go ahead and put some protection on any nice upholstered furniture. I highly recommend using clear plastic couch protector sheets that are only sticky on one side. I used protector sheets that were sticky on both sides when I first got my cats because I thought they would work better, but they ended up covered in cat hair.

LITTER BOXES

If your space doesn’t have a place for a litter box that’s out of the way, one good option is concealing the litter box with a cabinet. Litter box enclosures are made specifically to blend in with your space, and open like a cabinet for easy cleaning. Plus, the extra steps between the litter box and the floor means significantly less litter making it to your floors.

BEDS

Maisy (gray) and Hamish (orange), the author’s cats