Your patio and garden is a great place to socialize with visiting friends and family, and an ideal place to relax after a busy day. You need to make your patio not only welcoming and comfortable, but also functional. If you have some pets, then your garden furniture needs to fit the whole family. Pets are not only our friends, but also part of the family. But every pet owner knows how difficult it is to keep beautiful furniture with an active pet around. Pet hair, paws, teeth, slobber and accidents can stain, scratch and wear out your garden furniture. So if you have children and pets, there are a few things to keep in mind when buying garden furniture.

Sturdy and durable materials
When choosing pet-friendly furniture, you need to choose materials that are sturdy and durable. The following are some pet-friendly furniture materials that you can consider when trying to create a pet-friendly patio.

Rattan
Rattan is made from a weather resistant synthetic material, making it a very flexible material for outdoor furniture. Synthetic rattan is also very resistant to pet problems (i.e. scratching, shedding and biting). This makes PE rattan a great material if you want cat and dog friendly furniture. Using all-weather rattan furniture, a quick spray with a hose can easily solve the problem of pet residual dirt. For a more thorough cleaning, simply use soap and warm water.

Wood
Although your pet may scratch or chew wood, this is a good option if your cat or dog is not in the habit of scratching or chewing. However, if this is the case, wood furniture is recommended to use a covering or purchase an additional coat of varnish and protective wax to prevent scratching.

Metal
Due to its durability, aluminum is a popular type of metal for outdoor furniture. Although lightweight, it is strong, scratch-resistant and weather-resistant. Perfect for pet-friendly furniture, aluminum is inexpensive and low-maintenance. Like aluminum, iron is a durable material. Iron has the ability to absorb heat and cold, which can deter your pet from even thinking about going near it. With its sturdy, stylish design, iron is a good choice for pet garden furniture. Of course, when the weather is cold or hot, use cushions to insulate and keep out the cold.

Washable, easy-to-clean fabrics
For double sofas and chairs placed on your patio, it is important to be able to easily remove and clean the cushions. Whether it's a rattan sofa, a wooden sofa or a metal sofa being able to machine wash their cushions will ensure that you can remove pet hair and keep the fabric as clean as possible. Even the neatest of pets sometimes play in the dirt, vomit, etc. Look for furniture cushions that are made of moisture and mildew resistant fabrics. That way they won't be damaged by weather or pet drool. Also, the smoother the cushion, the less likely pet hair will stick to it, saving you a lot of time in cleaning.

Suitable Colors
Picking the color of your garden furniture is very simple. As a general rule, you want to stay away from white and cream colored rattan garden furniture and wood garden furniture because they look dirtier. Unless you have the cleanest dog in the world and are prepared to clean your furniture regularly, we do not recommend buying an ivory sofa. If you simply must purchase white furniture, we recommend that you purchase furniture covers or some dark colored blankets. Many furniture covers come in quality fabrics and a variety of fun colors and patterns. So what colors work best? Choose a darker color. It doesn't have to be black. Browns, grays and blues are often ideal for pet-friendly garden furniture.

Right design
For some pets, furniture legs look like the perfect chewing or scratching post. Wooden leg furniture can easily be scratched or bitten. The perfect solution to this problem is to choose rattan outdoor furniture and metal furniture. This is because the legs on these pieces of furniture are far less inviting and more difficult to damage. Also worth considering are any scatter cushions you plan to place on your sofa for added comfort or decorative purposes, as your pet may like to lie on them and nibble on corners or exposed zippers. If your cushions are made of delicate fabrics or have distracting features such as tassels or sequins that could pose a choking hazard if chewed, you may want to remove them when your cat or dog is on or around the couch.

Even if you choose the best pet friendly furniture, sometimes claw marks and stains can occur. The best way to prevent these messes is to regularly groom your pet, keep their nails trimmed and their fur clean and brushed, or buy the best patio furniture cover. Whether you choose metal, wood or rattan furniture, it will provide you with pet protection - and keep your furniture in tip-top shape for years to come