Sofa and cat: anti-claw upholstery materials

The most sustainable types of furniture fabrics

It is not enough to just buy a sofa you like if you are concerned about its long-term preservation. You need to be aware of some of the nuances regarding the characteristics of upholstery fabrics. So, on leather furniture after claws there will be noticeable scratches that cannot be removed by anything else, and bouclé fabric, due to its characteristic looseness, is generally not desirable if a kitten lives in the house.

In order to discourage a pet from furniture, you need to distract it in time. For example, hang special mats designed for cat claws away from the location of sofas and armchairs. Or just periodically give your cat a manicure by trimming his claws. These simple manipulations and durable furniture upholstery will allow you to maintain the appearance of your upholstered furniture for a long time, while enjoying the company of your furry pet.

We are engaged in education

Systematic education of the tailed dog will help keep the furniture safe and sound. As soon as you catch him committing a crime, shout or hiss loudly: cats do not like sharp sounds . It is worth repeating this technique several times to consolidate the result.

Another way to protect furniture from a cat is to spray water from a spray bottle, but we would not recommend doing this . This way you can teach your pet to be afraid of water and, if necessary, it will be difficult for you to wash him.

Don't limit yourself to negative incentives. Rewards work much better with many cats . If your pet uses a scratching post instead of furniture, reward your pet with a treat, praise or pet it.

Flock

This material can be based on satin, cotton, twill - fabric sheets on which glue is applied, and then fine artificial pile, located very densely and vertically. This makes the fabric pleasant and soft to the touch, but the most durable and resistant to claws.

Flock withstands not only the claws, but also the teeth of the animal; moreover, it is easy to clean from dirt; the fabric does not fade or wear out, it is light, durable, and comes in a large number of colors and patterns.

Jacquard

Jacquard fabric for upholstery has long been firmly established in the production of durable furniture. The upholstery made from this material is truly durable, high-quality, dense - it is perfect in the room where your pet frolics.

The reliability of jacquard as an upholstery material is explained by the peculiarities of its manufacture: the threads are intertwined as closely as possible with each other, and the thicker they are, the stronger the fabric will be. It will be difficult for a cat to damage the jacquard upholstery, since the frequency of weaving will not allow the claws to get caught and pull out the loop.

Jacquard colors and patterns hold up well, do not fade, and the fabric is easy to clean.

Varieties

Anti-claw upholstery material is a collective name for various fabrics with similar properties. This group includes high-strength upholstery for sofas and other furniture that is resistant to rubbing, tugging, and fading. Anti-vandal fabrics include any sufficiently dense, smooth material that a cat cannot get its claws into. They can all be divided into 2 large groups - non-woven and woven.

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On a non-woven basis

A special feature of this type of material is the presence of a non-woven base. This group includes flock, artificial suede, and relaxation. Each type has its own characteristics, which are worth studying before choosing one or another material.

Flock is a type of fabric with a pile on the front side. Can be made from nylon, polyester or viscose. Its qualities are similar to natural leather, but compared to it it has the ability to breathe and does not become stiff in the cold. A layer of protective coating makes the flock dense, smooth, and resistant to damage.

Advantages of flock:

High degree of wear resistance. The material is not subject to temperature changes, does not fade, does not wrinkle.
Long service life without loss of original characteristics.
Waterproof and breathable. Drops of water roll down the surface, but the material is perfectly breathable.
Soft texture, pleasant to the touch.
Easy care.

Flaws:

May accumulate static electricity.
Not resistant to alcohol-containing liquids.

Relax is another popular type of anti-vandal sofa fabric that protects from cats. The bottom layer of material is a mixture of cotton and polyester fibers, the top layer is artificial rubber with a special protective film. The only drawback of relaxation is the high cost. Advantages:

Stretch effect. Thanks to the rubber layer, it is easily restored after various loads. The sofa, upholstered with relaxation, is not afraid of either pets or children.
Easy cleansing. It washes well from traces of pencils, pens, grease and a number of other stains.
It is impossible to burn through with a cigarette.

Faux suede is a fabric made from a mixture of polyester and cotton treated with Teflon impregnation. Thanks to the unique manufacturing technology, it is almost indistinguishable from natural ones. The faux suede covering looks expensive and presentable. Advantages of the material:

On a woven basis

This includes materials with a fabric backing. Unlike the previous group, they are not as dense, but thanks to the special weave of the threads they perfectly resist cat claws. Microfiber is an anti-claw fabric for sofas and other furniture, made from very thin polymer fibers. In appearance it is somewhat reminiscent of suede. Advantages:

High resistance to mechanical damage. Microfiber upholstery is virtually impossible to tear or wear out.
Easy care. The covers can be washed in a regular washing machine.
Affordable price.

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Tapestry is a type of anti-vandal fabric for furniture, made using jacquard weave in three layers. It can be with various ornaments or designs. Its advantages:

easy to clean;
large selection of colors and patterns;
presentable appearance.

In addition to its advantages, tapestry has one significant drawback - when exposed to direct sunlight, it fades quite quickly.

Scotchgard is a fabric for a cat sofa, made in the likeness of a tapestry. Thanks to a special water-based impregnation, the material is very resistant to dirt of a wide variety of types. The only disadvantage we can note is the fairly high cost. Advantages:

high degree of wear resistance;
rich color palette;
easy care.

Jacquard is a dense, rigid upholstery material. Due to the special weave it does not unravel and is very difficult to tear. The inner and outer sides of the jacquard can be of different colors. Advantages: durability, good breathability, large selection of colors. Vandal-proof jacquard coating has only one significant drawback - it is quite expensive.

Chenille is another type of jacquard fabric. It is distinguished by a more complex weave and necessarily has fibers in its structure. Advantages: excellent softness and elasticity, wear resistance and durability, large selection of colors and patterns. The main disadvantage of chenille is its high hygroscopicity. The material quickly absorbs water and takes a very long time to dry.

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Chenille

Tapestry

Jacquard

Microfiber

Scotchgard

Chenille

The fabric contains either synthetic, natural or artificial threads (homogeneous composition), or they are all mixed, weaving in a spiral, with pile placed between a pair of threads. Chenille is formed by threads woven longitudinally and transversely - all this makes the material highly durable and reliable, wear-resistant and withstand tensile loads.

The wide variety of colors, shades and patterns of chenille will delight not only you, but your pet, and the funds invested in purchasing furniture with similar upholstery will be moderate.

Tapestry

In its composition and appearance, tapestry upholstery is very similar to jacquard, and the method of production of both is almost identical, but for tapestry fabric, threads of higher quality and density are used, which in a certain way affects the quality and reliability. The peculiarity of this fabric, in particular, is that the canvas consists of three layers of threads closely intertwined with each other, and the tapestry becomes quite weighty.

Natural threads are used to create tapestry fabric, but artificial ones can also be woven to improve some of the characteristics of the material.

In addition to the obvious qualitative advantages, the tapestry has one more thing: an incredibly aesthetic appearance (the subjects woven in the canvas are sometimes striking in their complexity and picturesqueness). But the price of such fabric is always quite significant for any budget.

Furniture suede

The material can have a woven or non-woven base, but in the first case it is stronger and more durable, the cost is higher, but justified.

Artificial suede is almost indistinguishable from real leather in appearance; the pile is created from polyester and impregnated with Teflon. The fabric is very pleasant and warm, durable, withstands the influence of aggressive environments and loads, does not wear out and withstands attempts by a pet to tear and scratch the surface of upholstered furniture.

Artificial suede today is one of the most durable materials that has proven itself well among buyers. The fabric is not subject to deformation, does not wear out for a long time, does not require special care and is easy to clean by hand using simple or chemical means.

Which one is better to choose?

When choosing a vandal-proof surface for a sofa, you should take into account the important features of the base of this material.

Many people do not know how to choose the right one, so in order to avoid difficulties when choosing, you should pay attention to several important qualities:

strength - the base of the material must be dense and rigid. The structure should not allow the sharp claws of cats to pass through;
there should be no deformations, defects or defects on the surface;
inspect the material carefully, there should be no stains, dirt, or dust on it;
colors - the color depends only on your preferences, if you want your furniture to be bright, then choose upholstery with bright patterns and colors.

Care methods

In order for the upholstery to last for a long time, it is necessary to properly care for it. To do this, you can use several tips:

To clean dirt, stains, dust, you can use household chemicals in the form of puna;
Stains from the surface of the presented material can be quickly removed with the power of a damp sponge and powder;
Various stain removers have a good effect and can remove even stubborn stains;
folk remedies can be used - baking soda, vinegar, cold water, ammonia.

The selected textiles give the upholstery of upholstered furniture high strength and protect it from premature wear and deformation. In addition, it greatly extends the life of furniture and protects it from destruction. But still, during operation, it is necessary to properly care for it - shake out dust, remove dirt, use capes.