How to Protect Your Floors from Your Pet’s Water and Food Bowl

A house with pets is a house full of love… and chaos! We can’t imagine life at home without over favorite dogs, cats, and loveable pets, but it does make for plenty of unpredictable moments and surprise accidents. If you have a new home or new floors, you know the feeling: Wincing or grimacing every time you hear a knocked-over food or water bowl from excited pets enjoying a meal or drink. Whether it’s scratches from pushed-over pet bowls or the moisture of spilled water and food that can cause mold or underfloor damage, it’s important to minimize any harm to our floors from active life with our lovable creatures. Here are a few valuable considerations for how to protect your floors from pet water and food bowls. 

• Best Underlayment for Pet Food and Water Bowls
• Best Places for Pet Food and Water Bowls 
• How to Clean Around Pet Food and Water Bowls
• Choosing the Best Flooring for Pets

 

Best Underlayment for Pet Food and Water Bowls

Without a doubt, you should place a mat under pet food and water bowls to protect the floors from liquid spills and food particles. The best underlayment for pet food and water bowls will be made from materials like rubber or plastic that are easy to clean up with a quick wipe down or wash. Many pet food mats feature raised edges to contain any spills and minimize cleaning to your floors underneath. You can also use machine-washable area rugs under pet food and water bowls but double-check to make sure they have the right backing to suit your specific flooring type. 

 

Best Places for Pet Food and Water Bowl

It’s always wise to place your pet food and water bowls in rooms that are better prepared for moisture like kitchens, mudrooms, laundry rooms, and basements. Hardwood flooring and carpet are not good surfaces to place bowls on since they will absorb spills and long-term damage can occur. Place your pet food and water bowls on easy-to-clean surfaces like vinyl, laminate, tile, or warranted waterproof flooring. Also, it’s wise to place bowls in tucked-away areas that are not as noticeable so that if any moisture damage does occur, it won’t be in high-traffic areas. If your pets are always excited to eat and drink, you can also explore ways to feed them on a porch, deck, or garage if possible! 
   

How to Clean Around Pet Food and Water Bowls  

No matter what precautions we take in the home, our hilarious pets can still find creative ways to spill water and food! Consider using raised feeding and watering bowls that ensure nothing gets trapped underneath if spilled. Elevated bowls can be easier for many pets to access food and water, which hopefully reduces spills, and makes it easier to mop or wipe underneath. Make sure to always wipe up all moisture and clean all food as soon as you discover it,  and if needed, use a gentle flooring-specific cleaner on your floors. As a general practice, use a cloth or approved wet mop to wipe the area and prevent damage after your pets are fed for the day.  

Choosing the Best Flooring for Pets

If you are in the market for new floors or want to install pet-friendly flooring in specific rooms, make sure to explore water-resistant or waterproof flooring! Knocked-over food and water bowls, plus the wet paws that can result, will create moisture on the floor that you may or may not discover right away. To handle these situations with ease, the best pet-friendly flooring options will include laminate, waterproof hardwood, luxury vinyl, and sheet vinyl products.

Waterproof flooring options can handle liquid spills without a time limit and not be damaged. If your pets are smaller, more predictable, and less accident-prone, a water-resistant option will resist water bowl spills and moisture damage with prompt clean-up and maintenance. Some pet-friendly flooring styles even feature an attached pad that provides valuable antimicrobial properties in these instances. No matter which water-resistant or waterproof flooring product you choose, look for a style you love that also includes an excellent pet flooring warranty for long-term peace of mind. 
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Complete our Floor Genius Quiz to receive recommended pet-friendly flooring styles that fit your décor preferences and receive an exclusive code for free flooring samples of your quiz results! The right pet-friendly floors allow you to live life with the animals you love to the fullest while making everyday maintenance easier and protecting your floors from feeding, drinking, and all other household adventures.