Though winter time is not the ideal season to paint, sometimes you just can’t avoid it and really need to. If you have pets, you might be thinking about pet safety when it comes to interior house painting, not only safety, but you also might want to keep their hair out of the paint, keep their hair from getting in the paint and eventually all over the house. Pets are great, but not when they are carrying Greek blue all over the house, white furniture, carpet, etc. In order to keep your house safe and your pets safe, be sure to read some of the tips and tricks below and a section further down that deals with what to do with a dog when you ARE painting!
Cold Weather and Animals
It doesn’t matter if you have a cat or a dog, when it starts to get colder outside, they tend to be inside a lot more than they usually would be. Because of this you might need to take a few precautions, not only to keep them away from the paint, but the paint away from them as well. Let’s be honest, dogs and cats are amazing – they are fun, they tend to be a part of the family after a while, and they like to get into trouble sometimes have it be on accident or on purpose. Because of this you will need to somehow keep them indoors, but also keep the hair off your wall and keep them from inhaling the fumes. As with any paint project, it’s important that you have a well ventilated area where you are working – animals or not. It’s also important to wear a mask if you are dealing with old paint that may have lead in it, keep floors covered with plastic, and also consider wearing gloves. When possible, keep your animals in another room with the door closed. You can also be extra safe by placing a towel under the outside of the door, so that the fumes from the paint don’t get into the room they are in. Keep them comfortable with their favorite toys, treats, food and extra water.
Keep Dogs Away From Painters
If you have decided to hire a residential house painter, it’s also important to keep your animals away from the painters and the area they are painting as well. One important reason to consider is because of ladders! Ladders can be a safety hazard if not used right – for example if your residential house painter is coming down from a ladder and has a puppy or cat underneath him when stepping down, the painter could fall – or hurt your animal. Either way, it could be a cause for injury to human or animal. Another situation to consider, especially if you have a big dog like a great Dane is how big and powerful they are – they could easily rub the ladder and send some paint flying or make the ladder unstable for your painter! Definitely not a good situation to be in no matter what the circumstances.
What to Do With Your Animals
As mentioned above, you could consider putting them in another room, but if you are having several rooms done at once, this might not be an option at all. Here are a few other options to consider:
– Take him or her to a doggy daycare. This is like after school daycare for kids, but in this case, it’s for animals. It’s pretty cool. They do all kinds of different activities like go for walks, play with other animals, take naps in comfortable dog and cat beds, get fed and more. It sounds a little insane to non-animal lovers, but I promise if you love your pet, this is the place to be! Check out Google for local day care centers or ask your other friends that have animals.
– See if your neighbor or family can take them for a day or the weekend. Make sure you bring over Mittens or Spots favorite toys, bed and food as well as any treats, a leash, their collar, etc. Make sure you also offer that neighbor or family member a few bucks, maybe a gift card to their favorite restaurant, or you be available for an IOU in the future.
– If you have a backyard with a dog house – awesome! Keep your pet outdoors or let them stay in the dog or cat house. Cats are pretty self-reliant and can do their own thing. Dogs tend to be a little more reliant on you, so you might need to go outside a few times and let them know they are okay and they can come inside soon enough. Bring treats. Lots of yummy treats!