Your bathroom and kitchen are especially important areas of your home to secure from pets (and children!), as they are the areas where we typically store hazardous materials like toiletries, cleaning supplies, and sharp knives or razors.
Here are six ways you can pet-proof your kitchen and bath to ensure your furry family members stay safe.
1. Secure Your Toiletries and Cleaning Products
Just like children, pets are drawn to scents and different textures. That makes toiletries and cleaning supplies a tempting treat for animals, especially if they are in a plastic bottle that can double as the perfect chew toy. Thus, safely secure all products that can be poisonous to pets. Consider installing a childproof lock on cabinets that are below waist level. Remember to keep all medications out of reach and stored in medicine cabinets and top shelves.
2. Hide Your Garbage
We all know how much our pets like food. Make sure your garbage can is hidden, either in a closed closet or underneath the counter in a cabinet. You could also use a tall sealed garbage can that safely masks odors and will stay closed if knocked down, such as a steel trash can.
3. Keep the Toilet Lid Closed
Always close the toilet lid after use to discourage drinking from the bowl and prevent drowning.
4. Check the Dryer before Use
Get in the habit of quickly checking your dryer to make sure your cat hasn’t jumped in. Checking the washer if you are prone to tossing clothes in without looking wouldn’t hurt either.
5. Keep Everything Away From Counter Edges
Anything peaking over the edge of the counter of your 72 inch bath vanity is fair game, so make sure there is at least 8” between the counter edge and unsecured items. Be particularly mindful of knives, glass, and other fragile or dangerous items.
6. Keep the Area Secure When Not Home
Get in the habit of closing your bathroom doors. For the kitchen, consider installing a child gate to keep pets out when you are not home. Remember to always install mounted gates rather than just blocking the area, as animals can easily push if the obstruction is not secure. This is especially important if the gate is on top of a stair landing.
Adria Saracino is a writer for Embrace pet insurance, covering topics such as adoption, animal conservation, and dog insurance. She owns an Australian Sheep Dog/German Shepherd mix named Creatos and dreams of owning a horse one day.