10 Clever Ways To Hide Your Pet's Stuff
Pet parents love their fur babies, and many pet owners are happy to give their dog or cat free range when it comes to the home. However, this doesn’t mean you want to see pet beds, toys, grooming supplies, and other items around every turn. So, how do you hide your pet’s stuff but still make it easy to access?
Use clever furniture to disguise pet essentials like a bed, litter box, scratching pad, and food bowls. A wall-mounted cabinet or the back of a closet door hides a leash, poop bags, and a collapsible water bowl. Put treats and pet toys in decorative containers that mask the contents. Place toy blockers under appliances and sofas and keep grooming supplies in a cute caddy.
It’s understandable that although you adore your pet, you don’t want to see their stuff 24/7. It’s okay that you want your home to look tidy, stylish, and uncluttered. But for practical purposes, your pet’s stuff should be within easy reach. Therefore, use these clever ideas to hide your pet’s belongings in plain sight.
These 10 Tips Make Pet Supplies Almost Invisible
If your pet rules the roost, it doesn’t mean your house needs to pay the price. Yes, pets often need a lot of things. But that doesn’t mean you have to look at their stuff all day.
Organizing your pet’s belongings is the first step. But then how do you hide things in a way that they’re easy to reach and use, but not so visible?
1. Pet Food Cabinet With Pull-Out Bowls
A pet food station is an excellent way to keep everything you need for your pal’s meal times in one convenient place. The tilt-out front stores food, and a pull-out on the bottom stores two bowls. These cabinets come in various styles, so it’s easy to find one that complements your home.
2. Cat Tree Disguised As A Chic Cabinet
Convert a cabinet that matches your home decor to the ultimate cat tree. Remove the doors of an armoire or cut holes in the side of a storage console or media cabinet.
Or create a series of shelves and boxes that look more like a piece of art or quirky shelving unit than a cat tower. Once you finalize the plans for your creative cat center, line the surfaces with cat scratch pads, boards, and carpet remnants.
3. Side Table Litter Box
Litter box enclosures come in different shapes, sizes, and colors to match a broad range of designs. From the outside, they look like a regular piece of furniture, whether a side table, entryway console, or similar cabinet. However, inside, there’s a spot for your cat’s litter box.
A hole cut out on at least one side makes it possible for your cat to access their box. Other styles feature a litter box enclosure on the bottom and a set of shelves on the top. Use the shelves as storage, or choose ones with cat scratch boards to turn the piece into the ultimate cat pad.
4. Coffee Table And Pet Bed Combo
Use a coffee table with a lower shelf that you can convert into a comfy bed for your pet. Keep it simple by placing a bed you purchase from your favorite pet shop on the shelf. Or make it look more custom by building up the sides and lining the bottom with pet-friendly padding.
5. Decorative Baskets For Pet Toys
Instead of using typical pet toy bins that usually feature pictures of dog bones or paws, use decorative baskets. These hide your pet’s toys in plain sight instead of making them stand out like a sore thumb.
Make sure to choose a size that still allows your pet to reach their toys and get them out easily. They should be lidless and shorter than your pet. The right-sized size container allows your furry friend to pick out their favorite playthings without a struggle.
6. Gather Grooming Supplies Into An Easy To Carry Caddy
Understandably, keeping your pet’s grooming supplies near where you groom them makes things a lot easier. But if you don’t have adequate storage in this area, don’t leave things strewn about out in the open.
Gather any items you use to groom your pet and place them all in one caddy or tote. Put this tote in a closet or similar out-of-sight place. Then, when it’s time to bathe your dog or brush your cat, bring out the caddy.
7. Stylish Canisters For Treats
Similarly to storing pet toys in decorative baskets, do the same with your dog or cat’s treats. Choose food-safe containers that match the style of your kitchen or wherever you keep your pals’ favorite snacks.
8. Hidden Dog-Walking Station
Keeping your dog’s leash, poop bags, and other on-the-go items by the front door is a popular choice for pet parents. It makes it a breeze to grab what you need and go. But what if you don’t like the look of a leash and other items hanging on a hook?
Use the back of a closet door near your entryway, and position hooks on the back of the door for everything you need. No closet? Try a wardrobe, armoire, or wall-mounted cabinet that doubles as a place to store necessities.
9. Toy Blockers
If you have pets, you know how toys, kibble, and other items get lost in the abyss below the oven, fridge, and couch. Not only is it a pain to dig these things out from under these places, it looks messy. An easy solution is a few clear toy blockers to prevent items from collecting in unwanted places.
10. Convertible Pet Accessories
A cat scratcher-turned table, a set of wall shelves that double as cat perches, or an end table that serves as a secret dog kennel. What do these things have in common?
They’re all items for your pets that look more like regular furniture or home accessories. You can find ready-made pieces online or in pet stores, or use the ideas to craft your own DIY versions.
Get Rid Of Pet Odors In Your Home
A quick note about pet odors in your house. If your goal is to make your home seem pet-free (except for your pet), it’s not just about their belongings. It’s also important to eliminate the smells that often come with the whole pet package.
Wash your pet’s belongings regularly (if they’re machine-washable). For items that can’t go in the wash, deodorize with baking soda or refreshing sprays like Febreze.
Regularly groom your pet and use a pet cologne spray for quick touch-ups as needed. Properly house-train your dog and litter-train your cat. Clean your home routinely, tackling stubborn pet odors with enzyme-based cleaners.
It’s important to eliminate odors at their source instead of just covering them up. However, scented candles, air fresheners, and diffusers are a great way to inject a pleasant scent into your home after banishing the pet smells.
Does Your House Make People Doubt You Have A Pet?
Look around your home and think about what you see. If you were visiting for the first time, would you know a pet lived in the house? If your goal is for the answer to this question to be no, then you need clever ways to hide your pet’s stuff.
It’s not about sticking everything in a cabinet. After all, you likely access your pet’s belongings frequently. Plus, your dog or cat appreciates accessing their toys and bed whenever they want to do so.
Therefore, hiding your pet’s stuff in plain sight is a wonderful compromise. You know where things are, they’re easy to get to, and your pet can reach their belongings. But no one has to see an explosion of pet clutter everywhere. It’s a winning combination for you and your furry friend.
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Stacy Randall is a wife, mother, and freelance writer from NOLA that has always had a love for DIY projects, home organization, and making spaces beautiful. Together with her husband, she has been spending the last several years lovingly renovating her grandparent's former home, making it their own and learning a lot about life along the way.
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