Experts offer tips on kid-, pet-proofing your home

By Kristyne E. Demske
C & G Staff Writer

The stylish nature of a home can take a hit when little ones — either human or of the more furry variety — are added to the mix.

But there are ways to cut down on the potential mess that children and pets can bring to a home, as well as options to get help keeping them safe.

Floor to ceiling

Protecting walls from kids’ handprints and misplaced artwork — or, say, the muddy splatter from a wet dog shaking himself dry — is possible with new technology from Benjamin Moore paint, said Brian Eisbrenner, president of Shelby Paint and Decorating. Aura, a low volatile organic compound (VOC) paint — good for anyone with allergies or other breathing problems — is made with new technology that helps the pigments react to the resin in the paint to make it part of the actual paint, unlike traditional latex.

“You can wash it in any finish, even the matte,” Eisbrenner said, adding that traditional paint can lighten, get shiny or show watermarks with washing.

He said the company also has a line called Natura that is a no-VOC paint with the same quality as traditional paints.

And even though they cost about 30 percent more than traditional latex paint, Aura and Natura paint “goes on as thick in one coat as normal paint would get in two coats,” Eisbrenner said. “It actually costs less (in the end), but the price per gallon is more.”

He cautioned parents to be careful if they’re renovating or repainting an older home because of the danger to kids with lead-based paint, which he noted could cause attention deficit disorder or autism if a child were to eat a lead-based paint chip.

“We sell lead paint test kits, so if anybody’s really concerned about a house that they’re buying or they’re going to be remodeling,” they can test to see if there’s cause for concern, he said.

As for the floors, there’s a new eco-friendly line of carpet from Mohawk, made with SmartStrand from Dupont, said Cheryl Weted, manager at Son Shine Floor Covering in Warren.

She said 40 percent of the product is made from corn and the rest comes from recycled products. Along with being “green,” it’s easy to clean and bleach-proof.

“We have one of the rugs which is made from corn sitting in the middle of the (showroom),” Weted said. “Sometimes tar from the parking lot gets on it, and just soap and water cleans it up.”

She said the product comes in many designs and styles and in different price points, from $1.65-$4.11 per square foot, “so (it is) really quite reasonable, depending on which one you pick.” The products don’t require as much carpet cleaning as traditional fibers, either, she said; spot cleaning works well.

“When you’re getting into your recycled products, you can get more bulk for less money,” Weted said. “You don’t have to spend the big bucks to have great carpeting anymore. You can buy a mid-grade carpeting that would last you 10, 12 years and not have any problem with that.”

Wood is another good option for children and pets, especially in high-traffic areas, she said. New pre-finished wood flooring  comes with baked-on aluminum oxide finishes that are very hard and do not emit the smells that older wood finishes did.

“That’s easy to upkeep; that’s easy to dust, clean up if there’s a spill,” she said.

Bringing up baby

Todd Mailloux of Mr. Handyman in south Oakland and Macomb counties said they’re called on to do a “decent” amount of baby-proofing just because many new parents don’t have the time or energy to do it themselves while caring for a newborn or infant.

From gates to block off stairs or rooms to latches to keep cabinet doors closed, he said there are a wide variety of small projects parents can tackle to keep their children safe in the home.

Mailloux said there are a wide variety of gates from which to choose. Some just pop in and out of place using a pressure hold on the walls and don’t require installation, while others have a full frame around them with a little door in the middle that opens to allow adults to walk through.

“The more industrial-type ones require a little more installation,” he said.

He said it’s really up to homeowners which type of gate they want to put in a certain place, but he said the frameless gates — which still can be mounted into a wall stud — are recommended for the top of the stairs because the framed-in gates can pose a tripping hazard.

The framed-in gates with a door are easier for blocking off a room or the bottom of a staircase, he said.

Because mounted gates are just held with a few screws in the wall, when it comes to taking down a mounted gate after the child has grown, “it’s just like taking down a picture,” Mailloux said. “You’re just going to have a couple holes that you’re going to need to fill in the drywall and then the touchup paint.”

There are choices when it comes to cabinet latches, as well, he said. Typical plastic latches are “simple to install,” Mailloux said, although his business is called when homeowners don’t have the tools or skills to screw them into the doors. The other option, he said, is a sturdier, magnetic latch, which is harder for small children to learn how to open. 

There are ways for parents to save money and not do the work themselves, he added. Because Mr. Handyman charges for time and materials, a way to cut that cost is to go shopping for the items before a worker comes out so that he can just install what was chosen. Alternatively, Mailloux said someone from Mr. Handyman would come out and discuss the homeowners’ needs with them first, then go buy the products and come install them. With a $75 per hour charge, however, that’s not always an economical choice, he said.

As children grow, Mailloux said his company has also been called upon to install wardrobe organizers, bunk beds, and room organizers with an upper bunk bed and desk below to save space from assemble-your-own furniture suppliers like IKEA. They’re also available to help with time-consuming all-day projects like swingsets and playcenters in the backyard.

Retrofitting for four-legged friends

There are plenty of ways to make a home work for pets, as well, according to Mailloux, who said his company has installed doggy doors and fenced-in backyard dog runs for many customers.

“There’s a lot of variations on doggy doors,” he said. “There’s a simple flap, or some dogs have collars that will activate the door for them for a more secure entry.”

That type of electronic dog door is great for keeping pests like raccoons out of a home, he said.

Most people install the doors on a rear entry door or garage door, he said, to minimize the damage to a home. But when it comes to removing the dog door, a whole new door would have to be installed because repairing a hole that large in a door is not really feasible, he said.

“I’ve also seen people use Invisible Fences for their pets both inside and outside the home,” he said. “If you want to keep your pet away from a certain (location), the dining room or the formal living room, you can set up an Invisible Fence inside your home.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Kristyne E. Demske at kdemske@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1041.