If you use your barstools at a kitchen counter, they are likely to experience a lot of come-and-go traffic.  If your kids use them as a place to eat breakfast and do their homework, then you probably know to expect some wear and tear.   Here are some tips on how to minimize the damage and protect your stools from kid-related disaster.

•    Cover them up.  To protect your barstools thoroughly, a stool cover is a great way to go.  You can purchase these ready-made or make them yourself.  Either way, stool covers will protect your barstools from spills and keep them looking new.  If company shows up unexpectedly, simply whip them off to reveal spotless furniture.

•    Use a stain guard.  This requires a little foresight, but it will pay off in the end.  Treating your upholstered barstools with stain guard will make them resistant to spills, so you should do this if you choose not to use covers on your barstools.  Even if you do have stool covers, using a stain guard will protect your furniture from bad spills that might seep through a cover.

•    Clean up spills and other accidents immediately.  Don’t give spills a chance to sink into the upholstery.  Treat them and clean them up as soon as they happen, and they will come out with much less fuss.  

•    Keep a little paint on hand.  If your barstools are painted, they are prone to lots of graffiti.  Ink from pens and markers will mark them permanently.  Even crayons can leave lasting marks.  Purchase a small container of matching paint and keep it on hand for when the incidents occur.

•    Protect the feet and the floors with rubber “shoes”.   You can buy these at any hardware store.  They will keep your barstool in mint condition, and they won’t leave scuff marks on your kitchen floor.

•    Make everyone remove their shoes before sitting down.  Hard-sole shoes are rough on the rungs of your barstools.  They can easily leave marks and scratches, so make your bar or kitchen counter a socks-only area.  

•    Don’t allow your kids to put all their weight on the rungs of your barstools!  Kids love to climb, and they see barstools as glorified ladders.  But don’t let them treat your bar area as a jungle gym, or your barstools will end up with missing rungs and lots of scratch marks.

•    Don’t allow rough-housing in the bar area.  Barstools are tall and can be knocked over with relative ease, so make sure your kids aren’t doing gymnastics in the breakfast nook.  This will protect both your furniture and your kids.

•    Do craft projects in another area.  Paint, markers, scissors, and many other crafty tools can scratch and otherwise destroy a beautiful barstool, especially if your stools are painted or stained a light color.  Make sure your kids do all their messy projects somewhere else.

•    Make your kids do the cleaning.  This handy parenting trick works for all your furniture.  When they know they’ll be cleaning up their own mess, they’ll likely be more careful and treat your home with more respect.