Our pets are our children. They might even be more important than actual children (in my opinion). Despite that, we have to admit - pets can be a little gross. Most of them can’t use a toilet, tracking grime and dirt into your home and all over your precious floors. So, we have to clean up after them, no big deal... or is it?
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No need to panic! This article is about to save you some googling time (and possibly save your pet’s life). We’re going to go over which products and chemicals you should avoid, and which non-toxic cleaning products for pets are best for your best friend.
Seven Cleaners That Are Toxic for Your Pets
Let’s start with the most important information - what to avoid. Pets are smaller than humans, and all of them are more sensitive to toxic exposure. Here’s a comprehensive list of chemicals not to use:
- Ammonia: This is found in a lot of oven and kitchen surface cleaners. Most pets have heightened smell sensitivity, and this chemical can burn their mucous membranes or even cause death if they smell too much of it.
- Chlorine: This is one of the most common ingredients in cleaning products, and one of the hardest to avoid. It’s predominantly found in toilet bowl cleaners, so finding a pet safe toilet bowl cleaner is the better route here (I’ll get into where to find this later).
- Glycol Ethers: These are mostly found in specialty cleaning products, like spot removers and carpet cleaners. However, they can cause anemia, lung damage, and kidney damage in both pets and people.
- Formaldehyde: This is less commonly found in cleaning products, luckily, but have sometimes been found in cosmetics. Make sure to check the label on your pet shampoo, as this chemical can cause cancer.
- Benzalkonium Chloride: This chemical is used as an antibacterial agent in surface cleaners, but is not a pet safe disinfectant.
- Fragrances (Phthalates and essential oils): While these often ease the stress of humans, they can create airway stress for our furry friends. Things like camphor, camellia, sandalwood, and other materials with strong fragrances should be avoided.
- Air Fresheners: These can be dangerous for pets if inhaled in large amounts and can make them very sick if there is prolonged exposure.
Common Household Products to Avoid
To make sure you only have non-toxic cleaning products for pets in your home, you should avoid any household products with the above-mentioned ingredients as well as the following:
- Laundry Detergent
- Drain Openers
- Bathroom Cleaners
- Glass Cleaners
- Floor Cleaners
Okay, now I’m sure you’re asking “How the hell am I supposed to clean my house if I can’t use any of this stuff?? What cleaning products are safe for dogs and cats that I CAN use??” Don’t worry - you can keep your house clean AND keep your pet safe, all in one go. Here’s how:
Non-Toxic Cleaning Alternatives for Your Pets
Here are some great household items that act as non-toxic cleaning products for pets!
- Vinegar: With all the chemicals out there, what disinfectant is safe for pets? The answer is here! The acid content of vinegar makes it a powerful cleanser that can disinfect surfaces and even attack mold, all while being safe for your pet.
- Baking Soda: This is great for scrubbing sinks and countertops - it can cut through grease and unclog drains, all while being pet-friendly.
- Oranges: Oranges and orange peels make for amazing stain removers. This is the main ingredient in our Angry Orange cleaning products, making them great non-toxic alternatives to check out.
- Lemon Juice: This is another great non-toxic antibacterial that is perfect as a cat and dog safe cleaning product. No lemon juice? Lime juice works too!
- Hydrogen Peroxide: This is a great pet-safe alternative to bleach, and can help break down odor-causing compounds in urine stains.
Top Pet-Safe Cleaning Products
Time to bust out some DIY. Here are some great solutions you can make at home to create your own non-toxic cleaning products for pets:
- For Pet Safe Floor Cleaner: Combine water & vinegar with lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide.
- For Pet Safe Toilet & Drain Cleaner: Combine half a cup of baking soda with 1 cup of vinegar.
- For Pet Safe Glass Cleaner: Equal parts water and vinegar or lemon juice, oruse hydrogen peroxide.
- For Pet Safe Stain Remover: Blot a mixture of thick baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and lemon juice. If that’s not enough, try our Angry Orange Pet Stain Remover to break down and remove pesky stains completely on fabrics as well as hard surfaces.
- For Pet Safe Deodorizer: Try our Angry Orange Odor Eliminator Spray - it eliminates odors completely, and works on a range of odors when used as directed.
We’re always looking for ways to improve our pet’s lives! With all of these suggestions, your home will go from a danger zone to a pet-safe palace in no time.
Contributing Writer: Aurora Detor