Adapting Pet Friendly Cleaning Habits
Choosing pet friendly cleaning products is obviously important for the health and well-being of your pets. This becomes especially true if your pets are young, old, or ill as they have somewhat weaker immune systems.
When choosing a cleaning product it is important that you choose products that are both safe and nontoxic. There is increased awareness between the correlation of certain chemicals and an increase in asthma and cancer. With pet’s shorter life spans and increased sensitivity to chemicals, as owners, we must be responsible to make sure that we are giving our pets the happiest and healthiest life possible.
Because our pets have been found to be more vulnerable to cleaning products than humans (especially adult humans) we have to be careful with what we choose to use in our shared living environments. Animals are nearer to the ground than a human on two legs, and on the ground there are dust particles, toxins, and residue from cleaning products. Our pets lay on the ground, and their sensitive feet pads also absorb chemicals … meaning that these chemicals can enter their system much more easily than they can ours. For all these reasons we must be cognizant when we choose products to use in the house.
To make this process of choosing safe products a little easier, here is a list of pet friendly cleaning products to make your home a safe and healthy environment for your furry family member.
Carpet cleaners- Resolve® Pet Formula Carpet Steam Cleaner Solution is a product that is safe to use around both children and pets and pets, and is a formidable carpet cleaning product. It uses technology that is said to discourage the re-soiling of your carpet while also effectively eliminates household odors. It also removes pet stains including urine, vomit and feces from your rugs and carpets, which as we all know can be a pain to get out.
If you want to make your own you can use a mixture of:
2 tbsp salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp borax
Multi-surface Cleaners- Pine-Sol® cleaners are pet friendly and kills 99% of harmful bacteria. While household cleaners (even the most natural) should never come into direct contact with skin, eyes, mouth, nose, etc. this product is safe to use.
If you feel like making your own cleaner try this easy mixture:
3 cups of very hot water
2 tbsp of baking soda
2 tbsp pure lemon juice
Glass and Window Cleaners- Earth Friendly Vinegar Window Cleaner is a good glass and window cleaner is you don’t feel like making your own. Using these produces are safe for pets, however, you can just as easily use vinegar and water to clean glass and windows in your home.
Toilet Cleaners- if you have a dog that likes to sneak into the bathroom to drink out of the toilet bowl or if you have a cat that likes to play with toilet water it is especially important that you purchase a pet friendly toilet bowl cleaner. For toilet bowls it might just be safer to make your own. A go to for cleaning your toilet bowl (and making sure it is stain free) includes mixing together 1/4 cup of baking soda with 1 cup of white vinegar, all you do is pour this mixture into the bowl and let it set for a few minutes. After you let it sit, give the toilet a good scrub and rinse.
It is always good to keep your pet away from the freshly cleaned surface until the area has been rinsed or it is dry. But at least you can now clean confidently, knowing that you are protecting your pet while achieving your cleaning goals. One less thing to worry about, right?
