Pet-Friendly Cleaning Products

Unfortunately, there are a lot of cleaning supplies that aren’t ideal for use around our animal friends, thanks to particular chemicals or strong scents. With that in mind, what are pet owners looking for in home cleaning products that also keep their beloved pets safe?

Enzyme Cleaners: This category of cleaners relies upon natural enzymes, such as lipolysis or amylases, to break down proteins, fats and other particles to remove stains and odors. These types of cleaners can be formulated specifically for home surfaces such as fabrics or carpeting or can be more generalized for a wider cleaning range, but are best for stains caused by urine, feces or after a pet has been sick. Some brands include: Nature’s Miracle, Biokleen^® Bac-Out and Rocco and Roxie. Additionally, many of the enzyme-cleaning brands can also be used in conjunction with carpet cleaning machines to deep clean tough stains and odors.

General Household: Homes are more than just carpets and fabrics, and multi-surface cleansers are needed to remove stubborn residues such as dried food bits, dried (or fresh) mud, slobber or whatever pets drag in. Some examples include:

• Better Life All-Purpose Cleaner: plant-based cleaner that is cruelty-free, biodegradable and can be used on anything from toys to tools.
• Puracy: utilizes ingredients such as olive and coconut oils, Himalayan Sea Salt and essential oils to clean surfaces like glass, countertops, stainless steel and more.
• Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Pure Castile Soap: with a variety of scents (and an unscented version), Dr. Bronner’s can be used on practically everything from floors, dishes, and laundry, to shampoo and body wash for pets, children and adults. It is organic and certified fair-trade.

Laundry: Pets love our beds as much as we do, but since they don’t shower as much as their human counterparts, bedding can be inundated with fur, dander, and all sorts of smells. And since no one wants to ban Fido or Fluffy from cuddling up next to them at night, the next best thing is to wash sheets, blankets, and other bedding items in products that are as gentle for pets as they are for their humans. Among the available laundry products are:

• Seventh Generation: In the marketplace for over thirty years, Seventh Generation has a wide variety of products, including a number of laundry detergents, boosters and dryer sheets in both scented and unscented versions. 
• Tru Earth Eco-Strips Laundry Detergent: a unique difference to the standard liquid or pod-type laundry product, Tru Earth is a non-liquid, concentrated detergent strip; just tear one pre-measured strip off of the sheet, toss into the washer and done. Vegan, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and free from parabens, dyes, phosphates and chlorine.