Fun fact: when you type “cleaning products safe” into Google, the top result is “cleaning products safe for dogs.”
We clearly care about our pets, but how do we know what cleaning products really are safe for our furry friends?
If you think about it, our pets are just as affected as we are by the household cleaners we use, if not more so. They lay on the floors, lick all kinds of surfaces, drink out of the toilet bowl (gross, but true), and breathe the same air we do. It’s important to make sure we’re using the safest possible products on all the surfaces our animals come into contact with.
First of all, you need to figure out what kinds of cleaners to avoid for your pets. Some common ingredients to look out for are: bleach (think Clorox and a lot of heavy-duty all-purpose cleaners), ammonia (Lysol’s all-purpose cleaner, Windex glass cleaner, some stainless-steel cleaners and toilet bowl cleaners), and ethanol (any sanitizing/disinfecting wipes like Lysol or Clorox).
Basically, most of the products on grocery store shelves.
The key is paying attention to labels. Even cleaners that claim to be “natural” may have hidden toxic ingredients. Make sure you look at the ingredient list on the back of the product label before making a purchase. Or, if you’re buying online, Google the ingredients. Some brands (like us) may list out product ingredients on their website, but there’s plenty of resources out there if not.
We want to save you some trouble, though. With DAZZ cleaning products, you know exactly what’s in the bottle (we don’t do hidden ingredients). Here is a complete list of everything we put in our tablet formulas:
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (the primary “detergent” for our formulations – it’s derived from coconuts!)
- Food-grade Citric Acid
- Food- grade Sodium Bicarbonate (i.e. baking soda)
- Sodium Carbonate (soda ash)
- Colorant
- Food-grade Fragrance
Each of our six ingredients are safe for Spot and Fido (does anyone still use those pet names?), plus you can actually pronounce them! No questionable chemicals spelled with a bunch of random x’s.
Since it’s pet-friendly, we recommend using our All-Purpose Cleaner to clean up after your furry ones too. Use it for their accidents (we’re looking at you, puppy owners), tough stains caused by muddy pawprints, and any other gross messes your pet may cause – trust us, we know there’s plenty.
Some Other Tips for Pet-Safe Cleaning
Always thoroughly wipe down surfaces after cleaning them. DAZZ residue won’t harm your animals, but we don’t recommend letting them lap it up…our products smell good, but they aren’t supposed to taste good.
Store your tablets where pets can’t reach them – no one wants to come home and find out that Ranger ate all of your cleaning supplies.
Choose non-toxic products to wash your pet with. Same goes for their beds, blankets, toys, clothes (if you’re into that sort of thing…no judgment), etc. For pet-friendly detergent, we recommend checking out Dropps laundry pods. They’re free of harsh chemicals, fillers and dyes, and are packaged in an earth-friendly, water soluble film.
If you’re looking for effective shampoo that’s safe for your pet, look no further than Earthbath. They’ve got a variety of shampoos for dogs and cats, from hypo-allergenic to deodorizing to coat brightening formulas. They also sell conditioners and grooming products, all formulated without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, phosphates, and artificial colors.
Now if we could just teach our pets how to vacuum up their own hair…