Everyone loves a clean home, and we all have individual cleaning habits and favorite products to get the job done. With more information spreading about the health effects of harsh chemicals in cleaning products and the importance of indoor air quality to human health, if you are a pet owner it’s also important to assess the affects your cleaning habits could be having on your furry loved ones.

Just like babies, fur-babies get into all sorts of things adults might not frequently come in contact with. Begin by getting down on paw level and thinking about what your dog, cat, or other furry critter might be doing throughout the day. Do they have odd habits like licking the floor? Do they use a large water station? Or do you often catch them sneezing?

Here are 4 common cleaning habits that could be harming your pet:

Using slow release toilet bowl cleaners and keeping the lid up

Whether you know it or not, many pets will occasionally opt to drink a la toilet. While dirty water might be the first risk that comes to mind, some might forget that their slow release toilet tablets or clip-on cleaning chemicals pose a high risk for poisoning. Many conventional toilet bowl cleaners contain chemical ingredients like chlorine bleach, sodium hypochlorite, hypochlorite salts, sodium peroxide, or sodium perborate, which can be toxic or lethal when directly consumed. Be sure to always put the toilet bowl seat down, close the bathroom door or switch to an organic toilet bowl cleaner to keep your pets safe from their dirtiest habit.

Using harsh chemicals to clean your carpets or floors

Your feet are most familiar with your floors, but your pets might like to debate that. Soft carpeting and cool flooring is where most pets spend their day. When they’re not in nap mode, their center of gravity is much closer to the ground that your own sniffer. We know performance is key when it comes to pet odor and stain removers, but don’t feel like you have to reach for harsher ingredients to get the job done. 

Many harsh chemicals can leave behind harmful residues and impact indoor air quality that can effect breathing, irritate your pets skin or eyes, and may get directly ingested if they’re in the habit of licking floors or eats off of them. Check your cleaners ingredient label to ensure it is safe for pets, and look out for natural and organic options whenever possible. Our USDA Certified Organic Pet Stain & Odor Remover is made with ingredients like organic acetic acid, dead sea salt, baking soda, and organic fragrance to remove tough set-in stains and eliminate odor.

Using scented products they come in close contact with

Speaking of odor, harsh chemicals used to deodorize your home might be posing a risk all by themselves. Some scented powder carpet cleaners, aerosol air fresheners, and scented candles contain harsh chemicals that pollute indoor air and can leave behind harmful residues. In addition, potpourri and heavily scented laundry detergents can contain ingredients that are not safe for direct consumption—a no-go for pets that love to tear, chew, and eat things they really aren’t supposed to.

Cleaning their bowls infrequently

How often do you clean your pet’s water and food bowls? The answer is probably not enough. Although some pet fountains/tanks and automatic feeders hold enough food and water to last weeks, they can build up mold and mildew in hard to reach spots you may not see unless you dissemble them. Standard bowls for food and water are also breeding grounds for bacteria, mold, and yeast—and they could be causing your pet and you to get sick.

A study done by NSF International examined 30 items for germs and bacteria from 22 different households. 4th on the list of “dirtiest items” was, you guessed it, pet food dishes (the top three being kitchen sponge/dish rags, kitchen sinks, and toothbrush holders). We recommend washing pet bowls regularly, and cleaning tanks/dispensers thoroughly once a week. Baby Liquid Dish Soap is great for removing grease (and slobber), leaving behind no harmful residues for a non-toxic clean.

We really love animals. Did you know GO by greenshield organic cleaners + detergents are Leaping Bunny Certified? We never test on animals, our formulas are vegan and they never contain animal bi-products. Meow!