Do any of these household cleaners hurt or irritate dogs?
I got a Pomeranian puppy recently, and now I’m worried if any of the products I normally use could hurt her if she licked/chewed something I cleaned or if it might irritate her skin. I put her in another room when I’m cleaning and don’t let her back in until everything has dried. My dog training book mentioned avoid products with harsh chemicals but didn’t give any examples. Here’s the items I most commonly use:
- Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner
- Windex
- Fabuloso
- Pledge Natural Beauty
- Tide
- Snuggle
- Bissell Carpet Foam Cleaner
I’ve tried looking at the labels on products and I never see any that say they’re safe around pets. I haven’t been able to find any “green” cleaners around here. The only warnings bottles seem to have is for ingesting it (like drinking cleaner out of a bottle) or spraying in your eyes or skin when its wet. That doesn’t really say if it’s ok when it’s dry. I’ve even tried looking at their websites and they don’t say anything.
You can check the labels on the containers for health warnings, or you can contact the company and ask for their Material Safety Data Sheet (or MSDS)…it will have all of the information you need to know about hazards from skin contact, inhalation, and ingestion.
If you’re really concerned about harsh chemicals, try to find a representative from this company in your area: http://www.melaleuca.com/ I use their products to clean my house (everything except the linoleum, which I use vinegar and water on, and the wood floors, which I polish with Orange Glo.) I use Mela Magic on nearly all surfaces (including in my carpet shampooer) and I use the Tub & Tile Cleaner in the bathrooms. I haven’t tried one of their natural cleaning products that I haven’t liked.
EDIT: Try reading these…it lists possible effects from exposure
Lysol All Purpose Cleaner: http://www.hescoinc.com/Msds/ly74392.pdf
Windex: http://www.fsafood.com/msds/vault/001/001653.pdf
Fabuloso: http://colpalcommercial.com/images/msds/05394MSDS.pdf
Pledge Natural Beauty: http://www.scjohnson.com/msds_us_ca/PDFs/350000003607_Pledge_Lemon_Aerosol.PDF
Tide: http://www.pgbrands.com/Portals/0/images/msds/Liquid_Tide[1].pdf
Snuggle: http://www.fsafood.com/msds/vault/001/001205.pdf
Bissell Carpet Pet and Upholstery Cleaner: http://www.bissell.com/images/ConsumerSafety/Pet_Carpet_and_Upholstery.pdf
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