When our pets experience allergy-like symptoms, we automatically turn to their food as the source. It’s easy to overlook their environment as a contributing factor, and as such we often find ourselves poking at the wrong spot. Environmental allergies typically arise from the use of toxic cleaning products around the house. Next time you’re grocery shopping, you might want to keep a lookout for non-toxic cleaning products for pets. A bonus perk is that most of it are also environmentally friendly products!

Why Going Natural Matters

If your dog has allergies, then chemical free cleaning products are very important to have around the house. There are many factors that come from your pet’s environment that contribute to their allergic reactions, so it’s wise to investigate their surroundings before looking to their food as the root cause. 

Most commercial household cleaning products contain chemicals that pollute the indoors with noxious fumes that may not be as hazardous to you, but are incredibly toxic to your dog. This is particularly worrying given the fact that our dogs are closer in proximity to these chemicals than we are, and thus are naturally more affected by this.

How so? The most obvious reason being that our dogs eat, sleep, and play on the floor, which means frequent sniffing, breathing, licking and direct skin contact with allergy inducing chemicals from your floor cleaner. Dogs are also smaller than us, making them more vulnerable with a much lower toxicity exposure threshold than us humans.

What to Look Out For

Most household cleaners in the market contain pernicious ingredients that are known to cause adverse reactions in dogs. So, before grabbing the same bottle of floor detergent during your next errand trip, you might want to check the ingredients list for these:

1. Bleach

Bleach, or chlorine, is probably the most commonly used cleaning agent due to its potent disinfecting abilities; but I’m sure we’re all well aware of the negative effects that accompany it. When inhaled or ingested accidentally, bleach can induce vomiting, diarrhea, and in more serious cases, seizures. It’s a familiar sight in laundry and dishwashing detergents, and all purpose cleaners. Instead of turning to bleach when your pup defecates on the carpets, opt for the best carpet cleaner for pets which is an effective natural solution like Richard's Organics.

2. Ammonia

Ammonia ranks high in popularity among cleaning product ingredients because of streakless cleaning property. However, it’s a notorious irritant that can lead to breathing problems caused by the burning of the mucous membranes, when inhaled by your dog. When used with bleach, it produces a gas that is extremely toxic for both humans and pets. It’s also commonly found in floor cleaners, so you might want to look for a pet safe floor cleaner such as these from Bio-Home.

3. Glycol Ethers

Glycol ethers are found in a whole range of products ranging from cosmetics to floor cleaners. Generally safe for use when highly diluted, but any contact with its concentrated form can cause liver, nerve, and digestive damage to both human and pets. Usually spotted in a variety of products ranging from liquid soaps, all purpose, glass, and carpet cleaners. Check your ingredients list so you're sure to use floor cleaners with only safe ingredients, such as the Essential Dog Natural (Lemongrass & Eucalyptus) Floor Cleaner.

4. Phthalates

If you have a product that smells amazing and isn’t branded as natural, you might want to take a look at the ingredients list. It probably contains phthalates, a fragrance carrier that can exacerbate or cause (pre-existing) skin conditions in pets with allergies. It’s used a lot in all-purpose cleaners, so if you’re looking for one, then you should consider a natural alternative like Bio-Home’s Multi-Purpose Cleaner For Home!

4. Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring compound that’s found mostly in air fresheners and even pet shampoos! It can result in severe eye and skin irritation and affect respiratory health when inhaled or absorbed into your dog’s skin. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has also identified it as a carcinogen. So, be careful the next time you shop for a new pet shampoo, go for those that are naturally formulated like these Earthbath ones.

KIM LEE

Kim is an avid dog lover, serial guac and chips eater, and thrill seeker - all in one body. Currently chillin’ with her dogs.