As coronavirus causes a surge in cleaning, Rover.com shares its top tips for pet safety.
With much of Britain being forced to stay indoors, many of us are picking up the scrubbing brush and deep cleaning our homes amid ongoing concerns about Coronavirus.
However, as a nation of dog lovers, it’s important that we clean with care to minimise the risk of any accidents happening to our furry friends.
As well as thinking about the potentially harmful ingredients in our cleaning products, you must also consider how your pet might come into contact with them. Many dogs can become ill from something as insignificant as licking a floor or other surface that has previously been cleaned.
With this in mind, Dr Rebecca Greenstein, Veterinarian for Rover.com shares her tips for keeping your home sparkling clean and safe for your four-legged friends.
1 Store high and away – always make sure your cleaning products are stored in a safe location well above floor level and far out of reach of curious pets. Luckily most harmful household products tend to have child locks on them and so can’t easily be accessed by our pups, however it’s still important to keep them away in cupboards or on high shelves to avoid any accidents. If you have a particularly nosy fur baby, you may want to consider latches or locks on the outside of cupboards or storage area.
2 Hot wash – it’s a good idea to wash your dog’s bedding and blankets often to keep them smelling fresh. Pet owners should consider using unscented washing detergents to reduce the risk of irritation to your pup’s skin and coat. If in doubt, use less detergent than you would do for your own clothes. Washing pet belongings using a high-temperature setting can help to kill some kinds of bacteria and other germs. Always wash pet bedding separately from your family laundry.
3 Ventilate to breath – when cleaning your home, make sure your dog isn’t nearby. It’s worth moving them into a different room or giving them some time outdoors in the garden. If that’s not possible, then make sure to spray any products well away from them and leave windows and doors open to increase ventilation – breathing them in isn’t good for either you or your furry counterparts.
4 Key ingredients to avoid – products containing chlorine, ammonia, isopropyl (rubbing alcohol), formaldehyde, phenols, benzalkonium chloride phthalate, perchloroethylene (PERC), triclosan butoxyethanol, bleach (sodium hypochlorite), and sodium hydroxide can be toxic to pets, especially if they are accidentally ingested. Always read and check product labels to see if they contain any potential toxins and try to seek out pet-friendly alternatives.
Depending on your sanitizing needs, natural alternatives can sometimes be appropriate but may not offer the same level of disinfection. For cleaning purposes (more so than disinfection), household ingredients like baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice are all good options for cutting through grease and there are plenty of recipes online you can look at making yourself. This can also help save the pennies as well as the ingredients are cheap to purchase. Always keep cleaners (even natural ones) far away from pets to prevent them from accidentally ingesting them.
5 Seek help – if you think your dog has come into contact with a harmful product then contact your vet immediately and try to give as much information as possible as to what might have happened and what toxic ingredients might have been ingested and in what amounts. Some products can be life-threatening to dogs so it’s important you take any symptoms seriously and always seek veterinary medical attention if you are concerned.
If you want to find more help and advice on cleaning safely with your dog visit www.rover.com/blog/uk/pet-safe-cleaning/
