- Mar 31
- 2 min read

Make Spring Cleaning Pet-Safe This Year.

If you're anything like me, you get *random* bursts of cleaning inspiration after scrolling through Pinterest and social media, consuming all of the new organization tips and cleaning hacks around this time of year...

Which is great, but it's important to pause and take a look at the cleaning products we actually use during these projects.

So I did some research, and it turns out, not all of the products that we use are pet-friendly. And often times, it can be hard to find some safe alternatives.

Here are some popular, yet toxic, cleaning products that you'll want to avoid.

5 Common Toxic Cleaning Products

Bleach - This is actually unsafe for dogs, and humans. It is commonly in scouring powders, toilet bowl cleaners, mildew removers, basic bleach, laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent and sometimes in all purpose cleansers.

Ammonia - This is a toxic cleaning product. It can be found in oven cleaners, window cleaners, stainless steel cleaners and wax for hardwood floor.

Glycol Ethers - This is a toxic ingredient found in many products. It can be found in all purpose cleaners, spot removers, carpet cleaners, glass cleaners, and liquid soaps.

Formaldehyde - This can be found in some shampoos, soaps, and is actually recognized by the FDA as a carcinogen. It has also been found in plug-in fragrances and some paper towels.

Phthalates - This one can be difficult to spot. It's typically found in the fragrance of most household products. It can be found in artificial fragrances, laundry detergents, shampoo and conditioners, all-purpose cleaners, vinyl and plastics.

Here are some brands and products that have some unsafe ingredients in them, based on Dogster.com.

Pine-Sol

Mr. Clean

Clorox Bathroom Cleaners

Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaners

Mr. Clean Multi-Purpose

Drain Openers

Windex & Glass Cleaners

Tide

Cheer

Swap out some of these products for a more pet-safe alternative.

Pet-safe cleaning products: