The new season is right around the corner, and soon the birds, bugs, and critters will return for the joy and birth of Spring. As they finish their migrations and end their hibernations, the dark days of winter pass for the tranquil pastels of spring. Likewise, we at Cuddle Clones welcome the season of new life and new goals, like getting another kitten and getting the fur out of the carpet.
The best time to start a thorough spring cleaning campaign is now because your pets are starting to acclimate to the weather and shed off their winter coats. With our help, we can show you the best pet-friendly cleaning methods, products, and tips to make this year’s spring cleaning count!
Best Pet-Friendly Cleaning Practices
Generally, when you clean your home, you use products and chemicals that are toxic or irritating to most other animals. Even the most well-behaved pet can’t resist the urge to lick or sniff a substance when you're not looking, so it's crucial they are dealing with the safest products available.
Even if you’re using safe cleaning products, it's important to practice some caution when using these substances. Here are some simple tricks you can practice to optimize your pet’s health when you start your spring cleaning.
Maintain Ventilation
Make sure you open the windows and doors to maintain a well-ventilated area in the room you are cleaning. Not only does this help vent the cleaning products from the air, but the dust and hair particles too.
A well-ventilated room will also help the cleaning products dry faster, which is important because you should only let your pets back in the room once all surfaces are dry.
Keep Your Pets Occupied And Away
Even if you maintain a ventilated space, it's best practice to keep your pets away from the area you are cleaning because we don't want them exposed to any potentially dangerous products.
Even if you're using the safest pet-friendly cleaning products, you don't want to take an unnecessary risk. To remedy this you should secure them to prevent them from accidentally wandering in and injuring themselves while you're in the middle of cleaning.
Safely Secure Your Supplies
The last thing you want is to walk into your home and find your pet got in contact or ate something it really should have not. This is a pretty general rule that extends past cleaning supplies; stash and secure anything that can be harmful to a pet.
So of course, be sure to store and secure your cleaning supplies in a place your pet can’t get its paws into or ideally even reach. We think locks are the best option in case you have an extra crafty critter. Also, do store these items in a place your pet can’t get to.
Pet-Friendly Cleaning Products
The best cleaning supplies for pets are generally plant-based and free of toxic chemicals, but it's not always clear what products are safe for your beloved pets. Thankfully, we’ve narrowed down a few products to complete all the cleaning tasks you need.
For a proven floor cleaner you can try Bean and Lilly’s Pet Safe Floor Cleaner, which is a plant-based formula that's perfect for hardwood floors, or Eco-Me’s Floor Cleaner.
For carpets, you can try Puracy Carpet And Upholstery Shampoo, a safe aromatic shampoo for carpets and furniture.
For a multi-purpose cleaner, you have several options. Some of the more popular brands include Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Biodegradable Non-Toxic Cleaner For Pets or Better Life’s All-Purpose Cleaner, which are both perfect for scrubbing out stains and maintaining a clean environment for you and your furry friends.
For cleaning glass, we recommend Aunt Fannie’s Glass Cleaner, which will leave your glass furniture spotless and of course safe for your pets.
Lastly, we recommend BioKleen Bac-Out Stain And Odor Remover for those pesky stains and odors. Aside from Biokleen, we also recommend Rocco And Roxie Professional Strength Stain And Odor Eliminator as an alternative.
Products To Stay Away From
Cleaning supplies have become more specialized and ensured for the safety of pets but it's important to know what chemicals are especially bad. This list details which products to stay away from, but in general beware of the following:
- Ammonia
- Chlorine Bleach
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Formaldehyde
- Glycol Ethers
Each one of these chemicals can be found in modern cleaning supplies and each of them can be lethal to your pet in their own right.
Busting Out The Duster And Vacuum
Since you have your pet-friendly products, you're all set to freshen up your home. Cleaning is relatively simple but with pets, you need to think about where their follicles and particles are likely to end up.
You're going to want to start with dusting and vacuuming to remove the dust and hairs from your surfaces before cleaning them with products. A duster or Swiffer should help get into the corners and crevices of your home and the vacuum will help pull the hair and dust on easy to reach places. Whether you have hardwood floors or carpet, we say use a vacuum to suck up the particulates.
The more hair in your carpets, the more dust in the air and in your home, which isn't good for you or your pets. Be thorough and try to vacuum deep into your carpets, pillows, etc, before moving onto liquid solutions.
Floor And Carpet Solutions
When you're finished dusting and vacuuming, it's time to address your carpets and floors. Using a mop or another tool, spread and wipe the floors down with a floor cleaner and allow them to dry.
Your carpets are going to need a deep wash with a pet-friendly shampoo to remove odors, stains and give it a deep clean. To remove any persistent stains try out the pet-friendly stain removers. Similarly, you should wipe down every surface in your home with your multi-purpose pet-friendly cleaning solution. Again make sure everything is cleaned and then let it dry.
How About The Toys?
With pet-friendly soap, cleaning your pet’s toys and bowls is super simple. The plastic food and water bowls can go in the dishwasher and for the toys, we recommend sorting through them for a quality check before washing them.
Hard toys can go in the dishwasher, but it's easier to wash them by hand with soap and water. For soft toys, try throwing them in the laundry with a pet-safe shampoo. These items are often forgotten in the cleaning process, but they can harbor bacteria so give it a wash. Your pet will thank you.
You should also wash your pet’s collar, couch cushions, bedding, any blankets and the litterbox. The first three can be washed with shampoo and the litterbox can be washed with soap and water. Replace the old litter with a fresh batch and be sure to clean the scooper as well. Of course, remember to return these to your pets when they are dry.
Also, Pet-Friendly Flowers
With spring comes tulips but be wary of what and where you plant this season. Despite their beauty, Tulips are among some of the toxic classes of plants, dangerous to most pets. We’ve all seen our pets enjoy plants and natural environments, and we want to encourage pet owners to make their homes an ecosystem. This list covers what plants you should absolutely keep away from your pets and then some safe picks.
While tulips are fashionable this time of year, we recommend you plant some daisies, sunflowers, or roses for you and your pets to enjoy in the garden. For your interior spaces, bring fiery snapdragons or delicate orchids into your home for you and your pets to admire.
Join Us This Season
As we welcome in the Spring, we hope you’ll use these tips and tricks to make the most of this year’s spring cleaning. Remember before you tackle any stain and odors lingering in your home, make sure you get yourself pet-friendly cleaning products, practice good ventilation and give everything a deep wash.
Pet owners know these practices are tried and true, and will make your home fresher, healthier. We hope you found our guide helpful, for more content like this, check out our Cuddle Clones blog here.
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