Faye had just finished shining up her coffee table with a brand
name furniture polish when she was shocked to see her beagle, Mitchell, put out his tongue to lick at a droplet of residue on the edge of the table. “Luckily, I was right there to stop him, but it made me wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t seen what he was doing,” she says. Then and there, Faye decided to start looking into safer, more natural alternatives to all her household cleaning products.

The problem with commercial cleaners
According to the ASPCA Complete Guide to Pet Care, poisoning is the most common emergency among pets, and household cleaners like bleaches, detergents and polishes are some of the most dangerous culprits. Studies have shown that exposure to toxic levels of household chemicals can also result in genetic damage and cancer.

In addition, household cleaners can affect indoor air quality, and considering that our animals spend most of their time inside, and are closer to surfaces such as floors, rugs and upholstery, they are more susceptible to the negative impact of these substances. On average, indoor air can be up to 20 times more polluted than outdoor air, while an EPA study revealed that 900 chemicals are commonly found inside the home. Household cleaners are a major contributor to these figures.

“There’s no one ingredient or product that we advocate for or against,” says Dana Farbman, CVT, of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC). “They all pose dangers to pets if they are not used according to label directions or if a significant accidental exposure occurs.” If you must use a commercial household cleaner for one reason or another, it’s vital that you follow label directions to the letter. “If, for example, a label directs you to keep pets out of an area until the cleaning products have dried thoroughly, you need to adhere to that to avoid the potential for any issues.”

Dana warns that cats can be particularly sensitive to chemical compounds containing phenols. “If you are going to use a disinfectant spray with a phenolic compound to deodorize your cat’s litter box, you may want to wipe the litter box with a damp cloth afterward to remove any significatnt residue," she says.

Products that contain corrosive agents, like bleaches, oven cleaners and anything with a high acid or alkaline content, can cause irritation if they come into contact with an animal’s skin. They can also harm mucus membranes if they are lapped up or inhaled. Dana warns that exposure to corrosives can be lifethreatening if it causes enough irritation to lead to the ulceration or perforation of the GI tract. If a cleaning product is potentially corrosive, it will generally say so on the label. You should also watch out for anything that states it can cause severe skin irritation. “Of course, if any product label directs you to keep children away, it is safe to assume that the same goes for your pets,” says Dana.

Catherine Owsianiecki is a freelance writer and the editor of the Harford Tattle Tale, the newsletter of the Humane Society of Harford County. She lives in Bel Air, Maryland with Tasha, a Yorkshire terrier, and Einstein, a lop-eared rabbit.