Contents
What Cleaning Products Are Safe for Cats?
Look for plant or enzyme-based cleaning products that avoid using bleach or other corrosive and toxic ingredients. These safe cleaners listed for use in homes with cats are based on usage within a ventilated area and always keeping the pet away from the household cleaner.
10 Pet-Safe Cleaning Products You Can Buy Or Find at Home
1. Puracy Multi-Surface Cleaner
A plant-based cleaning product concentrate that you dilute with water before use, Puracy is hypoallergenic and uses biodegradable, non-toxic ingredients rather than harsh chemicals.
The multi-purpose cleaner can be used on any surface without rinsing and is safe for use with pets and children. It comes in natural scents like green tea and lime.
2. Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent
Seventh Generation marks itself as a brand free of dyes and fragrances but still tough on stains. It can be used in HE washing machines and is hypoallergenic and great for human and pet-sensitive skin.
Try using it for soiled pet beds or getting stains out of pet clothing. It can be used directly on the cloth without water to pre-treat the stains and then added to the load in the washing machine.
3. Dropps Laundry Detergent
The first detergent to come in pods, Dropps laundry detergent, is available through subscription. They will deliver a set amount to your door each month, and you won’t have to deal with heavy bottles of liquid detergent.
Dropps is all plant-based, with no dyes or colors, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and PETA approved. Fragrance-free detergent is available for sensitive skin.
4. Nature’s Miracle Deep Cleaning Carpet Shampoo
One of the best-known pet-safe cleaning lines, Nature’s Miracle, makes various cleaning products, including a low-foam carpet shampoo that you can use on its own or with a water-based carpet cleaning or steam cleaning machine.
The cleanser is phosphate-free, made from plant enzymes, and is both pet-safe and safe for the environment. The deep-cleaning formula also has rug conditions to help maintain color even when removing old and new stains.
5. Clean + Green Fabric Freshener
Plant-based and non-toxic, it can be sprayed on pet beds, clothing, and other fabric surfaces as a pet odor eliminator, to help with pet hair removal and to help prevent set-in stains. The spray is fragrance-free and suitable for use with sensitive skin.
Clean + Green also has a full line of pet-safe products, including litter box deodorizer and carpet stain remover.
6. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Surface Cleaner
For use on non-porous surfaces, Clean Day cleans off stuck-on grime quickly and leaves a fresh, pleasant scent inspired by nature and using essential oils. Try out a variety of scents like basil, lemon verbena, and lavender.
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day cruelty-free formula isn’t tested on animals and is pet-safe for cleaning floors, countertops, and other surfaces.
7. SpotAway Pet Safe Surface Cleaner
For glass, chrome, plexiglass, and other reflective surfaces, SpotAway is a biodegradable and environmentally friendly glass cleaner that can take away things like nose prints and drool and bring back a shine.
Non-toxic and non-abrasive, it contains no ingredients like ammonia, bleach, or other harsh chemicals.
8. PetSimplicity Whizz Away Stain & Odor Remover
One of the tricky aspects of removing pet stains is ensuring everything is gone, even the smell on a level that the dog or cat won’t want to return to the same spot. Whizz Away goes right down to the center of even stubborn stains.
Spray on the carpet cleaner, let it air dry, and return to a carpet that has returned to its pre-stained form.
9. Simply Green Bio Dog Stain & Odor Remover
Simply Green products meet US EPA safer product standards, are safe for use around pets and children, and can be used on virtually any surface, including porous concrete and unfinished deck wood.
Both dog and cat-specific products to remove pet stains and pet odors are available.
10. Baking Soda and Vinegar
The downside of commercial cleaning products is they may be cost-prohibitive, especially if you’re working with a limited budget. Try using white vinegar or lemon juice in combination with baking soda to scrub stains and for daily cleanings.
Add a bit more baking soda to add grit to the scrubbing, and lemon juice adds a pleasant scent, although the smell of white vinegar will fade quickly.
What Floor Cleaner Is Safe for Pets?
Most household floor cleaners are safe to use around pets if used correctly and according to the manufacturer’s directions.
This means keeping pets off the floors until they are completely dry, ideally rinsing them too and choosing a dilute cleaner so that it doesn’t leave residue behind while still killing bacteria.
If you’re worried about chemicals and you’re only addressing dirt and grime but not bacteria, look for a floor cleaner that has a very short ingredient list and doesn’t contain bleach, ammonia, phenols, glycol ethers, or phthalates.
Is Pine Sol Harmful to Cats?
Always use Pine-Sol according to the manufacturer’s directions in a well-ventilated area. Dilute the cleaner, rinse the floors, and you must keep cats away until the floors are completely dry.
However, Pine-Sol is toxic if consumed and should be kept far away from pets, both undiluted and once it’s diluted with water for cleaning floors. After you prepare the water, don’t walk away from it.
Is Cleaning Floors with Vinegar Safe for Pets?
Yes, vinegar is safe, edible, and entirely non-toxic for pets and floors, although many pets won’t like the smell.
Use distilled white or apple cider vinegar with baking soda and water to clean various surfaces, including floors. Floors can be rinsed after use or let dry with just the vinegar-water mixture with no issues.
Is Vinegar Safe for Cat Fur?
Whether white or apple cider, Vinegar is safe for cat fur and can be used for various common issues as directed by a veterinarian, such as to ease itchy dry skin thanks to allergies or hot spots on the skin.
You may want to dilute the vinegar for when the cat inevitably gets some in their mouth, as they probably won’t like the taste.
Can You Use Baby Wipes on a Cat?
Using one or two may not harm anyone, but baby wipes can include many chemicals you may not want lingering on your cat’s fur. Unlike a baby’s skin, fur traps the liquid from the wipe and could irritate sensitive skin or get into the cat’s mouth.
Dog and cat wipes thankfully exist and are a pet-safe alternative. You can also try a simple paper towel with a little bit of water that can help with cleaning up.
What Is a Pet Safe Disinfectant?
The hydrogen peroxide present in many of the above cleaners will help with disinfecting. A number of all-natural household cleaning products, such as Angry Orange that contains orange peel oil, can act as a natural disinfectant.
