WHY CHEMICAL FREE PRODUCTS FOR YOUR PETS?

If anyone’s happy about months and months of being home, it’s probably your pet. They’re probably over the moon about it. You being home means 24/7 attention, surprise treats, and a lot of cuddling. Quarantine has surely been a gala time for them. And in return, we must thank them for giving us such awesome company and being a wonderful companion through these tough, strenuous times. We often wonder how we would’ve gotten through these dreary days without our furry friends. 

In the past few months, all of us have also adopted a strict cleaning protocol in our homes in a bid to stay safe and secure. But the cleaning products we have invested in, that claim to ensure that it kills coronavirus might be lethal for the virus for sure but did you know they are extremely toxic for you and your pets. Your pets have a natural sense of curiosity and their lack of awareness might lead to accidental ingestion of harmful substances. Besides, they spend the majority of their time on the floor, so their skin also has a higher chance of absorbing these toxins.

Pets have a much faster metabolism coupled with smaller lungs, this means that their body has to put in a lot more effort and strain to rid itself of toxins and chemicals. Additionally, they are also breathing them in faster. While one can’t eliminate all of the toxic chemicals that their pet comes in contact with, choosing the right, pet-friendly cleaning product for your house can make a world of a difference for you and your pet. Believe it or not, our household cleaning products, which create indoor pollution, are one of the leading causes of many chronic diseases. In the case of pets, cleaning products with ingredients such as bleach, ammonia, chlorine, glycol ethers or formaldehyde can put pets at risk for cancer, anaemia, liver and kidney damage. Laundry Detergent residue left behind on clothes and pet blankets can be harmful to your pet, especially those that chew on their bedding. Toilet bowl cleaners may be ingested by pets who have the habit of drinking from the toilet bowl.

Not-so-Fun Fact:

• Feeding milk to a cat can encourage stomach upset and diarrhea so even though you think a cat would like a nice bowl of milk, this would be a bad idea.
• Dogs with long floppy ears are more prone to ear infections. (Source: Internet)

5 Cleaning agents that are harmful for your pets

Chlorine: 

Found in bleach, is a chemical that is denser than air. This means its fumes lie suspended exactly at the level of your pets. Again due to their anatomy and fast breathing, they naturally ingest more of the toxins at once. If ingested in very large quantities, chlorine can prove to be lethal.

Ammonia:

This is a very popular and effective cleaning agent and a naturally occurring highly alkaline product. However, this is extremely toxic for your pet’s health, especially their eyes, skin, and stomach. Ammonia is found in, window cleaners, floor waxes, and fertilizers 

Glycol Ethers:

Glycol Ethers comes in handy when soap and water just don’t work for a very greasy and grimy stain. But this can prove to be very deadly for you and your pet alike as it is the reason behind various birth defects, weight loss, eye and skin irritation among other fatal diseases. This is an extremely common ingredient in a lot of commercial liquid soaps.

Formaldehyde:

Formaldehyde is commonly used for its antibacterial and preserving properties. It is also used as an embalming fluid. Exposure can occur when inhaled, your skin might also absorb formaldehyde in small amounts. Again, this has drastic and deadly consequences when ingested. Other names for formaldehyde include formalin, formic aldehyde, methanediol, methanol, methyl aldehyde, methylene glycol, and methylene oxide.

Phthalates:

These are used to bring about lovely fragrances in your cleaners. Trading your and your pet’s health for heightened fragrance is not worth it as this is a major cause of hormone disruption. Hormones are the reason behind many life functions and emotions, when this gets disrupted, one’s lifestyle can change drastically. It may affect reproductive abilities in pets and their development.

Safer and Natural Alternatives

There are so many natural and safe alternatives out there that you don’t have to rely on heavy-duty, toxic chemicals. Try these safer, natural solutions:

1. Vinegar and baking soda are excellent for those simple messes around the house. Muddy paws from a walk in the rain? This should clean it right up.
2. Pet safe cleaners If it’s something stronger than a DIY cleaner that you seek, then it’s time to bring home pet-friendly cleaners that are also organic. Here, try Koparo’s range of home cleaning solutions. From their little doggy bowls to their favourite corner of the table that they like to chew on, we got you covered. It’ll be extremely safe for them. 

Enzyme and bacterial-based pet cleaners are the best for cleaning organic pet messes, such as vomit, diarrhoea, urine, and blood out of fabric surfaces. 

In early 2020, even before the COVID-19 crisis, a popular disinfectant in the UK made horrific news when a dog walked across a newly cleaned floor, licked her paws as they often adorably do and was poisoned! Reactions ranging from severe toxic shock to milder forms of contact dermatitis are caused very often by floor cleaners laden with harsh chemicals.

While both cats and dogs are at risk, cats are a higher risk category owing to their lower body weight and because they lack the physiological ability to flush out toxins in the same way as their furry cousins. 

Dogs are mostly larger and have the metabolic ability to process certain toxins but they are inclined to lick spills, leftover cleaners in mopping buckets and constantly lick their paws making them also highly vulnerable.

We hope our tips have been useful to help you decide how to keep the virus at bay without compromising the health of your furry babies.

Hope these tips keep the tails wagging and paws happy!

If you are on the lookout for a pet-safe floor cleaner you can check out Koparo's Natural Floor Cleaner: