Do-It-Yourself Pet-Safe Cleaner Ingredients
These are the ingredients you’ll need to mix your own dog-safe cleaners for almost every part of your home.
Vinegar
The acetic acid content of vinegar makes it a powerful cleanser. This household staple is an effective agent in killing bacteria and microbes. Vinegar also has anti-fungal properties that make it useful for tackling mold. You can use either white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar (ACV), both of which are edible and completely non-toxic. Your pup might not appreciate the smell but don’t worry—the strong vinegar scent fades once it dries.
Baking Soda
Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda is great at absorbing and neutralizing odors. It’s also mildly abrasive, making it a safe but effective scrubbing agent for sinks and countertops. Baking soda has alkaline properties, which is the opposite of acidic, making it a good companion to vinegar and boosting its effectiveness at cutting through grease and unclogging drains.
Lemon Juice
While the citric acid in lemon juice is not quite as strong as the acetic acid contained in vinegar, lemon juice is nevertheless a powerful antibacterial and anti-fungal agent. Combined with vinegar, the boosted acid content is great for tackling lime and calcium deposits and eliminating soap scum.
Lemon juice on its own is also effective at removing coffee and tea stains. Don’t have any lemons? Lime juice works just as well.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a mild, oxygen-based bleach with antiseptic and anti-fungal properties. It’s excellent for removing tough stains as well as killing mold. The oxygen in peroxide can also help break down odor-causing compounds in urine stains. Although peroxide is a bleaching agent, as it breaks down, it turns into water and oxygen, leaving behind no residual toxins that might harm your pup.
Dog-Safe Cleaner Recipes
All-Purpose Cleaner
This DIY solution is great for sinks, countertops, cabinet doors, the inside of your microwave, and the outside of your toilet bowl, as well as for mopping floors. In a spray bottle, combine equal parts water and vinegar (either distilled white vinegar or ACV) and shake to blend. For best results, use filtered or distilled water that won’t leave behind mineral deposits, especially if you have hard tap water.
For a more powerful cleaner, add a small amount of lemon juice and/or hydrogen peroxide. But keep in mind that hydrogen peroxide breaks down and loses its effectiveness when exposed to light, so if you’re using a clear bottle, wait to add it until you’re ready to use it.
Toilet Bowl and Drain Cleaner
Pour half a cup of baking soda into your toilet bowl or down your drain. Follow with one cup of vinegar and then stand back and enjoy the volcano effect. Let it sit for ten minutes to break down dirt, grime, and odors before following up with a scrub brush. For drains, follow your drain volcano with a tea kettle full of boiling water to rinse away any residual grease that might cause clogs.
Glass Cleaner
For windows, mirrors, and other glass or shiny surfaces, a solution of water mixed with equal parts vinegar or lemon juice in a spray bottle will do the trick. Hydrogen peroxide on its own is also effective at cleaning and shining glass and metal. Wipe with newspaper or an old T-shirt to prevent streaks and lint residue.
Stain Remover
Make a thick paste of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and lemon juice or vinegar. Using an old toothbrush or a cotton cloth, apply the paste to the stained surface. For tough stains, let it sit for five to ten minutes before scrubbing. Wipe away the residue with a damp cloth.
Carpet Stain and Odor Remover
Add one tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to the all-purpose cleaner recipe above. Spray directly on the stain and blot it up with an old T-shirt or paper towel. For pet urine stains, let it sit for a few minutes before blotting. This allows the hydrogen peroxide time to work on the odor-causing compounds. Repeat this process until the stain is gone. To combat any residual odor, allow the spot to dry and then sprinkle it with baking soda. Leave it there for 10 to 20 minutes (so the odor is absorbed) before you vacuum.
However, although mild and pet-safe, hydrogen peroxide is not a color-safe bleach. Do a spot test on a portion of the carpet that’s hidden from view before using it to treat carpet stains.
Scented Products
If you’d like to add scent to your homemade cleaning solutions, steep orange or lemon peel in vinegar for at least 24 hours and strain it before adding it to your spray bottle. Avoid adding essential oils, which can be harmful to pets if not used properly.
Weed Control Without the Worry: Discover 5 Pet-Safe Homemade Weed Killers
By Danielle Letenyei
Weeds can be annoying when they show up uninvited in your garden. You may pull out the weed killer in your frustration to eliminate the weeds. But commercial weed killers can harm more than those dandelions — they're dangerous for humans, too! Even more upsetting, commercial weed killers are very dangerous for your pets.
Nibbling on a plant with commercial weed killers can make your dog or cat seriously ill. In a worst-case scenario, it can prove to be fatal. You can use homemade weed killers to eradicate the weeds without worrying about your favorite furry friend. Here are some alternative pet-friendly weed killers to try.
Vinegar
Everyone should have a jug of white vinegar in their home. It is a natural solution for cleaning your home, removing stains and softening your laundry. What you might not know is that vinegar is also an effective weed killer.
You can spray vinegar directly on weeds to kill them or combine it with salt to ensure the dead weed won’t grow back. Adding a little dishwasher soap to a mixture of one gallon of white vinegar and one cup of salt will help your homemade weed killer stick to weed.
Salt
You can combine salt with vinegar to kill weeds or use it alone. According to Gardening Know How, salt dehydrates the weeds and disrupts the internal water balance of plant cells, eventually killing them. Salt also provides effective weed control because no plants will grow in an area where you put salt on the soil. However, you should know if you put salt on an area, nothing will grow there, even the plants you want.
Clove oil
Clove oil is a good option if you want something to kill the weeds without hurting your flowering plants. It can also be used to keep the squirrels out of your garden and away from your bird feeders. To make a pet-safe weed killer with clove oil, add ten drops of the oil to two cups of boiling water. After the mixture has cooled, put it in a spray bottle and spray the target weeds once a day. If it doesn’t seem to be working, you can add more clove oil to the spray bottle.
Lemon oil
Try lemon oil for those tough weeds that don’t seem to wilt from other pet-safe weed killers. To make a lemon oil weed killer, mix ten drops of the oil with one cup of vinegar and one cup of water. Shake the mixture well enough to ensure the lemon oil isn’t floating at the top. However, lemon oil creates a powerful weed killer that harms the plants around it, so be careful when using it.
Cornmeal
You can stop weeds in their tracks before they even have a chance to grow by adding cornmeal to the area you want to be weed-free, reports Gardening Know How. It works by preventing the weed’s seed from germinating. Therefore, you need to apply it to the target area before weeds can grow. It won’t kill perennial weeds like dandelions that are already rooted, but it will kill the seeds those weeds disperse
These are the ingredients you’ll need to mix your own dog-safe cleaners for almost every part of your home.
Vinegar
The acetic acid content of vinegar makes it a powerful cleanser. This household staple is an effective agent in killing bacteria and microbes. Vinegar also has anti-fungal properties that make it useful for tackling mold. You can use either white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar (ACV), both of which are edible and completely non-toxic. Your pup might not appreciate the smell but don’t worry—the strong vinegar scent fades once it dries.
Baking Soda
Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda is great at absorbing and neutralizing odors. It’s also mildly abrasive, making it a safe but effective scrubbing agent for sinks and countertops. Baking soda has alkaline properties, which is the opposite of acidic, making it a good companion to vinegar and boosting its effectiveness at cutting through grease and unclogging drains.
Lemon Juice
While the citric acid in lemon juice is not quite as strong as the acetic acid contained in vinegar, lemon juice is nevertheless a powerful antibacterial and anti-fungal agent. Combined with vinegar, the boosted acid content is great for tackling lime and calcium deposits and eliminating soap scum.
Lemon juice on its own is also effective at removing coffee and tea stains. Don’t have any lemons? Lime juice works just as well.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a mild, oxygen-based bleach with antiseptic and anti-fungal properties. It’s excellent for removing tough stains as well as killing mold. The oxygen in peroxide can also help break down odor-causing compounds in urine stains. Although peroxide is a bleaching agent, as it breaks down, it turns into water and oxygen, leaving behind no residual toxins that might harm your pup.
Dog-Safe Cleaner Recipes
All-Purpose Cleaner
This DIY solution is great for sinks, countertops, cabinet doors, the inside of your microwave, and the outside of your toilet bowl, as well as for mopping floors. In a spray bottle, combine equal parts water and vinegar (either distilled white vinegar or ACV) and shake to blend. For best results, use filtered or distilled water that won’t leave behind mineral deposits, especially if you have hard tap water.
For a more powerful cleaner, add a small amount of lemon juice and/or hydrogen peroxide. But keep in mind that hydrogen peroxide breaks down and loses its effectiveness when exposed to light, so if you’re using a clear bottle, wait to add it until you’re ready to use it.
Toilet Bowl and Drain Cleaner
Pour half a cup of baking soda into your toilet bowl or down your drain. Follow with one cup of vinegar and then stand back and enjoy the volcano effect. Let it sit for ten minutes to break down dirt, grime, and odors before following up with a scrub brush. For drains, follow your drain volcano with a tea kettle full of boiling water to rinse away any residual grease that might cause clogs.
Glass Cleaner
For windows, mirrors, and other glass or shiny surfaces, a solution of water mixed with equal parts vinegar or lemon juice in a spray bottle will do the trick. Hydrogen peroxide on its own is also effective at cleaning and shining glass and metal. Wipe with newspaper or an old T-shirt to prevent streaks and lint residue.
Stain Remover
Make a thick paste of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and lemon juice or vinegar. Using an old toothbrush or a cotton cloth, apply the paste to the stained surface. For tough stains, let it sit for five to ten minutes before scrubbing. Wipe away the residue with a damp cloth.
Carpet Stain and Odor Remover
Add one tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to the all-purpose cleaner recipe above. Spray directly on the stain and blot it up with an old T-shirt or paper towel. For pet urine stains, let it sit for a few minutes before blotting. This allows the hydrogen peroxide time to work on the odor-causing compounds. Repeat this process until the stain is gone. To combat any residual odor, allow the spot to dry and then sprinkle it with baking soda. Leave it there for 10 to 20 minutes (so the odor is absorbed) before you vacuum.
However, although mild and pet-safe, hydrogen peroxide is not a color-safe bleach. Do a spot test on a portion of the carpet that’s hidden from view before using it to treat carpet stains.
Scented Products
If you’d like to add scent to your homemade cleaning solutions, steep orange or lemon peel in vinegar for at least 24 hours and strain it before adding it to your spray bottle. Avoid adding essential oils, which can be harmful to pets if not used properly.
Weed Control Without the Worry: Discover 5 Pet-Safe Homemade Weed Killers
By Danielle Letenyei
Weeds can be annoying when they show up uninvited in your garden. You may pull out the weed killer in your frustration to eliminate the weeds. But commercial weed killers can harm more than those dandelions — they're dangerous for humans, too! Even more upsetting, commercial weed killers are very dangerous for your pets.
Nibbling on a plant with commercial weed killers can make your dog or cat seriously ill. In a worst-case scenario, it can prove to be fatal. You can use homemade weed killers to eradicate the weeds without worrying about your favorite furry friend. Here are some alternative pet-friendly weed killers to try.
Vinegar
Everyone should have a jug of white vinegar in their home. It is a natural solution for cleaning your home, removing stains and softening your laundry. What you might not know is that vinegar is also an effective weed killer.
You can spray vinegar directly on weeds to kill them or combine it with salt to ensure the dead weed won’t grow back. Adding a little dishwasher soap to a mixture of one gallon of white vinegar and one cup of salt will help your homemade weed killer stick to weed.
Salt
You can combine salt with vinegar to kill weeds or use it alone. According to Gardening Know How, salt dehydrates the weeds and disrupts the internal water balance of plant cells, eventually killing them. Salt also provides effective weed control because no plants will grow in an area where you put salt on the soil. However, you should know if you put salt on an area, nothing will grow there, even the plants you want.
Clove oil
Clove oil is a good option if you want something to kill the weeds without hurting your flowering plants. It can also be used to keep the squirrels out of your garden and away from your bird feeders. To make a pet-safe weed killer with clove oil, add ten drops of the oil to two cups of boiling water. After the mixture has cooled, put it in a spray bottle and spray the target weeds once a day. If it doesn’t seem to be working, you can add more clove oil to the spray bottle.
Lemon oil
Try lemon oil for those tough weeds that don’t seem to wilt from other pet-safe weed killers. To make a lemon oil weed killer, mix ten drops of the oil with one cup of vinegar and one cup of water. Shake the mixture well enough to ensure the lemon oil isn’t floating at the top. However, lemon oil creates a powerful weed killer that harms the plants around it, so be careful when using it.
Cornmeal
You can stop weeds in their tracks before they even have a chance to grow by adding cornmeal to the area you want to be weed-free, reports Gardening Know How. It works by preventing the weed’s seed from germinating. Therefore, you need to apply it to the target area before weeds can grow. It won’t kill perennial weeds like dandelions that are already rooted, but it will kill the seeds those weeds disperse
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