A house is never lonely where your dog waits. This is not just a cute thing to say but a feeling every pet owner understands. Nevertheless, where there is a pet, there is a daily cleaning ritual. And, like most pet owners, you want to find pet-safe hardwood cleaning products to use around your home, just like the rest of your cleaning products. This is because using any chemicals on your hardwood floor might affect the health of your pets.
There are many types of hardwood flooring, and while there is a standard cleaning method that will typically work for all types of wood floors, it is important to know what type of wood we’re working with. Having pets around the house will of course make any cleaning process a little more of a hassle, but with this guide and the help of JP Carpet Cleaning Expert Floor Care, you totally have this handled.
It’s Time To Clean The Hardwood Floors In Your Home.
Having a dog around keeps a house from feeling empty, and every pet owner understands this. There is, of course, the daily cleaning routine to consider when keeping a dog. As a pet owner, you care about using products around your home that are pet-safe, regardless of the flooring type. The reason is simple: Using any chemicals might jeopardize your pet’s health. For wood flooring this is especially important as the protective coating on the floor may also be damaged when using harsh chemicals and an abundance of water (which may be necessary if you are trying to completely rinse the floor of the chemicals). For these reasons, we’ve compiled a list of this to avoid to ensure you are getting pet-safe hardwood cleaning products.
Related: Hardwood Floor Cleaning Tips
Which Cleaning Products are Not Safe For Your Pets?
There are many household products that contain toxic ingredients, that can cause harm to your pets. Toxic household products can negatively impact your pets. The following list includes just a few of these harmful ingredients:
- Formaldehyde (found in general household cleaners)
- Perchloroethylene (found in carpet and rug cleaners)
- Phenols (found in cleaners with “sol” in the name)
- Phthalates (found in scented products, like air fresheners)
- Ammonia
- Bleach
- 2-Butoxyethanol – This chemical is found in a lot of cleaning products as well as in products like nail polish remover. It is a solvent, and so is used to dissolve residue and such. It will also dissolve the polyurethane from the floor and can be harmful if ingested. On the label, you will typically see Butyl Cellosolve, Ethylene Glycol, or 2-BE.
- Coal Tar Dyes – These dyes are typically used to change or add color to cleaning products and detergents. That bright blue color of your favorite laundry detergent might actually be a coal tar dye. These are also found in many products labeled as “All-Purpose.” This chemical is carcinogenic, enough said. On the label, it might be listed as FD&C, D&C, P-phenylenediamine, coal tar solutions, naphtha, estar, and benzin B70
- Ethanolamines – This is an emulsifier, which means two chemicals that typically do not mix are forced together to perform a certain task. Found in oven cleaners, all-purpose cleaners, and even sunscreen lotion, there are studies linking these types of chemicals to liver tumors, asthma, and skin irritants. On the label, these will be listed as MEA (monoethanolamine), DEA (diethanolamine), and TEA(triethanolamine).
Choose non-toxic products rather than products that contain these chemicals to protect yourself, your floors, and your home. Avoiding these chemicals will also help to keep your pets safe from inhaling or ingesting even a drop. Avoid using products that contain these chemicals and go for non-toxic cleaning products for pets.
What Pet-Friendly Hardwood Cleaning Should You Use?
When looking for products to use on your floors, be careful of greenwashing (a new trend of companies using green colors on their packaging to suggest the product is eco-friendly without explicitly stating it). However, listing something as ‘natural’ doesn’t necessarily imply that it is a healthy or pet-safe hardwood cleaning product. For example, people make silica powder from quartz or sand, which makes it a natural substance. However, silica powder is also carcinogenic if inhaled.
For hardwood floors and for the pets that play on them, we have a couple of easy solutions for you. You may already have these products in your home.
- Mop with hot water and vinegar. People have been using vinegar as a cleaning agent for generations, and dogs can safely consume it in moderate amounts. The hot water will help loosen any grease or hard stains on the floor, while the vinegar will disinfect.
- If you have a dish soap that you feel comfortable using, add a couple of drops of the soap to hot water and mop with this solution. This will operate similarly to the previous solution. because we’ve diluted the soap, it will ensure the safety of your pets.
- If you absolutely must use something that contains a toxic chemical, take care to rinse the floor as much as possible. This may require you to mop the same space multiple times, before using a dry mop to soak up excess water.
Want Professional Wood Floor Cleaning?
When it comes to hardwood floor cleaning, no one can beat JP Carpet and Floor Care. Over the years, our dedication to providing quality services, including wood flooring cleaning, refinishing, scrubbing, installation, and repair, has built our reputation. If you want to know more about our pet-safe hardwood cleaning that we use to restore the glory of your wood flooring, then contact us at (818) 263 9314.
