We recently adopted a Husky/Chow mix from the pound who came (luckily) house trained! She does phenomenally well at home during the day while we're at work but occasionally, she'll be so excited to see us when we get home, that she looses control. Between that and walks in the rain, dogs can be dirty!
Green Clean Your Pet
The biggest concern is how to disinfect & deodorize without harsh chemicals, such as bleach. Here are a few ways to clean up while remaining green:
- Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator or PureAyre, food-grade odor eliminator (available at Petco). These products don't just cover up a smell, they actually gets rid of it. They're also biodegradable and non-toxic.
- Save old tee-shirts or hand towels that you no longer want specifically for cleaning up after your animals. That way, you don't waste paper products and the dish towels stay reserved for the dishes.
- Limit "accidents" to easily cleanable surfaces like tile. Greet your pets in the mudroom or tile entryway and immediately let them out to do their business. When picking a room for your pets to hangout in, avoid carpet. Also avoid letting pooches have accidents on the cushions of your furniture. If they do, and you ultimately have to replace the stuffing, use eco-friendly stuffing like MountainMist.
- Bathe Your Pet: You care about the hair products you use on yourself, but what about your pet? Use Shea Pet Sulfate Free shampoo from OliveGreenDog or make your own:
Ingredients (mix, shake and use!):
- 1/3 cup glycerin
- 1 cup all natural dish soap
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 quart water
Any other green cleaning ideas for your pet?
Tags
cleaning, pets, pet, green pet monthRelated Links
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My dog loves to run and play in the back yard and flower beds, and also loves to jump onto our bed and nap there during the day. Even though we keep a rag by the door and try to wipe her paws, sooner or later most weeks she gets little dirt smudges on our bed. I always use a duvet cover so that I can wash it frequently without washing such a large volume, and when I need to I soak it in hot water with Oxo-brite.
My bigger wish--a duvet cover with a very stylish pattern that disguises the occasional doggy footprints and smudges. I have a bedroom in a lovely deep blue, but I don't want to go with something like a chocolate brown duvet cover or it will just be too dark, and I like a pattern to liven up the room a little. I have this dream of someone making a stylish duvet cover that is white, with a mix of colors in muted taupes and grays that are pet footprint tracks across the bed. Seriously, I can't be the only pet owner out there who would immediately buy the duvet cover, and probably sheet set too! They could make a killing! I keep waiting to open up the Garnet Hill catalog and see it there, but no luck yet. In the mean time, any suggestions out there for alternative pet-camo?
view mAlice's profile
Whole foods has a great castile bar for washing the dog that works awesome. Its like $5, has castile soap, tea tree oil and lavender to keep him squeaky clean and smelling nice. Apparently any castile soap (Dr. Bronner?) is safe to use, but this stuff doesn't dry him out and he has skin issues and the tea tree seems to keep it at bay.
My dog also has all his own blankets, his own chair to sit/sleep on and his own towel for drying after baths and near my back door in winter to dry him off. A reclaimed towel or tshirts or something would work great - just keep a few near the door.
view deirdre's profile
That dog is so cute!
view supapfunk's profile
You probably already read this somewhere else, but you may be able to mitigate the excitement "accidents" by ignoring her when you first get home. No eye contact, or excited petting for the first few minutes.
The spectacular incident that sticks out for me is greeting my dog only to have him belly up, and THEN loose bladder control... talk about a mess.
Also, your dog is super-cute.
view DahliaCactus's profile