Cleaning More Naturally for Your Pet’s Health & Safety

Pets have a tendency to cause messes, but the harsh chemicals you might otherwise use to clean them are not usually the healthiest choice for humans and can be downright dangerous to a pet.

Finding more natural ways to clean is just another step in pet safety, like pet collars, ID chips, and electric pet fences. Here’s a few tips for some of the most common messes:

Accidents. It’s nearly unavoidable if you have a pet—at some point, there’s going to be an accident in the house. Not only does it stain surfaces, it also leaves an odor that can be extremely difficult to get rid of.

Here’s a trick for naturally treating the site of a pet accident:

Blot the area with a sponge or cloth soaked in club soda.
Rinse out the sponge and repeat until there’s no color or dirt transfer on the sponge.
Sprinkle the area with baking soda and let dry.
Vacuum the area thoroughly.

Club soda is well-known to help treat fabric stains, and baking soda removes odors and excess moisture. It’s a great way to tackle a very common problem safely.

Bedding. A pet’s bed tends to take on a…certain aroma after a while. Chase off that odor in two ways: first, wash whatever you can in the washing machine. Many pet beds, even ones you purchase, have removable, washable covers.

For the parts that can’t be washed, use the baking soda as an odor absorber once again, sprinkling it on the bed, letting it sit for 15 minutes, then whisking the baking soda—and the smell—away with the vacuum.

Fleas. The unfortunate truth of living with pets is that you are likely to see fleas at some point. Soap and water will kill fleas quite effectively on your pet as long as you leave it on there for a few minutes (at least 5).

For fleas in the house, set a trap: dishsoap in a shallow dish near the pet’s bed (or anywhere you’ve seen fleas) will do the trick. The fleas are attracted to the dishsoap, but it traps them. Just empty the dish and refill at least once a week!