If you have carpets in your home, you undoubtedly enjoy their comfort and coziness. Bare floors tend to be too hard and too cold but this is something you don’t have to worry about when you have carpeted floors in your home. That said, your carpets need to be cleaned on a regular basis to remain in the best condition. Sure, you may be in the habit of vacuuming your carpets regularly but this is not enough to remove all the debris, dust, and foreign particles that settle deep within your carpet fibers. Also, if you have pets in your home, you might want to first learn all about safe carpet cleaning for pets. Certain cleaning products and methods aren’t healthy for your pets. Here’s what you need to know.
Avoid Aggressive Cleaning Methods
Today, there are many carpet cleaning methods that are being marketed but which could be potentially harmful to your pets. For instance, you will find dry shampoos, foams, and powders, which might be marketed as being effective. It’s crucial to realize that some of these floor cleaning solutions contain toxins and harmful substances that linger on your carpet where they can easily come into contact with your pets. According to the Washington Post, carpet cleaners can leave toxic residues that have an adverse effect on cats and dogs. If you use a carpet or floor cleaner that contains toxic residues, it’s all too easy for your cat to pick it up on their paws and fur. Therefore, the first step to implementing safe carpet cleaning for pets is to avoid harmful cleaning methods.
In the worst-case scenario, cats can end up ingesting these toxins when they’re self-grooming. You should also be wary of new carpets, which can be toxic to your pets because they release formaldehyde fumes and other potentially dangerous compounds that might harm your pets. You have a duty to ensure that your carpet does not become a breeding ground for bacteria, allergens, and other foreign particles that can pose a health risk to your pets. At the same time, you also have a duty to ensure that you understand everything there’s to know about safe carpet cleaning for pets.
Use a Wet Vacuum
Your beloved pets need to exist in a clean environment to stay healthy. If you’re looking for options for safe carpet cleaning for pets, then one of the top options you can rely on is a wet vacuum. With a wet vacuum, you can utilize safe water treatments to effectively clean your carpet and prevent your carpet from getting too dirty. The good news is that even if you don’t own a wet vacuum, you can always rent one from time to time to ensure your carpet stays clean and healthy enough for your pets. Alternatively, you can purchase a wet vacuum from the many options that are available on the market.
For instance, you can find wet vacuums for pets that have great features, such as powerful suction, lightweight design, and collapsible hoses that make it easier to keep your carpet clean. A wet vacuum is a safe method of cleaning your carpet because it relies mainly on the cleaning and dissolving abilities of water. It works by saturating your carpet with water and then sucking the water out along with the dissolved dirt that’s been stuck in your carpet. A wet vacuum also comes in handy when you need to flush out pet stains.
Know Which Ingredients to Avoid
Are you aware of the cleaning products and agents that you should never use around pets? If not, you’re highly encouraged to educate yourself so that you know the ingredients and chemicals that can be harmful to your dog or cat. To begin with, you have to watch out for products that contain ammonia, which is, unfortunately, a common ingredient in most floor and surface cleaners.
While you may have previously used ammonia because of its ability to clean effectively and remove stains, keep in mind that ammonia might cause irritation if it comes in contact with your pet’s eyes, skin, and other sensitive areas. You should also avoid cleaning products that contain bleach or chlorine, which can be harmful to your pets if ingested accidentally. According to the Humane Society, you should generally avoid cleaners with powerful odors and disinfectants that contain alcohol, peroxides, and other compounds that contain the word phenol. Also, keep in mind that your laundry detergents might not be safe for your pets because they contain harsh chemicals like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and nonylphenol ethoxylate.
Read the Label Before Buying
If you’re buying your carpet cleaning products from the store, it helps to develop a habit of reading labels. Perhaps you’re not in the habit of checking the product label at the grocery store before buying your carpet shampoo. The best time to start is now. Most cleaning products that you find at the supermarket typically come with a label that lists all the chemicals and ingredients that are contained in the product. So, once you have familiarized yourself with cleaning ingredients that you should avoid for the safety of your pets, you should be able to analyze the information on the product label and interpret it correctly.
The product label will provide you with information on what you’re putting on your carpets and allowing to come into contact with your pets. The ingredients are usually listed in order, with the more active ingredients at the front. When you get into the habit of reading product labels before buying, you might be shocked at some of the chemicals that are used in some popular carpet cleaning products. By learning to spot these harmful chemicals, you can easily become a smart shopper that acts in the best interests of your pets. Read every product label for each carpet cleaning product you purchase so that you don’t end up with these harmful products in your home in the first place.
Opt For Natural Choices
When we refer to natural and safe carpet cleaning for pets, this typically refers to the use of everyday cleaning products that are not harmful to your pet. This is opposed to commercial alternatives, which tend to be packed with harsher chemicals. If you look all around your home, you might be surprised to find there are several natural cleaning options that you can take advantage of to ensure the safety of your pets. For instance, if your carpet isn’t smelling as fresh as it should be, consider using baking soda to absorb smells. All you have to do is spread the baking soda evenly all over your carpet, allow it to sit for a while, and then vacuum thoroughly to get rid of all the baking soda.
Baking soda or bicarbonate of soda has a high pH, so it’s able to neutralize most smells that are acidic in nature. The good news is that baking soda is quite safe for your pets. Additionally, there are many other natural carpet cleaners you can explore if you don’t want cleaning products that do more harm than good. Most of the DIY cleaners that are effective can be made using items that you already have in your home. You can use a mixture of water, vinegar, or salt, for starters. Mixing baking soda, vinegar, and water also works. If you want a natural cleaner with a deodorizing effect, then adding lemons into the mix might also help.
Do Your Research to Find Safe Carpet Cleaner Solutions
If you want to know how safe carpet cleaning for pets works, you should be prepared to do as much research as possible. The goal is to discover a balanced approach to cleaning your carpets that will not endanger your pets or make life difficult for you. Start by considering the type of carpet in your home and the manufacturer’s instructions on how the carpet should be cleaned. You can also go online to find as much information as possible about safe carpet cleaning for pets. There might be a convenient social media platform that allows you to ask others who have pets about their carpet cleaning methods.
The more you dig, the more insight you will find into this topic. If you want to take your research up a notch, you can even approach your vet to enquire about the safest methods to keep your carpets clean. This can be especially helpful because carpet cleaning safety concerns depend on the type of pet you have in your home. Therefore, your vet will be in a better position to determine how certain cleaning solutions you’re using might affect your pet. Research is a powerful way to enlighten yourself on the subject of safe carpet cleaning for pets. Instead of being a pet owner that blindly uses any product they pick on the store shelf, you’ll become more discerning. This is how to become a better pet owner who doesn’t unknowingly endanger their beloved animal friends.
Enlist the Help of a Professional
If you need help keeping your carpet clean and your pets safe, you can always rely on professional carpet cleaning solutions. The trick is to look for professionals that employ the use of pet-safe carpet cleaner. Most commercial cleaning services that offer carpet cleaning also offer a wide range of services, such as carpet restoration. Depending on the square footage in your home, it’s usually a good idea to hire a commercial cleaning service that will have all the heavy-duty equipment. Commercial cleaning services will have equipment and supplies that outperform the ones you have at home.They also know which cleaning product ingredients can be hazardous for dogs, cats, and other pets and will use safer alternatives in pet-owned homes.
Hiring professional carpet cleaning services can be helpful if you’re constantly struggling with removing stains and odors from carpets. A pet-friendly carpet cleaning service can easily show you that you don’t have to use concentrated carpet cleaners to get the job done. Such a service should be able to use the right natural solutions to effectively clean your carpet. That way, you don’t have to worry about your carpet having any adverse effects on your pets.
Other Tips to Keep In Mind
One of the best tips for safe carpet cleaning for pets involves keeping your carpet as clean as possible, so you don’t have to clean it as frequently. Typically, when you keep having to clean your carpets frequently, it often means that you’re not properly grooming your pets. If you don’t trim your pet, this can result in excessive growth and shedding onto your carpets, and frequent shedding means you will have to clean your carpets regularly. It’s also a good idea to ensure that your pets are well-trained, so they know not to track mud onto the carpets and where to do their business, so you don’t end up with urine on the carpet.
Making your yard clean also helps since it allows your dog to play outside without getting dirty. For instance, there are landscape renovations like planting a lawn, installing a fence, and hiring a junk removal company to keep your dog and your yard clean. Installing a fence is one of the best ways to keep your cats contained, whether you’re interested in an iron fence or exploring wood fences. In any case, while it’s not always possible to prevent your carpet from getting dirty, you can do damage control by cleaning your carpet as soon as it gets dirty using the natural cleaning methods mentioned above.
Overall, there are many benefits associated with carpet cleaning when done correctly. The right cleaning methods can help extend the life of your carpets, so they remain in the best condition for as long as possible. Carpet cleaning also removes ugly stains from your carpets that can interfere with the beautiful aesthetics of your home and helps you maintain a healthier living environment. While on the subject of creating a healthier living environment, you also have to consider the health of your pets. The good news is that these tips will help keep you on track when it comes to safe carpet cleaning for pets.