In our opinion, essential oils are the BEST way to swap out toxic cleaning chemicals with delicious smelling plant-based products that have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Unfortunately, some essential oils that are safe for humans are incredibly toxic to cats and dogs (even in small amounts).
That’s why today we are chatting about the best pet safe essential oils for cleaning your home with.
Whether you’re using essential oils in a diffuser, putting them in your bath/shower or harnessing their magic for cleaning, there are many ways you and your pets will come in contact with these powerful substances. The key is to use only a couple of drops of your chosen oil diluted in vinegar, water, a natural soap (like castile) or a neutral oil (like coconut).
Okay now let’s chat about the TOXIC oils that you should never use for cleaning around your pets.
Pine oil and Tea Tree are incredibly toxic for dogs, despite being a common ingredient in many cleaning products. If you have pups, throw out your Pine-Sol or Lestoil, as it has pine oil in it. Phenolic acid gives pine, mint and certain citrus that signature scent that we all adore. However, cats don’t produce the enzyme (glucuronyl transferase) that metabolizes phenols, making these oils toxic for them.
Here are oils to avoid. If there’s any accidental contact, call your vet ASAP.
- Anise
- Cinnamon
- Citrus
- Clove
- Juniper
- Pennyroyal
- Peppermint
- Pine
- Sweet birch
- Tea tree aka Melaluca
- Thyme
- Wintergreen
- Ylang Ylang
- Vanilla
Now we’ll discuss the essential oils that are not only amazing to clean with but are also safe and harmless to you and your pets! The majority of healthy, non-pregnant pets are safe when the following essential oils are used in small amounts around the home.
Dogs:
- Cedarwood (Mindful Mop’s personal favorite)
- Chamomile
- Eucalyptus
- Fennel
- Frankincense
- Jasmine
- Lavender
- Lemongrass (a fabulously fresh cleaning scent)
- Rose
- Spearmint
Cats:
- Cedarwood
- Chamomile
- Fennel
- Frankincense
- Jasmine
- Lavender
- Rose
So if you have both cats and dogs in your household, our personal favorite essential oils to clean with are cedarwood, chamomile and lavender!
Here’s the best part…Mindful Mop cleaners use all high-quality, non-toxic cleaning products (some of which are made in house) when cleaning your home. So you can rest assured your pets and family are safe when you choose us as your trusted house cleaners!
