Pet-Safe Cleaning at Home

What to do

1. Wash food and water bowls every day with soap and warm water, and wash wet-food bowls after every meal.
2. Wash bedding and blankets every week in the washing machine, and clean toys every month, or sooner if dirty. Throw out toys you can't clean once they look dirty.
3. Use cleaners and disinfectants exactly as the label says.
4. Rinse surfaces and items with clean water, and let them dry fully before your puppy uses them.
5. Keep your puppy out of the room while you clean, and put buckets, wipes and used paper towels where it can't reach.
6. For pee or poop accidents, blot up as much as you can, then use an enzyme cleaner made for pet stains. It breaks down the smell instead of covering it.
7. If your puppy has been sick, disinfect its bowls, toys and bedding as well as cleaning them.

When to call your vet

• Coughing or trouble breathing after cleaning fumes
• Red, irritated skin or paws
• Your puppy licked or chewed a cleaning product

Why

Puppies walk on, lick and chew what you clean. Concentrated products and some ingredients, like phenols, can burn the mouth or lungs, and bleach mixed with ammonia gives off a toxic gas.