Almost every house is well-stocked with cleaning supplies. If you have a dog in your house, you know how crucial a good, aromatic cleaner is.
Not to mention that, with the pandemic ongoing these days, you do need a good cleaner to disinfect your house, yourself, and your dog (especially after you go for walks together).
However, most common household cleaners can often be toxic for both us and the dogs. While we can easily avoid ingesting them, dogs don’t know any better.
So, as a pet owner, which household cleaners can you trust? And which ones should you be careful with?
We’ll cover these questions (and more) in today’s article. Let’s begin by covering Fabuloso.
What you will learn in this article:
- What is Fabuloso?
- What are the active ingredients in Fabuloso?
- Is Fabuloso safe for dogs?
- My dog drank Fabuloso- what should I do?
- Can I use Fabuloso to clean my dog’s body?
- Which ingredients should I look out for when picking a cleaning product or disinfectant?
- How can I use Fabuloso around my dogs?
- Does Fabuloso disinfect?
- Which common cleaning products can harm my dog?
- Which natural cleaning products can I use that aren’t harmful for my dog?
- My dog drank Fabuloso, what should I do?
- What are the symptoms that there might be something wrong with my dog?
- Conclusion
What is Fabuloso?
In case you haven’t heard of it, Fabuloso is a very popular brand owned by Colgate-Palmolive that produces multi-purpose cleaners.
The company’s cleaners are known for their aromatic scents; which is a very useful perk for when your dog creates a mess around the house.
What are the active ingredients in Fabuloso?
The active ingredients you might find in Fabuloso’s products can vary. But the most common active ingredients in its products include:
- Water
- Sodium Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate
- Fragrance
- C9–11 Pareth-8
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- Preservative
- Colourants
All of these ingredients are safe for use around your dog. Sodium Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate is the main cleaning agent here and, in small quantities, it’s not harmful for you or your dog.
C9–11 Pareth-8 is the secondary cleaning agent. It has high surface activity which makes it perfect for use on (and cleaning) hard surfaces.
Lastly, Sodium Lareth Sulfate is used as a surfactant; which is to say that it reduces the surface tension between the ingredients in Fabuloso.
Is Fabuloso safe for dogs?
Most of Fabuloso’s scented multi-purpose cleaners are generally safe for use around dogs, and your dog won’t come to any harm unless s/he ingests large quantities of it.
However, please be aware that some Fabuloso products can contain active ingredients that are harmful for your dog. Examples of these include bleach and hydrogen peroxide.
When you buy Fabuloso for use around your dog, make sure that the cleaner doesn’t contain those ingredients.
My dog drank Fabuloso- what should I do?
Depending on how
Can I use Fabuloso to clean my dog’s body?
No. Fabuloso’s products might smell good, but they aren’t designed to be applied to your pet’s body (or yours). Only use Fabuloso’s products on the surfaces it’s designed for.
Which ingredients should I look out for when picking a cleaning product or disinfectant?
Most cleaning products and disinfectants available in the market contain the following products that are harmful for your pets:
- Chlorine/Bleach
- Ammonia
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Glycol ethers
- Formaldehyde
- Phthalates
In addition, if your dog gets injured (or sick), don’t use rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, tea tree oil, or any other home remedy to clean his/her open wound.
Instead, get in touch with your vet immediately, and get professional consultation on what to do next.
How can I use Fabuloso around my dogs?
Fabuloso’s products can essentially be divided into two types:
- Products that don’t contain bleach, hydrogen peroxide, or other harmful substances mentioned above.
- Products that do contain harmful substances.
The 1st type of products you can use without worrying too much. They’re not harmful for your dog. Just make sure to not leave the bottle lying around your dog as, if s/he ingests these products in large quantities, they can still be harmful.
As for the 2nd type, you shouldn’t use these around your dog. If you need to use them, make sure to remove your dog from the area first.
If you’re not sure which type of Fabuloso products you currently have in your household, read the product label and compare the active ingredients with the list of harmful active ingredients above.
Does Fabuloso disinfect?
Disinfection is a crucial concern these days. With the recent events, you want a product that can disinfect surfaces and is safe for your dog.
The answer is that yes, Fabuloso will disinfect your surfaces. However, as mentioned above, you should never use Fabuloso directly on your dog’s body, or yours, for disinfection.
Which common cleaning products can harm my dog?
We’ve concluded that Fabuloso is generally safe, but a surprising number of cleaning products we use around the household do contain harmful ingredients.
Let’s look at some of the most common household products that can be harmful for your dog.
- Floor cleaners: Pine-Sol, Lysol, and Mr. Clean are harmful for your dog. Even after they dry, the vapours created by these products linger and can be harmful for your dog.
- Bathroom cleaners: Bathroom cleaners are especially harsh because they’re even more corrosive than floor cleaners. Some of the popular products in this category that are harmful for your dog include Clorox and Scrubbing Bubbles.
- All-purpose cleaners: The worst offenders in this category include Mr. Clean and Clorox’s Formula 409.
- Carpet cleaners: These also leave fumes in your carpet long after they’ve been used. Before you start using a carpet cleaner, make sure it’s safe for your pets.
- Drain openers: Even long after they’ve been poured down the drain, these keep emitting toxic fumes.
- Laundry detergents: Some laundry detergents like Tide and Cheer leave residue on your clothing that is harmful for your dogs.
This list is by no means exhaustive. We just wanted to show you that some of the most popular cleaning products we use in our everyday lives can be harmful for our beloved dogs.
Before incorporating a new cleaning product into your household, please make sure that it’s not harmful for pets.
Which natural cleaning products can I use that aren’t harmful for my dog?
There are several natural ingredients in your household that you can use to make homemade cleaning products which are completely safe for your dog.
Let’s cover a few of these.
- Baking soda can be used to clean your carpets and your pet. It’s extremely useful for getting rid of bad odours.
- Instead of market cleaners, you can use vinegar and water to clean your surfaces and even your dog’s toys.
- Lemon juice and water is another good combination to clean your surfaces. It works especially well on glass surfaces like windows and tables.
- Lemon juice mixed with water is also very useful for cleaning your dog’s fur. If your dog’s fur has stains, mix lemon juice with some baking soda and use the mixture to clean them.
- To get rid of urine, vomit, or poop stains, make a mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Put baking soda over the stain, and pour the liquid mixture right over the baking soda.
Please make sure that you’re using 3% hydrogen peroxide, as more concentrated solutions can be harmful for your dog.
My dog drank Fabuloso, what should I do?
If your dog is showing the above-mentioned symptoms or you suspect s/he’s ingested something toxic, here’s what you should do:
1. Immediately remove your dog from the area. Make sure no other pets or kids are present and then cordon off the area.
2. If it’s possible, take a sample of the toxic substance that caused these symptoms. You’ll need this sample to tell your vet what your dog ingested.
3. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt any home remedies. This includes trying to induce vomiting in your dog using hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide interacts with bleach and other toxic substances and will make things a LOT worse.
4. If you see any of the symptoms set out in the next section, you need to either all your vet or the Pet Poison Helpline at +1-855-764-7661. Give them all the details and follow their instructions.
What are the symptoms that there might be something wrong with my dog?
There is a range of symptoms that your dog can show when s/he’s ingested something toxic, these include:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Laboured breathing
- Irritated skin
- Inflammation around the eyes
- Excessive drooling
- Balance issues when standing/walking
- Nosebleeds
Again, this list is not exhaustive. These are just some of the most common symptoms your dog might show.
Conclusion
We covered whether Fabuloso is toxic or not, and further looked into which harmful active ingredients you should look out for when buying a cleaning product. Here are some of the highlights from the article:
- Fabuloso is a brand of multi-purpose cleaners owned by Colgate-Palmolive.
- Most of Fabuloso’s products are safe for use around your dog. However, you still need to make sure that the product you buy doesn’t contain harmful ingredients.
- Common harmful active ingredients in household cleaners include: chlorine/bleach, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, glycol ethers, formaldehyde, and phthalates.
- Some of the most popular cleaning products, including Pine-Sol, Lysol, Mr. Clean, Clorox, Scrubbing Bubbles, Tide, and Cheer, contain ingredients that are harmful for your dog.
- These signs can indicate that your dog has been poisoned: vomiting, diarrhea, laboured breathing, irritated skin, inflammation around the eyes, excessive drooling, balance issues when standing/walking, and nosebleeds.
- If you suspect that your dog has ingested something toxic, immediately remove him/her from the area, take a sample of the toxic product, and contact your vet or Pet Poison Helpline at +1-855-764-7661.
That was all for today. We hope you were able to gain some valuable insights about Fabuloso and other cleaning products you use in your household.
Let us know if you’d like us to cover a particular topic. Happy cleaning!
