Rabbits are what makes our dwelling a home but they also tend to make the place furrier and dirtier. They eat, lick, leave droppings and get into everything. So, it’s important to keep up with their messes and have the best cleaning products on hand.
The most important thing when caring for a rabbit, or any pet, is ensuring its safety. The following list is seven rabbit-safe cleaning products you must check out! These include cleaners for floors, windows, glass, carpet, all-purpose surfaces, stain removers and more. But the best kind is the one you make yourself.
Unfortunately, household cleaning chemicals are some of the harshest and can be fatal to your rabbit. Prolonged use of things like ammonia and bleach can cause your furry friend to develop serious health issues. Even after cleaning, your rabbit can still come into contact with the molecules which they will lick, inhale or absorb through fur and skin.
1. DIY Cleaners – Ingredients ; Recipes
The best cleaner you can expose your rabbit to is one that’s homemade. This way you know exactly what ingredients go into it and it won’t harm your bunny afterwards. Ingredients are simple, inexpensive and easy to obtain. You will need the following:
- Plant-Based, Nontoxic Liquid Dish Soap
- Distilled White Vinegar
- Pure Baking Soda
- Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide
- Coarse Salt
- Fresh Lemon Juice (optional – add ¼ slice for every eight to 16 ounces)
- Lavender, Lemon, Orange or Basil Essential Oil (optional – add a few drops to any recipe below; mix well)
Mixing Your Own Cleaners
Even though the items above are safer for your rabbit, they shouldn’t come into direct contact with your pet as it can cause diarrhea, indigestion and other health issues. Here are few basic recipes you can use to clean several areas of your home:
- Basic: Mix equal parts of warm water and white vinegar for floors, tiling, linoleum, cabinets, appliances, sinks, tubs, toilets and etc. You can put this in a spray bottle, squirt container or a bucket. Scrub or wipe as necessary.
- Bathroom ; Kitchen: In a spray bottle use 1 cup white vinegar, ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide and 1 teaspoon liquid soap. Then, fill the rest with water, close and shake well. Spray onto any bathroom or kitchen surface and wipe clean.
- Fabric ; Carpet Stains: Mix equal parts water and white vinegar with 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide. Spray the stain thoroughly. You can let this sit for a little while, put it right into the wash or, for carpeting, blot dry.
- All-Purpose Scrub: In a bucket add equal parts of baking soda, salt and water until it creates a thick paste like the texture of wet sand. With a brush or sponge, put some of this where you want, scrub well and rinse thoroughly.
- For Drains: Put ½ cup of baking soda down the drain followed by 1 cup white vinegar. Let this sit for 10 minutes and rinse with boiling hot water.
2. All-Purpose Cleaner – PUUR
PUUR’s all-natural, nontoxic home cleaner prides itself on being plant-based and chemical free. So, it’s perfect for any pet, especially rabbits. They have three scent offerings: unscented, rosemary and mint or lavender and lemon. Any of these are perfect for your little hop-along.
How It Works
It degreases and cleans effortlessly on any surface. You only have to spray it on and wipe with a lint-free cloth. It offers streak-free results in any room or surface of your home.
Use it on your kitchen, bathroom, dining surfaces, walls, floors, smartphones, wood finishes, auto dashboards, chrome, laminate, stone, furniture, metal, glass, painted surfaces, porcelain, sinks, stainless steel, toilets and tables.
3. Glass ; Mirror Cleaner – The Laundress
For a glass and mirror cleaner safe for your rabbit with an inoffensive smell, a company called The Laudress has a great product. They created a cleaner just for mirrors and glass that’s derived from plants. To use it, all you have to do is spray six inches away from the target surface. Then wipe with paper towel, newspaper or lint-free cloth.
Benefits ; Ingredients
It’s unscented and highly concentrated that leaves mirrors, windows and other glass with a clear shine that’s free of streaks and residue. It has the capacity to remove dust, grease, dirt, grime and fingerprints with ease.
What makes this possible are all the wonderful ingredients like plant-based nonionic surfactants, mineral-derived enhancers and gentle solvents. It’s free of bleach, ammonia, petroleum, phosphates, dyes and animal byproducts.
4. Floor Cleaner – Auntie Fannie’s
If you want an excellent alternative to making DIY floor cleaner, Auntie Fannie’s has the perfect solution. It’s just as safe as if you made it yourself, but it works much harder with zero harsh ingredients. It grabs the toughest of grime and dirt while tackling grease, stickiness and gunk.
Usage ; Features
The ingredients are simple and easy to understand. It contains plant-based detergents, essential oils and vinegar. You can use it on hardwood floors, stone, linoleum, tile, concrete, bamboo, vinyl, laminate and others. To use it, dilute ½ cup of the solution per two gallons of water. You can put it in a bucket or a spray bottle.
They also offer an array of fragrances: lavender, lemon, mandarin citrus and eucalyptus. But, for your rabbit, stay away from the eucalyptus. It is not only off-putting to the bunny’s olfactory system, but it tends to be a little more toxic to pets than the others.
5. Stain Remover ; Carpet Cleaner – Angry Orange
Designed specifically with your pets in mind, Angry Orange offers an excellent carpet cleaner and stain remover. It not only takes care of pet messes and odors but also any stain your carpet incurs. It’s an all-purpose enzyme cleaner that can tackle any stubborn smells, stains and other messes quickly and easily.
Enzyme-Based Odor Killer
They offer two scents: Fresh Citrus or Fresh Scent. Both are safe and effective enough to be around your floppy-eared friend. Plus, these aromas do more than simply mask a smell, they literally eat it away. The enzymes are what make this possible.
What’s more, you can use this product on more than just carpeting. You can also apply it to fabrics, hardwood floors, your rabbit’s enclosure, furniture or even out in the garden. So, although it’s main intention is for carpets, you can use it on other surfaces as well.
6. Laundry Soap – Seventh Generation (Free ; Clear Only)
One of best and safest laundry soaps for rabbits is Seventh Generation’s Free ; Clear. It contains a powerful triple-enzyme formula that can fight the toughest of stains. Plus, you can use it in high-efficient energy washers.
Ingredients, Approvals ; Assurances
This laundry soap packs with plant-based ingredients leaving fabrics soft and clean. It doesn’t have any dyes, fragrances, or brighteners while still being effective against stains. It’s hypoallergenic, making it perfect for bunnies and their delicate skin.
This means you can use it to clean any fabrics or materials with which your rabbit comes into contact. It’s also approved by the EPA and dermatologists because it’s free of harmful additives and chemicals. So, you won’t have to worry about your rabbit touching it.
7. Dryer Sheets – Better Life
You may not know it, but dryer sheets can be one of the most toxic products in your home. Commercial dryer sheets have petroleum, inert solvents, dyes ethers, sulfates, parabens and a host of other compounds that pose a serious danger after prolonged use.
Commercial Dyer Sheet Dangers
Not only can they harm your rabbit, but they can also cause severe damage to the people in your household; not least of which is infertility, menstrual problems, cancer, allergies and migraines. So, using a better quality dryer sheet is imperative for several reasons.
Better Life’s Natural Dryer Sheets are a fantastic alternative. They’re safe on sensitive skin, nontoxic and biodegradable while being able to tackle the most stubborn threads and controlling static. You can also take comfort in the fact that they don’t test it on animals.
Final Thoughts
Rabbits are sensitive to many manmade chemicals and even the smallest amount of exposure can cause them serious harm that can be fatal. So, when a rabbit is in your care, you have to ensure you protect it from any danger. This will include the household cleaning products you use.
In the event you don’t find this list of the product suggestions appropriate to your situation, you can always go with any one of the DIY recipes. Since safety is the top priority here, it’s going to be the best way to ensure there’s nothing harsh or toxic within it.
As always, don’t let your rabbit come into direct contact with anything you use until after you’re done cleaning. And, when in doubt, contact your vet with any questions or concerns you may have. They can also provide additional tips, tricks and suggestions to help in your search for a rabbit-safe cleaner.
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