Clean Floors for your Dog's Paws

If you are like me, you want to make sure your pets are kept safe and in the best health. We take them to the vet for regular check-ups, buy quality food, make sure they're exercised, keep them cool in summer, and warm in winter.

One more thing: ensure the house you share is as free of toxic cleaners as possible. Not only is this a good idea for our four-legged pals, it's good for us, too.

This is Rocky, my friend Tommy's dog. Rocky is a bundle of fun, into everything that's going on. Tommy adopted him from the pound, so now he's living in a comfortable house, he's a very grateful young man.

The trouble is that Tommy works long hours. Rocky is left alone most days, and, being an inquisitive character, likes to investigate what's there. I know this, because I feed him (and Tommy's other two dogs, Jesse and Terri) when Tommy's on vacation or away for work.

Because I'm acutely aware of the dangers for dogs in even the simplest things, I make sure Rocky knows not to mess with stuff under the kitchen sink, in the laundry, or, if he gets that far, in the garage. (Although it has to be said that discipline doesn't come naturally to Rocky. Ahem.)

Here's a list of poisons and toxins that affect dogs. Frightening.

Although I would like to make every house perfectly safe for dogs like Rocky and his brother and sister, that's not really possible. There are no absolute solutions. What we can do, is change all of our household products - floor cleaners, dishwashing detergents, surface agents - to those made from much less toxic, or even natural ingredients. Which is what I have done, and what I hope you will do.

This is why I built this lens, so you can do the same.

It's simply a matter of buying your household cleaners and your own body cleaners from the same place I do.

The company (whose name I cannot mention here) operates like an online buying club, in the same way as Sam's, BJ's or Costco but without the buildings. The difference is that they manufacture and sell the highest quality environmentally friendly goods, with the idea of making you, your house, and your pets as healthy as possible. It's a neat idea.

The only additional money beyond my normal budget I spend is for the yearly membership fee. Over the four years I have been a customer, my online purchases have replaced almost all of my supermarket buys. As I used up the traditional chemical and low-rent products, I replaced them with the better stuff, often for the same cost, and sometimes for less.

Once or twice a month, I make a list of everything I need, from toothpaste to tile cleaner, order it all online and it arrives in a nice box on my doorstep three days later.

Apart from the benefits you and your dogs will derive from using more natural products, there is the time and energy saving of not having to go to the supermarket. If you enjoy cruising up and down aisles, bashing carts, waiting forever in line at the checkout, and lugging all that stuff home, this might not be an improvement.

For me, it's a slice of heaven. And think of the peace of mind of knowing you have eliminated one source of misadventure for your dog.

If you're up for it, just email me here and we can see if it's for you. If not, no problem. You will either get the idea, or not. I'm still glad you stopped by.

When I changed my house over to the products I want you to use, I wondered why I hadn't done so years before. Once through the transition from the store bought stuff to the more natural, less toxic products I use now, it seemed so obvious. Not that I'm a mad greenie, but I recognize that lower impact products (in terms of their chemical ingredients and manufacturing process) will be better for my health, and ultimately, help me live longer.

That also goes for my pets.

So many good reasons.

(That's Lily, again, with Amy's niece, Katy.)

If you think you might be up for a change, email me, and we'll see if it's for you.

cleanfloorsforyourpaws@gmail.com