# Can I use these floor wipes around my cats?



## BlackRose (Jul 8, 2007)

I need to clean my floor as its been a while :whistling2: and I couldn't find any suitable wipes anywhere in the shops I went to.
I have to get on my knees to do it as well as none will fit my mop.

My parents gave me a few packs of these wipes and I'm sure I used them before around my animals but just to make sure I wanted to tell you what they were and see if you think it's safe to use these around my cats mainly, but other animals too. My cats are the only ones that really walk on the floors and of course it'll be dry by the time I've finished with them. My parrotlet and bearded dragon rarely go on the hard floors.
By the way I don't know if it makes any difference but I think these are a few years old but still wet so should be ok as there's no date on them.

This is what it says:

Household Wood and laminate floor wipes.
Polishes and protects. Specially formulated to clean and degrease. Dermatologically tested. 
Fresh lemon fragrance.
No need to rinse after use.
Test on a small inconspicuous area first.
Wash hands immediantly after use. 
Keep out of reach of children.
Avoid contact with eyes. If contact does occur rinse thoroughly with water.
Do not use with any other cleaning products

Contains: 
Less than 5% Nonionic surfactants,
Preservative (Dimethyl Oxazolidine) and Perfume. 

Thanks.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

What a fuss!

All I do to clean my floors is empty a boiled kettle into the bucket, add a squirt of bleach and then give the floor a good wash - no need to get down on your knees, rinse mop and bucket, put another kettle full of boiling water into the bucket and then go over the floor again but this time I add lemon juice to the water, don't ask my why, my mum told me to do this years ago lol, anyway after all that you have a nice clean kitchen floor, the rest of the house gets done as needed, I hate laminate flooring, wish I'd got carpet instead.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

I would invest in a steam mop if i was you hun. They are absolutely fantastic


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

You seem to worry a lot over these things so I will give an answer to consider every time you have a similar question.
Living in a country like the UK where they put warnings on peanut packages to say it contains nuts trust that if it was not safe for animals they 100% would have to add a warning to clearly tell you that.


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

AilsaM said:


> What a fuss!
> 
> All I do to clean my floors is empty a boiled kettle into the bucket, add a squirt of bleach and then give the floor a good wash - no need to get down on your knees, rinse mop and bucket, put another kettle full of boiling water into the bucket and then go over the floor again but this time I add lemon juice to the water, don't ask my
> why, my mum told me to do this years ago lol, anyway after all that you have a nice clean kitchen floor, the rest of the house gets done as needed, I hate laminate flooring, wish I'd got carpet instead.


I do similar, except I throw a capful of the purple dettol down as it smells yummy and then a cup of hot water aand then wipe with a mop. I have a mop you twist the handle on to wring so did away with the bucket a rinse and wring a few times under an outside tap....or leave hung in the rain if unsuitable weather to step out


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

Kare said:


> I do similar, except I throw a capful of the purple dettol down as it smells yummy and then a cup of hot water aand then wipe with a mop. I have a mop you twist the handle on to wring so did away with the bucket a rinse and wring a few times under an outside tap....or leave hung in the rain if unsuitable weather to step out


I'll need to try that though I do like the citrus smell - lemon/lime/orange, I do still have to wring out the mop in the bucket though lol, keep meaning to get a new mop but I always end up forgetting :blush:


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## Moggy (Jun 7, 2010)

Kare said:


> I do similar, except I throw a capful of the purple dettol down as it smells yummy and then a cup of hot water aand then wipe with a mop. I have a mop you twist the handle on to wring so did away with the bucket a rinse and wring a few times under an outside tap....or leave hung in the rain if unsuitable weather to step out


Dettol is highly toxic to cats. I've seen them die from it so please be careful with dettol if you have cats. All they need to do is walk over a wet floor and then clean their feet.


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

Moggy said:


> Dettol is highly toxic to cats. I've seen them die from it so please be careful with dettol if you have cats. All they need to do is walk over a wet floor and then clean their feet.


I can find no evidence for this. I find a lot of forums and blogs saying it is the case, but no actual study or research.

My Mother used dettol every day from getting her own home in 1970 until she died in 2005, the cat my Dad has is 21 years old, and the cat my Husband use to own, but has lived with my Dad since 2002 is approx 19-21 years old. Even assuming that he has not carried on the use, which I am sure he will have, old men (he is 80 next month) tend to have few ideas on cleaning of their own, they were not raised that way That is collectively about 2 decades of exposure between both cats with no ill effect.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

This is why Dettol shouldnt be used round cats Poisons - hidden dangers


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

Shell195 said:


> This is why Dettol shouldnt be used round cats Poisons - hidden dangers


That does shed a little more light, but still not a vet report or scientific study.

What it appears though is they are talking only about the original Dettol, rather than any variant. Only original Dettol rather than the pine one, which my Mum used or the Purple one I use are types of disinfectants that go cloudy in water, which appears to be the clue to whether it contains the chemical supposed to be dangerous.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

If it doesn't turn white in water it doesn't have the phenol that affects cats.

I certainly know there is one bottle of Dettol, (think it might be Dettox) which doesn't turn white in water, that is safe around cats.

We use floor wipes that just slip over a mop. It's never bothered our cats - to be quite honest I never even read the label.


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm pretty anal about cleaning products but we've not had any issues with cif floor cleaner.


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## kemist (Jan 25, 2009)

Shell195 said:


> This is why Dettol shouldnt be used round cats Poisons - hidden dangers


Surely it's common sense to to not leave a soaking wet floor for a cat to walk through. I use bleach on my floors and am heavy handed with it but i make sure the cat is out of the way because i doubt bleach is good for cats. I can only speak for Yoda but he hates the smell of most chemicals and sniffs the room i'm cleaning and sods off somewhere to sleep/sulk anyway.


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## Elina (Jul 22, 2009)

I just make sure everyone is out of the room I am cleaning and I don't let them back in until the floor is dry and I do this as much to prevent foot/paw prints as anything . I don't even let them in the room when I am just using the steam mop until the floor is 100% dry. 

-Elina


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Yup!! It always comes back to common sense! :2thumb:


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## kemist (Jan 25, 2009)

feorag said:


> Yup!! I always comes back to common sense! :2thumb:


It always amuses me how uncommon it is.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

kemist said:


> Surely it's common sense to to not leave a soaking wet floor for a cat to walk through.


Yep and mine will not set paw on a wet floor, one wet paw is enough for her to go off in a sulk, esp Chloe bless her, she did not like wet floors.


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## kemist (Jan 25, 2009)

AilsaM said:


> Yep and mine will not set paw on a wet floor, one wet paw is enough for her to go off in a sulk, esp Chloe bless her, she did not like wet floors.


Yoda is the same, even looks at us in disgust if the grass in the garden to too wet. Only wet surface he is always drawn to is wet paint no matter what i do he finds a way to leave paw prints on some thing, tail swishes somewhere and give himself a skunk stripe with it.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

kemist said:


> Yoda is the same, even looks at us in disgust if the grass in the garden to too wet. Only wet surface he is always drawn to is wet paint no matter what i do he finds a way to leave paw prints on some thing, tail swishes somewhere and give himself a skunk stripe with it.


I just get looks of disapproval from Amber and Chloe well she just used to give a really loud meow in protest, give a snort through her nose and turn her back on me.


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## Moggy (Jun 7, 2010)

Unfortunately many people don't have common sense!!!! The veterinary poisons unit recognises dettol as a true poison in cats. I have seen a cat die from dettol ingestion - the owner caught the cat drinking it!! Common sense does not occur in everyone unfortunately and this kitten died.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

kemist said:


> Surely it's common sense to to not leave a soaking wet floor for a cat to walk through. I use bleach on my floors and am heavy handed with it but i make sure the cat is out of the way because i doubt bleach is good for cats. I can only speak for Yoda but he hates the smell of most chemicals and sniffs the room i'm cleaning and sods off somewhere to sleep/sulk anyway.


If we use Dettol (the original pine one) or bleach anywhere in the house, our old man cat rubs himself on everything and anybody he can smell it on. :lol2:

I, too, am a fan of steam mops over cleaners. Partly because I hate the smell of cleaners and disinfectants, and also because I'm lazy. :lol2::blush:


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