safe cleaning products

Question
I just moved into a new apartment and am having issues with air quality/allergies.  I want to thoroughly clean the place, but am concerned about toxicity of cleaning products if my cat is exposed to it.  Which cleaning product can I use that will not harm my cat?

Answer
Gail,

All cleaning products can potentially be toxic to cats.  However, everyone has to clean at some point, so I try to use products that have no sulfates, or are the least toxic to the environment.  However, remember that just because they may be less toxic to the environment, doesn't mean that they are not potentially harmful to your cats.  

What I would recommend to prevent toxicity in your cats (which can happen from inahling the chemicals), is to be sure you're in a well ventilated house when you're cleaning.  Open windows and ensure that there is plenty of ventilation so that the cleaning fumes can circulate to the outside and not stay built up inside.  

If you're cleaning/mopping the floors, lock your cat out of that room until the cleaner has dried.  The cat can still get chemicals on its feet, but like I said, you have to clean.  I've cleaned my floors all the while having a cat, and she never once got ill from chemicals I used on the floor.  That said, I never let her walk on a freshly mopped floor either.  So by locking her out until the floor is dry, you can minimize her exposure.  Same goes for chemicals used to clean sinks or tubs.  Wait until they are completely dry before letting your cat sit in a sink or go into a shower or tub.  Better yet, after you clean these, rinse them well with plenty of water to get rid of as much of the chemical residue as possible.  

One word of caution with drain opener.  This is deadly to cats, so if you have to use Drano or anything like that, be absolutely sure your cat is out of the room and stays out because deadly fumes from the cleaner opening the drain can harm cause facial burns and/or lung burns, and if your cat were to touch the drain with her paw, she'd get a nasty chemical burn, or could possibly lick any chemical residue off her feet and then burn her throat.  So, lock your cat out of the room where any Drano or such is being used, and don't let her near that spot until you've washed all residue down the drain and cleared the drain of the clog and the drain opener (I still wouldn't let her near any drain just because I don't know for sure how much water removes chemical residue).  

Those are the precautions I'd tell you to take with your cat.  I'd also tell you to keep your windows open for a couple of hrs after you've cleaned just to ensure all the fumes are gone.  

Savannah