Your Pets and Your Children: How to keep things clean

New parents (or budding parents) should create an environment where their babies can thrive. Sometimes, these environments have pets – and there are some things to keep in mind when balancing a growing young one and a pet in the same home.

Not all pets are indoor. Cats and dogs love the outdoors – it’s where they play, chew, and spend their energies. It’s in their nature, and because of this, countering the possible germs and bacteria they bring indoors should become your priority.

Can germs be spread from pets?

Some of the germs that pets carry (including salmonella and staphylococcus) can be spread to humans. To protect your pet, you should ensure your pets are vaccinated, treated for fleas and ticks regularly, and that they go to the vet when they show signs of ill health. Protecting your pet is just as important as protecting your home.

Tips for practicing good hygiene

Keeping your home as clean as can be, can be tricky – but it is crucially important to protect both your pet and your little one from germs. Here are a few tips when it comes to eating, playtime, and overall hygiene.

Pets and eating

• Cleaning your pet’s eating are is crucially important when a little one’s around. Pets that eat dry food are likely to remove pellets from their bowls, spreading germ-ridden crumbs over the floor. Your little one might be one the move already, and this is a potentially risky situation. You can stop the spread of germs in this risky area with diluted Dettol Antiseptic Liquid or Dettol Multi-Surface Cleaner.

Pets and playtime

• If your pets have chew toys, or toys that make their way inside from a long day’s playing outside, your baby might want to play along. This is another potentially harmful situation which you can combat by ensuring your child’s safety. For hard plastic or rubber toys, you can use Dettol’s Antibacterial Wet Wipes. Wipe down the toys, rinse them thoroughly and dry them before letting your pet play with them again.
• When it comes to fabric toys, use Dettol Disinfectant Spray or run them through a washing machine cycle using Dettol Laundry Sanitiser.

Pets and hygiene

• Wash your hands after petting or playing with pets, and when preparing or serving food. Encourage your children to do the same, especially before eating after they have been in contact with pets
• Keep your pet’s claws trimmed. This reduces the risk of scratches. Dogs’ paws and cats’ nails can pick up dirt and inadvertently transfer it to you or your children.
• Give your pets their own feeding bowl, and store and clean them separately from other household dishes
• Regularly clean and disinfect your pet’s feeding bowl and rinse the bowl thoroughly with clean hot water. Don’t forget to dry them!
• Create “off-limit” areas for your pet. A kitchen counter, or any surface where food is prepared and served is a good starting point to ensure you minimize the risk of spreading germs.
• If you or your little ones share a bed with a pet, use Dettol Laundry Sanitiser or Dettol Disinfectant Spray to ensure that you reduce infection risks.

To find more tips on what products we have available to keep you home protected against potential risks when raising a baby and a pet, click here.