Can I use Bathroom & Shower Cleaner around pets?Updated a day ago
TL;DR: Bathroom & Shower Cleaner is a considered pick for a home with animals in it. No added fragrance, no chlorine bleach, no strong acids, no aerosol propellants, and it sits at pH 8 rather than caustic. Sensitive Choice approved by the National Asthma Council Australia and Dermatest tested. Every animal is different though, and in general this is a safer choice for a pet household than a bathroom cleaner built on chlorine bleach or strong acids. Keep pets out while you clean, rinse, let surfaces dry fully, and talk to your vet if your pet has known sensitivities.
Can I use Bathroom & Shower Cleaner around pets?
⚠ Every animal is different, so here's what this rests on
Animals vary enormously, and no cleaning product can promise that no animal will ever react to it. In general this is a safer choice for a home with pets than a bathroom cleaner built on chlorine bleach or strong acids, and here is exactly what that rests on.
No added fragrance. No chlorine bleach. No strong acids. No aerosol propellants. pH 8, which is mildly alkaline rather than caustic. Sensitive Choice approved by the National Asthma Council Australia, Dermatest tested, and recognised by the Eczema Association of Australasia. Those are human-health programmes, so they speak to what is in the formula rather than to veterinary clearance.
If your pet has a known respiratory or skin sensitivity, or is very young, very old or unwell, talk it through with your vet before you bring any new cleaner into the house. Your vet knows your animal better than anyone.
Why is it a safer pick for a pet household?
✓ Why it suits a pet household
Pets live at floor and bath level and they groom by licking, so what is left on a surface matters more for them than for us. There is no added fragrance in the formula, so nothing perfumed is left behind, and it rinses cleanly with water. No chlorine bleach means no chlorine smell in a small room with the door shut.
⚠ It is not a pet product
This is a bathroom cleaner. Don't use it on pet bowls, bedding, chew toys, litter trays or directly on an animal. For accidents on carpet and soft furnishings, use a product made for that job.
What about birds, reptiles and small animals?
✓ Birds, reptiles and small animals need more room
Birds and reptiles have more sensitive respiratory systems than cats and dogs. Birds especially: air moves through a bird's lungs in one direction rather than in and out, which makes them noticeably more responsive to anything in the air. That is why bird owners are warned off overheated non-stick cookware and aerosols long before anyone worries about the dog.
Here is the specific thing to know about this formula. It contains ethanol, which is a volatile organic compound, and the light clean smell while you spray is that ethanol evaporating. It clears as the surface dries. There are no aerosol propellants, so nothing is pushed into the air as a fine mist, but a foaming spray in a closed bathroom still puts some ethanol into the air.
The more airflow and the longer the dry time, the smaller the exposure. Move cages and enclosures right out of the room before you start, not just to the far corner. Open a window or run the extractor fan while you clean and keep it going afterwards. Give a wiped surface several minutes to dry, and longer in a bathroom with no window and no fan. If you keep birds and you are unsure, your avian vet is the right person to ask.
What precautions should I take when cleaning with pets around?
✓ Four habits for cleaning around pets
Keep them out. Close the door. Cats, dogs and small animals stay in another room until you are finished.
Rinse properly. Water rinse every surface. Don't leave foam sitting in a bath or on a floor where a curious animal can get to it.
Let it dry fully. Dry to the touch before anyone comes back in. Open a window or run the fan and it happens faster.
Cages and enclosures out of the room. Not the far corner, out. Bring them back once the room has aired and surfaces are dry.
And the obvious one that is easy to forget: store the box where an animal can't get at it, the same as every other cleaning product in the house.
What should I do if my pet comes into contact with it?
⚠ If contact happens
Licked or walked on a surface that wasn't dry yet? Rinse the area with plenty of water and wipe the paw, face or coat with a damp cloth. Most of the time that is the whole response.
If your pet swallows product directly, or you see drooling, vomiting, coughing, pawing at the mouth or skin redness, call your vet. If you can't reach them, the Australian Animal Poisons Helpline runs 24 hours a day on 1300 869 738. Keep the box with you so you can read the ingredient list out if they ask for it.
In an emergency, don't wait to see whether it settles. A vet would far rather take a call that turns out to be nothing.
GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia) certified, Sensitive Choice approved, Dermatest tested, Eczema Association recognised. 12 ingredients, pH 8, made in Australia.
Bathroom & Shower Cleaner, Ultra Pro Bathroom Mitt and Foaming Spray Bottle. New to Koh, this is the one to start on.
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Last reviewed: September 2026 · Koh Australia