Swiffer cleaning fluids=toxic

[Dogmama]

On another forum, there is discussion about Swiffer cleaning fluids being toxic to pets. Swiffer has disavowed this and labeled it an "urban legend." I ran the ingredients by my friend who has a PhD in chemistry & he said Swiffer isn't being totally truthful.

The fluid contains a small amount of antifreeze type liquid which, in small amounts, is toxic. Swiffer claims that it is a very small percentage of the total volume. However - my friend said that the other ingredients (e.g. alcohol) will evaporate quickly leaving a higher concentration that can be absorbed through wet paws as well as licked. He states that it is "moderately toxic" and would not use it.

[Blueberry]

On another forum, there is discussion about Swiffer cleaning fluids being toxic to pets. Swiffer has disavowed this and labeled it an "urban legend." I ran the ingredients by my friend who has a PhD in chemistry & he said Swiffer isn't being totally truthful.

The fluid contains a small amount of antifreeze type liquid which, in small amounts, is toxic. Swiffer claims that it is a very small percentage of the total volume. However - my friend said that the other ingredients (e.g. alcohol) will evaporate quickly leaving a higher concentration that can be absorbed through wet paws as well as licked. He states that it is "moderately toxic" and would not use it.

Thanks for the info! I was thinking about getting one to deal with muddy doggie prints in the kitchen - I'm SO glad you told us!!

[Flybye]

I have used one for about 6 months now with no problem - I have two dogs. I will do more research.

Do you have any links?

[Flybye]

It is a false alarm, in my opinion...

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp

[Irulan]

I love snopes. Once in a while things come through as "true", too!

[uforgot]

And from my favorite site for urban legends...

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/swiffer.htm

[badger]

I used to use Swiffer Wetjet but stopped after thinking about the chemicals that are left on the floor. I see my cats licking their paws and figured it can't be good for them, even if they claim the stuff's non-toxic.

So, after much research, I decided to get a steam mop. I opted for the Bissel steam mop (http://www.amazon.com/Bissell-1867-7-Steam-Hard-Floor-Cleaner/dp/B000RPVHZU)

While I can't say I LOVE it, because it does leave the floor wet, I feel much better knowing it's only water that's on the floor. It was a godsend when my dog was around; he'd drool a lot in the summer and I would be mopping at least twice a week.

[tulip]

Since I have all wood floors in my house (except the bathroom), I only use the dry Swiffer thingies--are they okay? For my wood floors I use 1 c. white vinegar to one gallon of water on a damp mop. Works great, even on dog pawprints, of which there are many.

[michelem]

It appears to me that Dogmama said that this was being touted as an urban legend, but her science-buff friend begs to differ. For some reason, I think I'd go with the PhD in Chem's opinion over the biased opinion of Swiffer . . . but, that's just me. :rolleyes:

[Blueberry]

My attitude is why chance it? And I've found Snopes to be mostly, but not wholly accurate. I was tempted by the convenience - but we do usually use natural cleaning products in our home. No good reason to make an exception.

[Tokie]

White vinegar in water here too. Our world is filled with so many chemical exposures already....bleach and antibacterial products. I think sometimes chemical "clean" is overkill. How "clean" do you need things to be? Tokie

[OakLeaf]

After my health scare this summer I'm eliminating as much of that kind of stuff from my life as possible. I know one's personal health is not a very good reason to do so compared to everyone else's in the waste stream... but anyway. Just thought I'd reiterate that where some people use vinegar for cleaning, I use food grade citric acid. You can mix the acid stronger as needed, plus it doesn't have an odor. Vinegar smells like gym shoes to me (or maybe my shoes smell like yeast fermentation... more likely :rolleyes:) - in either case it's not a "clean" smell to my nose.

[TsPoet]

It appears to me that Dogmama said that this was being touted as an urban legend, but her science-buff friend begs to differ. For some reason, I think I'd go with the PhD in Chem's opinion over the biased opinion of Swiffer . . . but, that's just me. :rolleyes:

How 'bout going with a PhD in Toxicology?
It's an urban legend. One of many (like Bisphenol A, fluoride...)
I could ramble on forever. But, basically it comes down to the quote by Paracelsus, the Godfather of Toxicology - to paraphrase "The dose makes the poison". The Chemist friend is correct, but almost everything is poisonous, at the right dose. There are even stories of water being poisonous to individuals who drink to much of it.
The dose isn't left on the floor. I wouldn't let my dogs eat the cloths, though.

[OakLeaf]

"The dose makes the poison".

Which goes back to what I said about one's personal health (or the health of one's pets or family) being the wrong reason. Workers in manufacturing, those who live near the plants, and those who live down the waste stream are exposed to horrific doses of these poisons. Maybe you caught the story a couple of years ago where DuPont had to buy a whole town in my area because they contaminated it with C8. Last year it came out that they'd contaminated the water supplies of a whole region. And yes, there's epidemiological as well as hydrologic data. When we buy that stuff, we're poisoning the workers.

[Dogmama]

How 'bout going with a PhD in Toxicology?
It's an urban legend. One of many (like Bisphenol A, fluoride...)
I could ramble on forever. But, basically it comes down to the quote by Paracelsus, the Godfather of Toxicology - to paraphrase "The dose makes the poison". The Chemist friend is correct, but almost everything is poisonous, at the right dose. There are even stories of water being poisonous to individuals who drink to much of it.
The dose isn't left on the floor. I wouldn't let my dogs eat the cloths, though.

Exactly my point. The propylene glycol within the solution is probably OK because it is a very small percent of the total solution. The problem starts when the accompanying ingredients (water & alcohol) evaporate, thus leaving a strong residue of propylene glycol on the floor. It can be absorbed through paws and/or licked off of the floor. Remember that dogs & cats are smaller than humans, so are potentially affected more adversely by toxic substances.

Hills (Science Diet folks) use ethoxyquin as a preservative in their kibble. Ethoxyquin is a potent carcinogen. Hills claims that the minute amount used won't harm animals. Oddly enough, ethoxyquin is also used in their prescription diets - foods used for sick animals. Now, why would you add a carcinogen to a food & feed it to a dog with a compromised immune system or other organic problems...? :confused: I digress....

Regarding Snopes, etc., I cannot believe most of those websites. Unfortunately, the internet is full of misinformation. That's why I went directly to a guy who knows his chemicals.

Bottom line - why chance it? There are natural cleaners available that are not harmful to animals or the environment. I have a German Shepherd whose paws bring in more dirt than a front loading tractor. I find that vacuuming & wet mopping with water only (I have tile) works just fine. I'd rather have slightly discolored grout and a healthy dog & cat. Just my opinion.

[malkin]

This malkin loves the steamer to clean the floors, the tile, the ...porcelain conveniences..., the grimy places, and pretty much everything else that needs cleaning.

[Brandi]

I always clean my floors with antifreeze, don't you?
(vinegar,warm water,borax and an old fashion mop at our house) My asthma does not like all these new fangled (I am 40) modern day cleaning products. I think they are all not very good. I try and stick to the ol stand by's. Vinegar is wonderful. And cheap!

[Irulan]

I always clean my floors with antifreeze, don't you?



I absolutely know you are being facetious here, but this is what people will glean from these so called "email warnings".People pass these around with good intentions of warning others, not really understanding the science of what's behind the warning, or how much truth (or not) is in them.

[PamNY]

This malkin loves the steamer to clean the floors, the tile,

I've thought about steam cleaners, but I'm not sure what they'd be like in actual use. Does the cleaner loosen dirt (or soap scum or whatever), and then you wipe it with a cloth or mop?

BTW, I use Nature Clean products. They aren't easy to find in the US but they work really well and are supposedly as non-toxic as possible.

Pam

[badger]

I've thought about steam cleaners, but I'm not sure what they'd be like in actual use. Does the cleaner loosen dirt (or soap scum or whatever), and then you wipe it with a cloth or mop?

BTW, I use Nature Clean products. They aren't easy to find in the US but the work really well and are supposedly as non-toxic as possible.

Pam


I've been using a steam mop for about a year now.

When I first got it, I was hoping the steam would dry the floor as it went, but it basically is just like mopping - only you end up mopping around dirt all over (instead of rinsing out the mop head). So it's best if you have 2 or three of those cloths.

I'm not crazy about it, but it IS easier than the conventional mopping, and it DOES take dried up mud or food off the floor. But I would also caution not to use it too much on wood floor as I've read the heat and water sometimes warps it. If you have a lot of tile, it'll be great. And if you live somewhere warm, even greater because then the water will dry quicker.

[OakLeaf]

I definitely would not use the steam cleaner on wood (or cork, or bamboo), but it's wonderful on tile, and also on the stovetop and oven. I wouldn't have thought it possible to clean an oven without lye or worse, but it takes the crud right off. For me, unless there's an extreme amount of dirt, a single wipe after steaming is enough.

[PamNY]

I definitely would not use the steam cleaner on wood (or cork, or bamboo), but it's wonderful on tile, and also on the stovetop and oven.

Oh, it does stovetop? How wonderful. That and bathroom use would justify the purchase even if I can't use it on my laminate floors. Does anybody use steam for windows? I read a description on Amazon of a steamer with a window squeegee attachment.

Pam

[DebTX]

Last night while watching TV, I saw an add for "Swiffer" (didn't know what it was before). Watching the ad I thought, hmmm, that looks kinda cool (I'm a marketer's dream).

Then I realized I saw a TE thread about it and here I am reading about whether I want to buy it or not.

Scary - TE is becoming the Wikipedia of my daily life.

[Irulan]

I have a swiffer dry w/ vac, that takes the wet cloths.

I found that while it's great for dust on the floor, I much prefer a microfiber dustmop with a real vacuum for true hard surface cleaning. The wet cloths were a total waste IMO, really smeary and not very effective.

I like what my son said about the swiffer : "looks like more junk that will last a year and then end up in a landfill". I do have issues with the disposable cloth aspect. At least with my microfiber dust mop I can wash it and re use it.

[Eden]

How 'bout going with a PhD in Toxicology?
It's an urban legend. One of many (like Bisphenol A, fluoride...)
I could ramble on forever. But, basically it comes down to the quote by Paracelsus, the Godfather of Toxicology - to paraphrase "The dose makes the poison". The Chemist friend is correct, but almost everything is poisonous, at the right dose. There are even stories of water being poisonous to individuals who drink to much of it.
The dose isn't left on the floor. I wouldn't let my dogs eat the cloths, though.

I've seen an MSDS for coffee :rolleyes:

and one that wasn't a joke.... an MSDS for Prismacolor markers.... it listed amount you would have to ingest to get sick... If you could sit down and eat 100 magic markers hats off to you...

One thing I have heard, I'm not sure if this is true either though- if you have sanded something to varnish it do not use a swiffer cloth to clean up the dust before sanding. The varnish won't stick and you'll have to do the sanding all over again.

[malkin]

Our laminate floors are fine with the steamer and we have not-very-nice-at-all wood floor in the kitchen and I use it there too. I have a couple of the cover cloths for the floor attachment thingy.

I use it on everything in the bathroom. They mfr. cautions about glass, but I just hold it a little further away so I don't crack the glass and haven't had a problem in 3 years. The little squeegee attachment was cute, but for glass or mirrors that matter, I wipe it with a cloth.

Sometimes I spray random rug spots and wipe at them with a cloth.

I like that it doesn't require any special chemicals or consumables.

It is so dry here that the humidity that it adds is welcome and the little film of wet dries in seconds. I'm not sure I'd like it so much if I lived in a humid place.

Oh- my husband also brews beer which we dispense out of taps on a chest freezer. Every now and then there is a dramatic event where a spray of beer flies majestically. Using the steamer after that happens is good too.

[badger]

what sort of steam cleaner do you guys have? there's no way I can clean stovetop/counters or anything that isn't on the ground. It's akin to taking a vacuum cleaner on the counter :confused:

[Di bear]

Don't forget that the individual ingredients most likely do not maintain their individual properties when mixed together. Mixing them together produces a chemical reaction (constantly going - usually two-way reactions), so the amount put into the mixture is most likely not the amount of solution actually present in the mixture. Of course, I don't know how they measure the contents of cleaning products (chemical analysis versus recipe). Chemistry is fascinating.

Water is a good example. A glass of H2O isn't pure H20 (minus the minerals). It is actually H2O with trace amounts of HO, and H30+, yet you don't see "hydronium ions" and "hydroxide ions" on the ingredients label in a bottle of water. :D

[OakLeaf]

what sort of steam cleaner do you guys have? there's no way I can clean stovetop/counters or anything that isn't on the ground. It's akin to taking a vacuum cleaner on the counter :confused:

It's called "The Shark." The canister is maybe the size of a 1-1/2 gallon container. It has a shoulder strap, or it can sit on the counter while you do the stovetop. Mine looks a little different from the current model pictured in the link (http://www.sharkvac.com/productDetails.aspx?ProdID=WZRfcni9vA8%3d&CatID=sQ2nfCw2k1c%3d).

[badger]

It's called "The Shark." The canister is maybe the size of a 1-1/2 gallon container. It has a shoulder strap, or it can sit on the counter while you do the stovetop. Mine looks a little different from the current model pictured in the link (http://www.sharkvac.com/productDetails.aspx?ProdID=WZRfcni9vA8%3d&CatID=sQ2nfCw2k1c%3d).

Oh that's nice!! mine's like an upright vacuum cleaner and rather clunky.

[malkin]

Mine looks a lot like the one in Oakleaf's link except that it is blue and made (or labelled) Euro-Pro. I had a crumby little one before this, but it broke completely and utterly, so I got this one without my normal level of obsessive comparison because it was in stock at the store nearby.

[Andrea]

This makes me wonder if my Murphy's Oil Soap is harmful to the dogs (though I always lock them in the bedroom until it's totally dry)... I've just always used it because it's what my mom used on wood floors & what my horseback riding instructor told us to use to clean our tack. It works fabulously on both :D

[TsPoet]

Murphy's
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/safety/MSDS/MURPHY%20OIL%20SOAP.htm

Swiffer
http://www.pg.com/content/pdf/01_about_pg/msds/fabric_and_homecare/household_cleaners/Swiffer_WetJet_MultiPurpose_Cleaner.pdf

Neither has anything of concern in it.

[Andrea]

Thanks for the link! I just read the Murphy's bottle, and I'm guessing it's safe to use around the pets since the only "warning" type instructions it gives are "if swallowed, drink a glass of water to dilute"

[Dogmama]

Murphy's
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/safety/MSDS/MURPHY%20OIL%20SOAP.htm

Swiffer
http://www.pg.com/content/pdf/01_about_pg/msds/fabric_and_homecare/household_cleaners/Swiffer_WetJet_MultiPurpose_Cleaner.pdf

Neither has anything of concern in it.

Would we expect Proctor & Gamble to release something saying that their product is harmful & shouldn't be used around pets & children?:rolleyes:

[Eden]

Would we expect Proctor & Gamble to release something saying that their product is harmful & shouldn't be used around pets & children?:rolleyes:

Those are MSDS sheets..... while they are likely written by the manufacturer its also likely that they are accurate, otherwise the company would be opening themselves up to liability...

they are not really meant for the consumer, but rather for people who work in an environment where they are likely to come in contact with fairly large quantities of the products regularly (or at least quantities that can harm... some things don't take much). They aren't likely to mention pets or children at all.

[TsPoet]

MSDS for products like that are only going to come from the manufacturer. They are required and they are monitored and if they are incorrect the manufacturer is not only likely to be sued, they will face multiple gov't sanctions.
MSDS for the components are likely to come from other sources.
Contrary to fictional TV shows, I have never run into someone with some nefarious plot to destroy mankind just because they work for a chemical company. Chemical companies, like nearly everyone else, are out to make money. Getting sued or even just a bad reputation, does not make them money.
I think I've posted this before, but I guess I'll do it again - my mini cv

BA - Cellular Biology, University of Colorado
MS - Toxicology, University of Arizona
PhD - Pharmacology/Toxicology, University of Arizona.
Major Employment
CIIT, now the Hamner Institute, where I primarily studied MTBE (The gasoline additive)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, where I study multiple environmental contaminants, especially pertaining to risk assessment and biologically based modeling of dosimetry at target sites of toxicity.
My current focus is on organophosphorous pesticides, but I also work with fumigants like methyl bromide (now that's toxic!)

[OakLeaf]

Contrary to fictional TV shows, I have never run into someone with some nefarious plot to destroy mankind just because they work for a chemical company.

Way off topic here... but if you're interested in fiction about chemical companies, I suggest the novel Gain by Richard Powers. It's a very thoughtful book (with no villains and no nefarious plots). Ultimately I found it unsatisfying because I read fiction to make me feel, not to make me think; but this book makes the reader think a lot. Essentially, he argues convincingly that (to invert an old truism) the corporate entity alienates the capitalist from the consequences of production, with disastrous results for everyone.


methyl bromide (now that's toxic!) And yet it's these same "benign" chemical companies who sell that stuff to farmers, lobby the states not to regulate it, etc.....

[Dogmama]

My pets cannot tell me, "Mom, I don't feel so good the day after you mop the floor." So, I'll err on the side of caution. Just because a company says something is safe doesn't make it so. Remember Vioxx?

It's pretty obvious that we won't agree, so maybe we should smoke the peace pipe & put this to rest?

[badger]

another reason why I stopped using swiffer is because I'm trying to avoid P&G as much as possible; they still actively engage in animal testing. I found it ironic they own Iams.

[newfsmith]

The original e-mail cited for this "rumor" said the dog died of liver failure. That is not the usual cause of death in anti-freeze poisoning, acute kidney failure is the usual pathway. Dogs are prone to liver failure and cancer. They are far more likely to die of that or chronic kidney disease. We all look for something to blame for stealing away our loved ones, but we need to accept that death happens to all.