Caution for the use of chlorine! One of the most common activities for which chlorine is used is when cleaning our dog’s excreta; Due to its recognized disinfectant power and its ability to eliminate unpleasant aromas, this is our preferred cleaning product to achieve this goal.
However, we must be careful, since this widespread habit might be harming your health, especially when we treat the urine left by our friend with chlorine.
Although our good hygiene habits may indicate that this is the best option, the reality is that few people recognize the correct use of chlorine; This cleaning article is the one with which we must be more careful, it is safe only following its proper use, by following the warnings and indications.
The chemical compound that makes up commercial chlorine, also known as bleach or bleach, is sodium hypochlorite, which is distinguished by its ability to disinfect, that is, eliminate most microorganisms on surfaces.
This compound by itself is considered a corrosive substance, capable of causing irritation and burns to the skin and eyes, which is why its use is always recommended by means of dilutions, that is, combining a very small amount of chlorine with water, in addition, It is warned that it should never be used directly or mixed with another cleaning article.
On the “instructions for use” labels on the chlorine containers, you will be able to verify this fact and distinguish which is the correct way to use it. In addition to this, it is essential to understand that chlorine, due to its chemical composition, is capable of reacting when in contact with certain compounds, this occurs when cleaning our dog’s urine. Next, we explain why.
Why shouldn’t I use bleach to clean my dog’s urine?
The urine of our dogs is composed of different residues that are excreted by this means, some of them can react with the sodium hypochlorite contained in the chlorine when directly cleaning our friend’s grace with it; doing so promotes the formation of toxic gases y harmful to health.
Specifically, dog urine contains small amounts of ammonia, which reacts with sodium hypochlorite and forms a compound called chloramine, which is a toxic gas that is released following a chemical reaction.
Chloramines are capable of causing irritation and burns to the eyes, skin, nose and throat, as well as respiratory difficulties following inhalation. In addition, prolonged exposure might damage the liver, since it is considered hepatotoxic and carcinogenic.
Due to the health damage recognized by chloramines, and the probability that this compound is released when directly cleaning urine with chlorine, it is best to limit its use for this purpose.
In this way, it is recommended, especially indoors, that, before using any cleaning product, dry all the urine on the surface very well, rinse with water until all traces are removed and, once this is done, you can clean and disinfect with soap or chlorine, never together, remember that the combination of cleaning products with chlorine is not good for our health either. You can check: Why shouldn’t bleach be mixed with soap to wash dishes?
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