By Alison Angold CIDESCO ITEC
If you have a pet, particularly a dog or cat, pet smells can linger around the house. We can often get used to the odours that our furry friends leave, but other people may notice the nasty smells.
Traditional room sprays or cleaners, can either just mask the odours, be overly strong or artificial smelling, or be heavily chemical based, which could be dangerous for your pets.
Using essential oils for pet odours is the natural, easy and great smelling way to neutralise the smells left by your pet!
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The Best Essential Oils for Pet Odours
To get rid of pet odours around the house, we want to look for two things in our essential oils. We want them to be antibacterial and anti-viral.
Lingering bacteria can cause bad smells, so an antibacterial oil will help to kill the bacteria and therefore the odour.
The best essential oils to eliminate pet odours are;
- Eucalyptus
- Peppermint
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Bergamot
- Lemongrass
- Lemon
How to use essential oils to eliminate pet odours
Burning essential oils will gently warm the oils and release the aromas to scent your home, while killing bacteria and those lingering pet odours.
However creating a room spray can also be effective.
DO NOTE **** – use the spray when the pets are not in the room. NEVER spray the essential oils on to your pets – this is meant to scent the air not to be used on the pet. If you notice a change in your pet – breathing difficulties, excessive sneezing, excess lethargy – stop using the essential oils, to see if this has affected your pet adversely. (See below for more precautions).
Any of the above oils can be blended to eliminate pet odours, however the ones below pair particularly well together, and leave your rooms smelling wonderful.
Diffuser blends for eliminating pet odours
Use a diffuser or a burner for these essential oils for pet odours.
Eucalyptus, Bergamot & Lemon
Peppermint & Lemongrass
Rosemary, Bergamot & Lavender
Read more on the use of the different oils here;
Pet odour room spray
Mix the ingredients together and ideally store in an amber, glass spray bottle. This ensure that the oils keep stabilised, as light and heat can adversely affect them. Other receptacles can be used, but make sure you store them away from light and heat and keep them clearly labelled, as to the contents.
Spray lightly into the air, but can also be used on hard surfaces too.
- 400ml Water
- 100 ml Witch hazel (or vodka!)
- 40 drops Lemongrass
- 40 drops Lemon
- 30 drops Rosemary
- 20 drops Peppermint
What are essential oils?
Essential oils are the pure oils that are extracted from the flowers, leaves, and bark of plants, herbs and trees. Even though they are pure and considered natural, these oils each have their own unique chemical make-up.
This chemical make-up gives the oils a range of therapeutic actions, such as being relaxing, uplifting, balancing, strengthening the immune system and and giving relief from colds and flus, to name a few.
Are essential oils safe to use around pets?
On the whole, yes, however please do consider the following safety precautions, when using essential oils around your pets.
- Never apply essential oils directly on to your pet – even if diluted. There are some oils that are suitable to use on your pet, however it is better to be cautious and avoid them, as the reaction is unknown, and could be different for each animal. If you do want to use oils on your pets, then please consult your vet first.
- When diffusing or burning oils in the house, do keep an eye on your pets. I personally diffuse and burn oils regularly at home, around Winnie – my dog, and we have never had an issue with any reactions from her. However, keep an eye on your dog, and if the aroma gets too intense, turn off the diffuser, and air the room. Or, alternatively, diffuse the oils while your pet is out on a walk or not in the room, and turn off, when they enter.
- As a precaution do not use the room spray when your pet is in the room, and – obviously – avoid spraying it directly on your pet.
Read next;
| About the Author Alison Angold is a fully qualified (certified) beauty therapist, massage therapist, and aromatherapist from the UK. She has over 25 years of experience in this industry and has worked in a variety of beauty salons, spa’s as well as running her own successful beauty and massage business. Her career has allowed her to treat many, many clients, with skincare concerns, medical conditions, and a whole variety of other ailments and issues, which has enabled her to work closely with essential oils, prescribing specific blends for these clients to help with these conditions. Her qualifications in the use of essential oils and aromatherapy, allow her to share this knowledge with others, in a safe, reliable way. |