I’ve compiled a list of household products that are kind to the environment, yourself and your pets.  I have used all of them at some point. So mix and match and find your own personal favorites!

Method Home
Method offers some cleaners that are dye- and perfume-free, nontoxic, biodegradable, naturally derived and never tested on animals. For more information, visit www.methodhome.com

Mrs. Meyers cleaning supplies
All of their cleaning supplies are made with natural essential oils, are biodegradable and phosphate-free. For more, visit www.mrsmeyers.com.

Seventh Generation products
Seventh Generation is one of the leading brands of nontoxic household products. For more information, visit www.seventhgeneration.com.

Shaklee
This company has been producing natural cleaning products—everything from dryer sheets to stain removers—for 50 years. Call 800-670-6251 or visit www.shaklee.com to save 33 percent on the Shaklee Healthy Home pack and 15 percent off all other items at Shaklee.

Products & Toys:  Pets

There are so many pet products on the market so make it simple and always ask if you would use it on yourself first. And remember - clean doesn’t have a smell but unfortunately dirty does!

• Get educated!
• Stay organic!
• Don’t believe the hype!
• They are marketing towards you NOT your pet!
• Does it really work and does your pet really need it?

I just highly suggest that you read the ingredients and if you don’t understand them you probably shouldn’t buy them. 

The same goes for toys.  Your time is the best gift!  That being said chew toys, especially rawhide is highly controversial. Even though they give pooches a long-lasting treat, keep them amused when you are too busy to take a walk, and can help in reducing dental problems, they have latent dangers as well.

Dogs can choke on rawhide ends and can sustain intestinal blockage; if you do give your dogs these toys, you should supervise their chewing. But there are problems with the rawhide material itself. How are these things made?

Fresh hides must be preserved, the hair removed, and the hides cured to prevent them from spoiling. Many of the least-expensive chews come from Asia, where uncontrolled chemical usage has caused massive pollution in rivers and aquifers. Some of the residues found in poorly processed animal hides are lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, and formaldehyde.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has jurisdiction over animal products imported into this country but requires only an import license and a certificate of origin. Perhaps U.S. rawhides are safer, but chemical processing happens in all these products.

Some U.S. companies claim that no chemical treatment or preservatives are needed to prevent rawhide spoilage, because everything is done here - that is, more quickly. But many skeptics disagree, and many people no longer buy these chew toys. If you do decide to give a rawhide chew to your dog, buy a high-grade product made in your own country.

If a ferret bites you it is nearly always your own fault. 
~Phil Drabble