Is the Pure-Castile Magic Soap safe for cleaning animals?Updated 6 days ago
We don’t have a specialty line of animal products, but our Magic Soaps work well for washing many animals, including cats and dogs. For scent-sensitive households or when bathing cats, use our Baby Unscented soap and avoid our Tea Tree-scented products, as tea tree oil is not safe for most animals. For pets with sensitivities or skin concerns, always consult your veterinarian.
Check out Lisa Bronner's excellent blog post Dog Washing with Dr. Bronner’s Soap for an in-depth walkthrough and video of how to clean your dog. We also invite you to read our blog post, Pet Care with Dr. Bronner's, for further information about pet care with our soaps.
Dogs
Although our Magic Soap is formulated for people, it's perfect for washing dogs! Any of our scents are great for dogs, except Tea Tree, which is not recommended for pet wash. Please consult your vet before using tea tree on your pets.
We suggest trying our Peppermint-scented soaps for pups, as peppermint oil can help deter pests. However, if you're uncomfortable using a product with essential oils* on your pet, consider our Baby Unscented Pure-Castile Magic Soap. To wash your doggo:
- Once a week, thoroughly wet their fur, and squirt soap directly onto it. You don't have to pre-dilute the soap since there’s usually quite a bit of water on your dog already. The amount of soap you use depends entirely on your dog's size, fur type and thickness, and how dirty they are. We generally recommend starting with ~1 Tbsp. of soap and adding more until it creates some good suds all over.
- Then massage it into their fur and down to their skin. As with people, you'll want to keep the soap out of their eyes and ears.
- Once you’ve finished scrubbing, make sure to rinse out all the soap really well. If you don’t rinse all the soap out, it can cause irritation and even attract more dirt. When you’re done, let your doggo have a good shake to get the drying process started.
Cats
For washing cats, we recommend only using our Baby Unscented Pure-Castile Magic Soap, as cats can have a negative reaction to certain essential oils*. Although essential oils make up only a small percentage of our soaps, it's best to be safe and avoid exposing your cat to them unnecessarily.
To begin your journey of washing your furry friend, we suggest trimming their claws, brushing their fur (knots are more difficult to untangle when they’re wet), and tiring them out by playing with them.
- Once a month, wet the fur well and add enough soap to produce lather, being mindful to keep the soap out of their eyes and ears. The amount of soap needed depends on our cat's size and the length, thickness, and texture of their fur, but we suggest starting with about 1 tsp. and using more if needed. As with dogs, there's no need to pre-dilute the soap, since your cat already has quite a bit of water on them.
- Massage the soap into their fur and down to their skin.
- After the soap is thoroughly worked through their fur, rinse out all the soap really well. Not rinsing out all the soap can cause irritation and even be ingested when they groom themselves, which might upset their stomach a little.
Other Animals
Our Magic Soap is used all over the world to clean a wide range of animals. We've received positive feedback from customers washing their birds and chickens, as well as goats and pigs, and even from animal sanctuaries that regularly use our soaps to wash horses, llamas, and cows.
Just remember to make things as comfortable as possible for any animal, and to keep the soap away from their eyes, ears, and nose. Many animals are also very sensitive to essential oils. For this reason, we recommend being absolutely safe and only using our Unscented Baby Pure-Castile Magic Soaps to bathe most animals. But if you have any concerns about washing an animal with our soap, always consult your veterinarian.
*A high concentration of some essential oils can be toxic to some animals (some are more sensitive than others). Although our soaps should not pose any threat to your animal when used as directed, we understand that health is especially important, so we encourage you to consult your local veterinarian if you have any concerns.