Febreeze and Ts

[Tarantuland]

Is spraying febreeze in the same room as tarantulas dangerous to them? Not in their direction. I got a dog and I want to mitigate the dog smell on my couch. I’ve tried baking soda, vinegar, essential oils, rubbing alcohol, various concoctions. I feel like febreeze is exactly what I need but I’m not sure if it’s dangerous.

@HooahArmy do you have any insight?
thanks

 

[A guy]

I've used air disinfectants, including febreeze before in the same room as my tarantulas. They're fine.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

Keeps T's smelling fresh.

 

[Tarantuland]

Fwiw I mean the liquid spray not the aerosol can if that makes sense

 

[A guy]

Fwiw I mean the liquid spray not the aerosol can if that makes sense

When my family and I had covid, we've used cans and cans of it. I think it affected the plants in the same room more than my animals

 

[SpookySpooder]

Both are fine. I've used liquid and aerosol air fresheners and disinfectants in the same room. Clorox and bleach on the floors near them as well to no ill effect. Obviously you don't want to spray the enclosures or any of your equipment.

Tangent: I was in a T room once where the keeper used RAID to control ants attacking his cricket colony. I asked him if he knew the risks of using an aerosol pesticide formulated for killing spiders roaches and ants in his T room.

He said he never had a death from it before. But I wouldn't roll those dice.

Just be smart about what you do, and if you're in doubt--better safe than sorry.

 

[Tarantuland]

Both are fine. I've used liquid and aerosol air fresheners and disinfectants in the same room. Clorox and bleach on the floors near them as well to no ill effect. Obviously you don't want to spray the enclosures or any of your equipment.

Tangent: I was in a T room once where the keeper used RAID to control ants attacking his cricket colony. I asked him if he knew the risks of using an aerosol pesticide formulated for killing spiders roaches and ants in his T room.

He said he never had a death from it before. But I wouldn't roll those dice.

Just be smart about what you do, and if you're in doubt--better safe than sorry.

Yeah I think better safe than sorry but I’ve used other cleaners and stuff in the general vicinity with no problem. I imagine as long as it doesn’t get in with the Ts enclosure it’s fine but I got a lot of spiders and don’t want them to die

 

[viper69]

Is spraying febreeze in the same room as tarantulas dangerous to them? Not in their direction. I got a dog and I want to mitigate the dog smell on my couch. I’ve tried baking soda, vinegar, essential oils, rubbing alcohol, various concoctions. I feel like febreeze is exactly what I need but I’m not sure if it’s dangerous.

@HooahArmy do you have any insight?
thanks

Not in their direction- are you suggesting the molecules don’t move in a gas environment?

That’s like having a peeing section in a pool!!

 

[Tarantuland]

Not in their direction- are you suggesting the molecules don’t move in a gas environment?

That’s like having a peeing section in a pool!!

The liquid spray in a point blank range to the fabric shouldn’t have much recoil and they’d be a few feet away. But that is hilarious

 

[SpookySpooder]

Not in their direction- are you suggesting the molecules don’t move in a gas environment?

That’s like having a peeing section in a pool!!

Love the way you phrased that! You have a very valid point.

I wouldn't spray any RAID in the same house TBH

 

[HooahArmy]

@HooahArmy do you have any insight?
thanks

The conch has been blown!

Let's take a look at Febreeze, which comes in two types: with a gas propellant (nitrogen) and with a natural air propellant.
Both air and the inert gas that's used to propel are safe to be used around critters and people and dispel quickly, making them safe to be around.
But what about the ingredients?
Here is a quick list from Febreeze's own site on what their sprays contain:

Ingredients in Febreze | Febreze

Febreze is safe to use around your family and pets. Febreze is never formulated with anything unsafe or dangerous to use.

www.febreze.com

Not all of them are found in their sprays, so look at the ingredients listed as 'air effects' to know what's within them.
Among them, alcohol, fragrances, Benzisothiazolinone, Dialkyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cyclodextrin, and Sodium Citrate are what catch my attention. So let's break them down!

Some of these are volatile (can go airborne) or are meant to dissipate to generate a smell: alcohol, fragrance.
Others are temporarily volatile and stay in liquid form, helping to trap airborne smells: Dialkyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate (a safe surfactant that is only toxic to mammals if ingested), cyclodextrin (a natural binder found in carb-rich crops that grabs smells), and sodium citrate (a natural compound that neutralizes smells by balancing Ph)
The last are stabilizers and preservatives: Benzisothiazolinone (used in very low concentrations in aerosols, usually as a preservative. In high concentrations, such as straight from a pure jug, it cam be caustic to skin) and castor oil (natural stabilizer)

All of these ingredients are on the safe side, since Febreeze is meant to be used around people and pets. However, the downside is that a spray can only cover up a smell, not address it at the source. I too have had 3 stanky big dogs in the past, so I feel the grief. I've tried just about everything under the sun to cover up the hound-stench, but was told by my vet that the source was where to go. My dogs were stinky because of the food that I fed them and because I didn't bathe and groom them as often as I should have. By switching to a better dog chow and by grooming whenever the dog looked grimy (I use A Touch of Mink and Arm & Hammer Deodorizing), I was able to keep my dogs fresh without me needing to resort to addressing the secondary action of covering smells.

As for using any type of spray around inverts, you can never be too cautious regardless of how 'safe' a spray is listed. Address the smell at the source if you can. If that's difficult, you may feel free to spray, but keep a keen eye on your pals for any change in behaviors, ensuring as well that you aren't spraying directly in their enclosure's vicinity.

 

[Tarantuland]

The conch has been blown!

Let's take a look at Febreeze, which comes in two types: with a gas propellant (nitrogen) and with a natural air propellant.
Both air and the inert gas that's used to propel are safe to be used around critters and people and dispel quickly, making them safe to be around.
But what about the ingredients?
Here is a quick list from Febreeze's own site on what their sprays contain:

Ingredients in Febreze | Febreze

Febreze is safe to use around your family and pets. Febreze is never formulated with anything unsafe or dangerous to use.

www.febreze.com

Not all of them are found in their sprays, so look at the ingredients listed as 'air effects' to know what's within them.
Among them, alcohol, fragrances, Benzisothiazolinone, Dialkyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cyclodextrin, and Sodium Citrate are what catch my attention. So let's break them down!

Some of these are volatile (can go airborne) or are meant to dissipate to generate a smell: alcohol, fragrance.
Others are temporarily volatile and stay in liquid form, helping to trap airborne smells: Dialkyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate (a safe surfactant that is only toxic to mammals if ingested), cyclodextrin (a natural binder found in carb-rich crops that grabs smells), and sodium citrate (a natural compound that neutralizes smells by balancing Ph)
The last are stabilizers and preservatives: Benzisothiazolinone (used in very low concentrations in aerosols, usually as a preservative. In high concentrations, such as straight from a pure jug, it cam be caustic to skin) and castor oil (natural stabilizer)

All of these ingredients are on the safe side, since Febreeze is meant to be used around people and pets. However, the downside is that a spray can only cover up a smell, not address it at the source. I too have had 3 stanky big dogs in the past, so I feel the grief. I've tried just about everything under the sun to cover up the hound-stench, but was told by my vet that the source was where to go. My dogs were stinky because of the food that I fed them and because I didn't bathe and groom them as often as I should have. By switching to a better dog chow and by grooming whenever the dog looked grimy (I use A Touch of Mink and Arm & Hammer Deodorizing), I was able to keep my dogs fresh without me needing to resort to addressing the secondary action of covering smells.

As for using any type of spray around inverts, you can never be too cautious regardless of how 'safe' a spray is listed. Address the smell at the source if you can. If that's difficult, you may feel free to spray, but keep a keen eye on your pals for any change in behaviors, ensuring as well that you aren't spraying directly in their enclosure's vicinity.

Much appreciated. Yea I’ve been bathing my dog more, brushing and using a dry shampoo. It’s just from me being sweaty and my stinky dog laying on it. But I think an occasional treatment and upkeep of the pup should do the trick

 

[viper69]

to be used around people and pets

True, but we know they weren’t tested on exotics.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Also something to remember is that "human and pet safe" generally means safe for temporary external contact. Generally if gets inside you, it usually isn't safe.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Also something to remember is that "human and pet safe" generally means safe for temporary external contact. Generally if gets inside you, it usually isn't safe.

To me it smells just as bad as the stuff it’s meant to coverup. Some people spray giant clouds of this stuff .. hard to breathe haha .. safe for pets probably means mammals . No one’s sitting around in a lab with a spider or snake or lizard to see if it negatively affects them .
Post 11 is best explanation so far..

Febreeze and Ts

Is spraying febreeze in the same room as tarantulas dangerous to them? Not in their direction. I got a dog and I want to mitigate the dog smell on my couch. I’ve tried baking soda, vinegar, essential oils, rubbing alcohol, various concoctions. I feel like febreeze is exactly what I need but I’m...

arachnoboards.com

 

[vancwa]

Maybe try that Pooph stuff.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Not in their direction- are you suggesting the molecules don’t move in a gas environment?

That’s like having a peeing section in a pool!!

Don't give people ideas.....

 

[viper69]

Don't give people ideas.....

Hey they should do the damn research and use damn CRITICAL THINKING skills to see if an idea has merit or not. I have tons of great ideas!!

 

[Pedipalpable]

Being candid, I personally think it is a terrible idea to use any aerosol sprays near tarantulas. I would certainly not do it myself and would not advise others do it either.
The way I see it, these sprays claiming to be “pet safe” is in no way a guarantee that they will not harm invertebrates.

First, because I highly, highly doubt they were tested on tarantulas or any other exotic inverts for harmful effects. Hell, I doubt they were tested on exotic vertebrates either since I imagine the companies making these products are only really concerned with not harming the mammals whose odours many of their customers use the stuff to mask.

And second, because tarantulas’ respiratory systems are vastly different from that of any vertebrate, mammalian or otherwise. I am not well versed on tarantula anatomy and physiology since I have been focusing entirely on the more important topic of their care and husbandry. I’ll just let a post by @HooahArmy from a thread of mine from a while back where I asked about something similar speak for me:

The airborne presence of all of the items released in the air can land on an invert or enter their book lungs as well when they respire. While the stuff on their bodies can be easily groomed off or be shed with a molt, the stuff that enters their lungs or cling to their enclosures can be more of a problem. Unlike critters with noses, invers can't cough, sneeze, make snot, or swallow to pass irritants out of their lungs; hence in the long-term, they may be potentially harmful.

I would also add on that I would be concerned about the Ts ingesting and potentially being poisoned by chemicals from in the spray when grooming if they get some on their exoskeletons. There is no way of knowing what those chemicals could do if they get inside of a T’s body.