Are wax melts safe for my pet?
Wax melts are a product containing fragrance and as such can indeed be harmful to pets much like many other items also found in our homes.
Ingredients such as Paraffin Wax, Lead, Benzene, and artificial scents can all have a detrimental effect on our pets health. They can cause damage to their central nervous system and can trigger respiratory problems.
However the same can be said of any product containing fragrance and its best to read the labels thoroughly.
Some scented wax melts/candles are made from paraffin wax, which is derived from petroleum and can release toxic compounds into the air when burnt. The fumes released can be harmful to you as well as your pets, although the level of risk is low if you’re only lighting candles occasionally in a well-ventilated room. Not all wax melts and candles release these chemicals though, so check the ingredients before you buy. Beeswax, soy wax or vegetable-plant based wax products don’t contain toxic pollutants, so are generally safer, and also typically burn for longer than paraffin wax.
At The Smelly Wax Company we use a plant based wax for all of our wax melts.
How to keep your pets safe around your wax melts
A big risk with burning wax melts in a Tea-light burner when you have a cat or dog around is that they could get too close and burn themselves or knock them over and cause a fire. Cats love to jump up on surfaces and sometimes knock things off them, so make sure you never leave a lit candle unattended.
Cats are very sensitive to strong smells, so they may avoid rooms where scented candles or wax melts are burning anyway. However, if your cat or dog is nearby, make sure the room is well ventilated so that the smell and fumes do not cause any issues. If your pet has a medical condition such as asthma or chronic bronchitis then extra care should be taken.
Avoid using fragrances containing the following :-
Oils that are harmful to cats include, but are not limited to:
- Wintergreen
- Sweet birch
- Citrus (d-limonene)
- Pine
- Ylang ylang
- Peppermint
- Cinnamon
- Pennyroyal
- Clove
- Eucalyptus
- Tea tree (melaleuca)
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Lavender
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Oils that are harmful to dogs include, but are not limited to:
- Cinnamon
- Citrus (d-limonene)
- Pennyroyal
- Peppermint
- Pine
- Sweet birch
- Tea tree (melaleuca)
- Wintergreen
- Ylang ylang
- Anise
- Clove
- Thyme
- Juniper
- Yarrow
- Garlic