# Fairy Liquid for washing dogs?



## BrackenFlight (Mar 9, 2015)

I am a groomer, and a few weeks ago my boss told me to wash a pair of grossly greasy schnauzers using fairy liquid...I have never heard of this and frankly do not think that it should be done.
Isn't the PH levels wrong for a dog's skin? Wouldn't it make the skin worse, if they already had problems with the skin, making it greasy in the first place?
Fairy liquid is not designed to wash a dog with! I was shocked when I was asked to go to the kitchen and get the dish soap!!!


----------



## evel-lin (Jul 1, 2010)

I guess it depends on the reason the dogs are greasy, don't they use dish soap for cleaning seabirds that get covered in oil? I'd have thought if you used it sparingly and washed it out thoroughly afterwards it wouldn't do any harm although I wouldn't use it regularly. If the dogs have greasy fur because of a skin problem then yeah I think it would be more likely to make it worse


----------



## BrackenFlight (Mar 9, 2015)

I'm not sure, I just thought because of the PH differences between it and dog shampoo, then again I never checked it.
I made sure to wash it all out quickly then washed them with a more gentle shampoo and rinsed thoroughly.


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

I use fairly liquid on anything that moves. I use it regularly on horses. I cannot see how it can possibly do any harm!


----------



## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

I've used it for years..it works wonders to get the odd stain out...We use washing up liquid on our hands pretty much daily, if it is ok for that, then it is ok for animals skin.
Obviously you need to be careful about getting it in eyes, but then I am careful with eyes no matter what brand of shampoo I use


----------



## Guest (Sep 30, 2015)

If fairy liquid is dish soap like Dawn or Palmolive, yeah, there is wisdom in using it in some cases.
For example, skunk dog has been bathed multiple times in Dawn dish soap after being de-skunked with an enzyme cleaner. The Dawn helps cut the oil in the skunk spray and helps get it off the dog. In the past 8 months, he has been through multiple washings in Dawn and there is not a thing wrong with his skin or coat. 
Dogs who have gone under cars or gotten greasy in other ways can be bathed in dish soap as well.

Coat and skin health has a lot more to do with the dog’s overall health than what soaps you’re using. In general, a healthy dog on an appropriate diet is going to have good skin and coat.


----------



## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Well. if it's good enough for Nanette Newman .... 'the hands that do dishes' ...
I've read recipes for home-made flea shampoos that use dish soap , apparently Fairy is the equivalent to the American Dawn Dish soap.
I would think for occasional use, well rinsed ,it should be OK.


----------



## BrackenFlight (Mar 9, 2015)

Thanks for the replies!
I had never heard of it being used to wash dogs, and thought it could be doing harm as its not what it was designed to do.
Thanks for the reassurance.
And by the way, the schnauzers came out super duper fluffy.


----------



## Lexiedhb (Jun 9, 2011)

Cant say I would use it regularly- as its is drying to my hands so must be drying to a dogs skin................


----------



## shadowmare (Jul 7, 2013)

Definitely wouldn't use it to wash the dog regularly for the same reason I don't use it on myself when I shower. However, if it is to remove a stain or some sort of grease then it will not do damage after just one use.


----------



## kare (Sep 8, 2014)

Glad it all worked out well and the dogs looked fabulous.
I have not used washing up liquid (I don't think, maybe there has been an occasion of an emergency de poop wash where I have grabbed whatever is closest) but I did about 6 months back use a herbal essences human shampoo on my dog well watered down. It smelled amazing and I can honestly say she scratched after I used that a lot LESS than when I was using PAH de-shed shampoo. 

Normally other than spot washing off rolling smears (I carry Castile soap (in a mini bottle they sell super concentrated juice in) it is meant to be environmentally neutral) mine get clean by swimming in the sea so I have little use for shampoo


----------



## Colette (Jan 2, 2010)

Our original dog groomer (well over 10 years ago now) kept a variety of shapmoos for different coat types - but always used Fairy on yorkies and dogs with similar silky coats. She swore by it.


----------



## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Personally I find the idea of using washing up liquid on dogs pretty horrifying - but then I'm one who also can't understand why people wash dishes in it without wearing gloves.

Washing up liquid breaks down fat. The main competent of your cell membranes is fat. Enough said.

If you've got issues with a greasy coat I'd use something like Sebomild or Sebolytic.


----------



## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Shoshannah said:


> Personally I find the idea of using washing up liquid on dogs pretty horrifying - but then I'm one who also can't understand why people wash dishes in it without wearing gloves.
> 
> Washing up liquid breaks down fat. The main competent of your cell membranes is fat. Enough said.
> 
> If you've got issues with a greasy coat I'd use something like Sebomild or Sebolytic.


It is hardly going to get under the skin is it. I would happily use it to wash my hair and frequently use it to wash my hands.


----------



## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Blitz said:


> It is hardly going to get under the skin is it. I would happily use it to wash my hair and frequently use it to wash my hands.


It doesn't need to, your skin cells have cell membranes too.


----------



## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Shoshannah said:


> Personally I find the idea of using washing up liquid on dogs pretty horrifying - but then I'm one who also can't understand why people wash dishes in it without wearing gloves.
> 
> Washing up liquid breaks down fat. The main competent of your cell membranes is fat. Enough said.
> 
> If you've got issues with a greasy coat I'd use something like Sebomild or Sebolytic.


Never had a problem with it here and I have used it on countless animals...birds, dogs, cats, horses, donkeys and I'm sure there are other species too lol
It is actually the most useful thing to use to break down oil and grease, I am not talking normal coat grease, I am referring to engine oil and the likes. Whilst regular use can cause dry skin in many, it will not cause problems for many others


----------



## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

StormyThai said:


> Never had a problem with it here and I have used it on countless animals...birds, dogs, cats, horses, donkeys and I'm sure there are other species too lol
> It is actually the most useful thing to use to break down oil and grease, I am not talking normal coat grease, I am referring to engine oil and the likes. Whilst regular use can cause dry skin in many, it will not cause problems for many others


I use it to wash off engine oil from my hands - but then I wash the washing up liquid off immediately afterwards with regular soap.

I don't see the need to use it for regular washing or even a bit of coat grease, when more suitable products exist. It cuts through burnt-on grease; no need for something so harsh on one's skin IMO.

But then I've suffered with sensitive skin my whole life and have adapted to try and look after it. I wouldn't put it on my cat or my car!


----------



## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Shoshannah said:


> but then I wash the washing up liquid off immediately afterwards with regular soap.


And that is the key  If you make sure that it is well rinsed then it really is no different to any other type of soap


----------



## Guest (Sep 30, 2015)

Well, like I said, Bates has had repeated baths in Dawn, some twice in the same day, and his coat and skin are healthy as ever. He's a pretty hardy dog though. 

We used to use Dawn and Peroxide on horse socks to get them white before shows  Horses were fine too.


----------



## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Kein et al. *The influence of daily dish-washing with synthetic detergent on human skin*. 1992. _British Journal of Dermatology_. 127: 131-137.

The effects of regular dish-washing on the stratum corneum barrier function, as determined by transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and objective and subjective skin parameters, were investigated in a 'use test' performed by 18 healthy volunteers. Hands were soaked in a 0.05% solution of a commercial dish-washing product (three times/day, for 15 min, at 37°C) over a period of 3 weeks; one hand was unprotected and the other was protected with a commercial rubber glove. TEWL increased in 13/18 volunteers by more than 25% above baseline on exposed hands within the first 2 weeks of the study. Objective skin signs (erythema, scaling, fissures) and subjective symptoms (itching, dryness, smarting) occurred almost exclusively in subjects with substantial TEWL increases and were most prominent 1-2 weeks following peak TEWL values. There was a highly significant correlation between cumulative relative symptom scores and TEWL changes. TEWL increase and symptom scores were not correlated with a history of inhalant allergy and/or elevated serum IgE levels.

Three volunteers, who had shown the highest increase of TEWL values and the most intense clinical reactions to the detergent were subjected to a control experiment in which one hand was soaked in warm tap-water following the same experimental protocol. No significant effects on TEWL values or skin symptoms were observed. We conclude that regular exposure to low concentrations of detergents as used for dish-washing is capable of inducing skin lesions in a substantial proportion of individuals.

People with healthy skin exposed to low concentrations of washing up liquid on a daily basis had a significant increase in water loss through their skin (because the lipid barrier was damaged/removed) even when they had no obvious symptoms. Wear those washing up gloves, people!

And we see so many dogs with skin issues these days - it seems backward to be supplementing fish oils and fatty acids to improve the skin barrier on the one hand while removing it with detergent on the other.


----------



## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

But no one has said it is a good idea to use it daily. I wouldn't wash a dog with dog specific shampoo daily either 
As Ouesi said above, some may need to use it a couple of times, but that still isn't the same as using it everyday IMO 
FWIW My hands would react more to wearing the gloves than they ever have from not wearing them lol Each to their own and all


----------



## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

I personally wouldnt use it to wash a dog unless i had nothing else to hand.

Im always amazed at how flippant people are with hibiscrub too. Most people dont even dilute it properly, just pink up the water. Gives me contact dermatitis


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

It also works extremely well as a clarifying shampoo if you have alot of product build up in your hair! I can see why you might use it on an extremly greasy/oily dog to clean the coat up (I imagine that an excess of oils probably isnt any better then too few). 
Obviously not as an everyday shampoo but it works well for heavy duty gunk.


----------



## Mesotes (Aug 21, 2015)

ouesi said:


> If fairy liquid is dish soap like Dawn or Palmolive, yeah, there is wisdom in using it in some cases.
> For example, skunk dog has been bathed multiple times in Dawn dish soap after being de-skunked with an enzyme cleaner. The Dawn helps cut the oil in the skunk spray and helps get it off the dog. In the past 8 months, he has been through multiple washings in Dawn and there is not a thing wrong with his skin or coat.
> Dogs who have gone under cars or gotten greasy in other ways can be bathed in dish soap as well.
> 
> Coat and skin health has a lot more to do with the dog's overall health than what soaps you're using. In general, a healthy dog on an appropriate diet is going to have good skin and coat.


Fairy liquid is just like Dawn and Palmolive! So it makes perfect sense to use it in this instance.


----------



## Guest (Sep 30, 2015)

I don't know if anyone here has had to deal with a skunked dog, but let me tell you, it's no pick nick. The dog is miserable, the humans are miserable, it needs to come off. Skunk spray is oily and Dawn gets it off.
If a dog gets under the diesel tractor and gets oil in his coat, I'd rather wash it out with something like Dawn than the dog try to lick it off and poison him/herself. 

No one is advocating daily washings in dishsoap. I wouldn't advocate daily shampooing in ANYTHING for a dog. Unless you're dealing with a massive case of mange or something and then you wouldn't be using shampoo or Dawn anyway.
However, I have two dogs (and many more in the past as well as horses) who have periodically been washed with dish soap and it has never been an issue.

Considering that Dawn is what is used on animals dirtied from oil spills, I think it's just fine to use periodically. 
However my general stance on bathing dogs is to not do it at all unless the dog has been skunked or rolled in coyote poop. Otherwise a swim in the river counts as a bath in this house.


----------



## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Oh the other thing that crossed my mind was that if i were paying for my dog to be professionally groomed, id be livid if i found out they had used washing up liquid, especially without consulting me.

Considering just how many products there are out there, there is no excuse for a business specialising in grooming to be using household cleaning products on a dog.

What people use at home, on their own pets, is up to them.


----------



## galloping pups (Oct 13, 2018)

Never having used it on any animal before, I have just used lemon washing up liquid, below the ears, on the two terrier ( mixed) pups who now live with me. For the second time, this terrible year for fleas, they have fleas. One was ill after using drops last time and I can't get to the vets for a couple of days anyway - so I lathered them both well with a lemon washing up liquid - supposedly it kills fleas stone dead - rinsed them well and now they are flying around the house and garden. I shall not leave it at that but had nothing else too hand - next the flea comb and a home made remedy. If the fleas are as bad by Monday I'll think again - but meanwhile I have a whole house to clean!!! God it was a bad year for fleas here (Eng), wasn't it? Lovely sun though.


----------



## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

This product is lovely and much more suitable than Fairy liquid. It claims to deter fleas and ticks , and head lice in children , it also smells lovely. I've even used it as shampoo for myself.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bio-Nature...9659&sr=8-1&keywords=lemon+myrtle+liquid+soap


----------



## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

Ive never used it on an animal. I;ve used specific shampoos on each species but also have used baby shampoo which my vet recommended.


----------



## Lexiedhb (Jun 9, 2011)

This thread is 3 years old!!!


----------



## galloping pups (Oct 13, 2018)

Lexiedhb said:


> This thread is 3 years old!!!


Does that matter?


----------

