So, I was talking to a friend recently and she warned me not to use a Swiffer Wetjet on my floors because it would kill my animals. I hadn’t heard about that, and found it hard to believe that such a well-known product would really be a danger to my pets, so I decided to check it out online. My Google searching turned up this little gem of an urban legend:

Warning for your animal's health:

I recently had a neighbor who had to have their 5-year old German Shepherd dog put down due to liver failure. The dog was completely healthy until a few weeks ago, so they had a necropsy done to see what the cause was. The liver levels were unbelievable, as if the dog had ingested poison of some kind. The dog is kept inside, and when he's outside, someone's with him, so the idea of him getting into something unknown was hard to believe. My neighbor started going through all the items in the house. When he got to the Swiffer Wetjet, he noticed, in very tiny print, a warning which stated "may be harmful to small children and animals." He called the company to ask what the contents of the cleaning agent are and was astounded to find out that antifreeze is one of the ingredients. (actually he was told it's a compound which is one molecule away from antifreeze).

Therefore, just by the dog walking on the floor cleaned with the solution, then licking it's own paws, and the dog eating from its dishes which were kept on the kitchen floor cleaned with this product, it ingested enough of the solution to destroy its liver.

Soon after his dog's death, his housekeepers' two cats also died of liver failure. They both used the Swiffer Wetjet for quick cleanups on their floors. Necropsies weren't done on the cats, so they couldn't file a lawsuit, but he asked that we spread the word to as many people as possible so they don't lose their animals.

Well, folks, in my opinion, this has all the earmarks of an urban legend. There is no actual person mentioned in the article – therefore, no one I can check with on the validity of this story. But, I decided to go to Swiffer’s website and see if they were addressing this issue. I went into the Swiffer Q&A and clicked on their link about the Swiffer Pet Rumor and here is what they have to say on the subject:

”Question:Are the ingredients safe?

Answer:We're glad you came to us for the facts about the rumor circulating. Swiffer Wet cloths and WetJet liquid solution do not contain antifreeze or any ingredient similar to it. In fact, Swiffer products have been safely used in over 15 million U.S. homes--many with pets--for nearly five years.

Independent veterinarians and scientists evaluated the Swiffer Wet Cloths and WetJet cleaners and found them safe. The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has even posted information about this rumor on their site. Here's a link to their home page: http://www.aspca.org.

We have pets too, and their health and well-being is very important to us. Please help us put animals lovers' minds at ease and stop this rumor by sharing the truth with others.”

So, now that we've heard it straight from the company itself, perhaps THIS is the “urban legend” that we should be emailing to all our friends.