# Homemade leave-in cleansing spray



## nekomi

Just wanted to share my recipe for a homemade leave-in shampoo/spray that I came up with for my dogs.  I hesitate to call it a shampoo because there's not really any soap in it - it's more like a cleansing spray or spritz.

My dogs spend a lot of time outside in their kennel every day, roughhousing and rolling around in straw. They love it (and so do I!), but the main drawback is that they always come inside pretty smelly (from dog drool, straw/bedding, and dirt that they track in from the rest of the yard). 

I obviously can't give them a bath every time they come back into the house, so I came up with this cleansing spray that leaves them odor-free (except for a nice, very mild, herbal shampoo odor), shiny, and feeling very soft. I just spritz them all over and rub them with a towel, out in the garage before they come back into the house. It takes less than 5 minutes to do both dogs.

1 spray bottle
4 1/4 cups water
1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
2 tsp dried mint leaves
1 tsp vinegar

In a small saucepan, pour roughly 2 cups of the water (I used one bottle of spring water). Add 1/2 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp dried rosemary leaves, and 2 tsp dried mint leaves to the water, then bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 2 - 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow to steep for another 2 - 3 minutes.

Pour the liquid into a bowl - through a strainer to catch all the rosemary and mint leaves - then add the remaining water. Once it has cooled to a reasonable temperature, pour into the spray bottle. Add remaining 1/2 tsp of white vinegar, and shake vigorously.

It's ready to use right away - always shake before using. Just spritz it all over your dog and rub dry with a towel. It doesn't smell vinegar-y at all, and is a very mild scent that doesn't "perfume" your dog. It's just the trick for getting out mild bad odors.  Oh, and rosemary is supposed to have some anti-flea and anti-insect properties as well.

Hope this comes in handy for some of you!


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## SunsetSam

This sounds really interesting. Do you think it would work for just that "doggy" smell that dogs get sometimes? It's the dead of winter here, very cold usually, so it's hard to give him a full bath but he is getting that "dog" smell pretty bad.

Also, how long does it last as far as going bad?


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## nekomi

Hey Sam, I'm in Ohio too - so I totally hear ya on the "dead of winter" thing.  Where in Ohio are you located?

It works great to get rid of the doggy smell! The little bit of vinegar cuts through odor very fast, and the rosemary and mint add a nice mild scent to the coat. I've found that my dogs' coats are even silkier and softer after using this spray - I used it on Willow yesterday right before I took her to the vet, and the vet kept commenting on how soft her fur was. 

I don't think it would go bad as long as it was stored in a cool place (a cabinet or even the fridge if you were really worried). I'd just give it a whiff before using it and see if it smells right, and you should be good to go.


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## Love's_Sophie

This sounds like something interesting to try, my kitties get pretty 'musty' sometimes, and it's not always convenient to give them a bath; I'm wondering if one could simply use essential oils for this too? Hmmm...


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## nekomi

I bet essential oils would work great! That was my first thought, but not having any in the house, I decided to improvise.  

It's going on 4 days now and the spray is still smelling and working fantastic, so to answer a previous question, I don't think it "goes bad" quickly.


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## Renoman

I just made the cleansing spray. It's great. 

One interesting benefit ... the house smells minty fresh


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