When I was first introduced to CleanHealthy Bowls, I was excited about the possibilities of a disposable/compostable pet food bowl. The bowls promised a sanitary feeding experience for your cats and more convenience for you. I got a pack of 24 in the mail and immediately tried them out with the cats’ next meals. Next, I contacted CleanHealthy Pets and set up an interview with company founder, Mark Talt, to dive deeper into the history of the CleanHealthy Bowl.

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If you want to skip straight to our review of CleanHealthy Bowls, click here.

Our interview with company founder, Mark Talt.

When was CleanHealthy Pets founded?

CleanHealthy Pets was founded in late 2014, early 2015.

What inspired CleanHealthy Pets? Was there a particular experience or moment of revelation about the consequences of lingering bacteria on our pets’ bowls that sparked the product?

CHP started because my wife was feeding our pets and said ” I wish you would create something so I don’t have to wash our pets bowls every night”. I said “Kelly, that is brilliant”. Like many pet owners, we were starting to feed our pets more high quality, natural pet food which requires a completely clean eating surface so as not to spread dangerous bacteria and other germs. I spent the next six months researching products and materials and learned about compostable material. Our bowls are made from wheat or sugar cane after the chaff is extracted and can be thrown into a compost after the pet’s meal is done. Obviously this met three important criteria: product is made from a renewable resource without having to cut down trees, is compostable (product literally becomes soil) and it is extremely easy and convenient to use!

Did the CleanHealthy Bowls or CleanHealthy Litter Boxes come first?

Bowls came before litter boxes and are patent protected. Our litter box was an outgrowth from our relationship with the Humane Society who liked our bowls and suggested a compostable litter box would be great as well. So we began building them for the Humane Society.

Where are CleanHealthy Pets products manufactured?

For now, our bowls and boxes are manufactured in China but as the US begins to use more and more compostable material products, we think we will be able to manufacture them here in the states.

Where is the company headquartered?

Company is located in Pasadena, California.

Does CleanHealthy Pets have a furry mascot or two behind the scenes?

We have several. Two dogs and two cats and my daughter sends me pictures of animals in need of adoption weekly!

Click here to learn more about the company.

Why use a disposable food bowl?

According to the CleanHealthy Pets website, CleanHealthy Bowls are the sensible choice to combat the dangers of disease-causing bacteria growth on the average pet food bowl.

Scared of feeding raw because of bacteria?

If you want to feed your cat raw, but bacteria concerns have made you hesitant to make the switch, CleanHealthy Bowls might be your solution. The raw food opposition can send out scary warnings about the dangers of raw food. According to anti-raw rhetoric, uncooked food is a bacterial nightmare waiting to happen. While standard food preparation and safety precautions (the same steps you’d take when handling raw meat for your own consumption) will take care of most of the bacterial dangers, their claims may have some legitimacy.

According to a 2006 study published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal, Salmonella bacteria can survive even extreme washing, including dishwashing at high temperatures. While the surviving bacteria counts were so low that they pose little risk to us or our cats, it’s understandable if you’re a little leery of handling and feeding your cat from a dish which could hold any of these bacteria.

It’s extremely convenient to scoop prepared raw food into the bowls, and to throw them out after use – no more cleaning out the sink after washing the raw food bowl. The handling tabs on the sides of the bowls ensure you’re not accidentally touching the food. Wash your hands after handling though, just in case.

Unfortunately, if you feed raw meat it’s not recommended that you compost the bowls. If the meat was contaminated with a pathogen such as Salmonella or E. Coli (most cats with un-compromised immune systems can process these pathogens without a problem since their digestive tracts were made for raw meat) and then composted, future produce grown in the compost could be infected with the bacteria if the compost pile doesn’t get hot enough to kill it off. Fortunately, CleanHealthy Bowls are still biodegradable, and won’t live on forever taking up space in a landfill.

Traveling and can’t wash the bowl?

When I was first introduced to the CleanHealthy Bowl from CleanHealthy Pets, my first thought was, “Wow, these would be great for travel!” When you’re an adventurecat guardian, anything which can make cat-ventures go more smoothly stands out. If you’re traveling, it’s doubtful that you’re going to have frequent access to convenient washing facilities. Finding a place to wash out your cat’s bowl can be a struggle. You might be able to get away with a quick rinse of a collapsible pet bowl if feeding a cooked cat food, but if you feed a raw diet, a thorough cleaning of the bowl is essential to maintaining your and your cat’s health. Stashing a sleeve of CleanHealthy Bowls in your car is a great idea if you’re traveling for multiple days or camping with your cat, and you don’t know when you’re going to have the opportunity to give your cat’s bowl a good scrubbing.

Does your cat have acne?

If your cat has little black specks on their chin, then they probably are suffering from acne, a common feline skin condition with not entirely known causes. One thing we know is that food bowls can make a difference. Plastic bowls are notorious for harboring bacteria which can inflame feline acne or cause a secondary bacterial infection. Stainless steel bowls are usually recommended as the cleanest bowls for acne-ridden cats, but a disposable bowl would be even more effective at keeping your cat’s face clean. Switching your cat’s food bowl isn’t always a complete solution for feline acne, but it’s a good first step.

Do you feed stray or feral cats?

If you feed feral or stray cats and haven’t had them checked out for infectious diseases, you might be worried about feeding them from your own cat’s bowls. You’re right to hesitate. Diseases can be spread by sharing a dish, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t open our hearts and food stores to cats in need. Instead of never having enough dishes on hand, disposable bowls make it easy to feed cats and prevent cross-contamination.

CleanHealthy Bowls Review

Disclosure: “Wildernesscat received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. Although the product was gratis, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.”

I don’t like washing dishes. Especially cat food bowls with raw meat on them. Hand washing is a necessity in between dishwasher cycles, and it takes a few long minutes and a lot of soap and steaming hot water before I feel comfortable that the bowl is clean enough for another meal. Plus you have to clean out the whole sink so that it’s not contaminated, too!

It was a huge relief to have a bowl that I didn’t have to clean – one you can put down and toss (or compost) when your cat is done. While paper plates or bowls accomplish the same purpose, CleanHealthy Bowls have a few advantages which set them apart from the average paper bowl.

CleanHealthy Bowls are made of wheat straw (meaning they’re tree free!) and are gluten-free.
Non-allergenic.
Can handle liquids of up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Microwave and freezer safe.
Fully compostable. Some paper plates have coatings which stop them from entering the compost pile.
Feature tabs for easy handling. No cat food on your fingers!

The bowls feel very strong and durable, and while this defeats the purpose, can be used more than once. CleanHealthy Pets recommends using the bowls either as standalone dishes or as a traditional bowl liner. We used the bowls alone, but if your cat pushes the bowl around a lot and needs a heavier base, using it as a liner might be a good idea.

I always add extra water to my cats’ food, and the bowls held it just fine and didn’t become soggy. The tabs on the sides of the bowl made handling very convenient. Like I said, the bowls are durable, and the tabs were by no means flimsy. The bowls are small and worked well for our cats. The size would be good for small dogs as well, but they’re not big enough for a larger dog.

I haven’t tried traveling or hiking with the bowls yet, but they’re small and lightweight enough so that storing/carrying them wouldn’t be a big problem.

In conclusion, I was pleased with the construction of the bowls, and they held up to ordinary daily usage quite well. I like that the bowls can be composted and are made from a quickly renewing resource. If you’re worried about bacteria growth in your cat’s food bowl or are looking for a convenient wash-free bowl for traveling, CleanHealthy Bowls may fit your needs.

Where can I buy CleanHealthy Bowls?

CleanHealthy Bowls are available for purchase on Amazon.com. The bowls come in 12 pack sleeves but are sold in 72 count cases for $17.00, so the bowls are priced just under $0.24 a bowl.

Click the image below to see what the current price is on Amazon: