Cage cleaning

[Pixburgh29]

Sterling comes home this weekend so want to clean and disinfect his cage. After reading some posts, we went out and got some hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, and 2 spray bottles. Now from what I understand, the order each is used isn't important, correct? My other question is do we let this air dry on the cage at the end or do we dry with a towel? Am I diluting any of these with water or is it full strength?

 

Thanks as always everyone!

[Dave007]

Sterling comes home this weekend so want to clean and disinfect his cage. After reading some posts, we went out and got some hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, and 2 spray bottles. Now from what I understand, the order each is used isn't important, correct? My other question is do we let this air dry on the cage at the end or do we dry with a towel? Am I diluting any of these with water or is it full strength?

 

Thanks as always everyone!

 

 

16 0z --water

3 0z--vinagar

hydrogen peroxide isn't necessary. If the powder coating has tiny cracks or openings, the peroxide will work it's way under the crack and soften the powder coating.

Wet the rag very well and strongly wipe down everything. How wet the rag is does'nt matter. Let it air dry before putting the bird back in the cage and the drying will be generally quick. Don't use cleaners that we people use. The odors will disappear for us but there will be an lingering odor that will affect their breathing passages which can possibly cause problems. Only they can pick up on those odors. The lingering vinagar smell won't affect the birds but people may not like the smell. The smell goes away in a short amount of time.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Dave007

[birdhouse]

Your call, but vinegar is usually more than good enough for general light cleaning. You can, but there's no need to dilute it or go crazy w/rinsing. The fumes won't hurt anyone & vinegar is actually good to eat.

 

Hydrogen peroxide & vinegar (in any order) are really only needed for cleaning the scary stuff. Unlike vinegar alone, the combo gives off harmful fumes when they're combined. So you & your fid shouldn't be breathing it. And you'd want the cage fully rinsed & dried before returning the bird.

 

I spray, then leave for a minute to let it work. Then soak a microfiber cloth in clean, warm water & wring it out to the point where it doesn't drip while I'm scrubbing. One of the great things about microfiber is that it holds a lot of liquid w/o dripping. The cloth holds enough clean water to rinse the spray & still manage to wipe excess moisture all at the same time.

 

You can wipe the area w/a dry one or let it air dry. Standing water isn't good for the powder coat. You just want to avoid leaving puddles in the welds & crannies that will eventually lift the paint & cause rusting.

 

Eventually, you could also look into getting a steam cleaner. I usually use vinegar when I'm light cleaning & use the steam cleaner for more serious cleaning or more thorough sanitizing.

Edited February 21, 2013 by birdhouse

[Jayd]

If I may, Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide is not toxic to breathe, this combination is used to disinfect, vinegar does not disinfect by it's self, it only cleans, vinegar is for cleaning, straight or diluted.....If your parrot has had any sickness or disease, always use this combination. This mix is great for poop trays.....I'm sorry to disagree....Jayd

 

Sanitizing / Disinfectant: A combination of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide make a cheap, effective and non-toxic disinfectant agent and is said to be more effective at killing pathogens than bleach. . As it is non-toxic, you can use it to disinfect fruits and vegetables, as well as pet toys, equipment and cages. In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide mists, kills virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces.

Directions:

• You need TWO spray bottles. DO NOT MIX the solutions together. Put straight vinegar in one and straight hydrogen peroxide in the other spray bottle. NOTE: Light destroys peroxide rather quickly. It's best to leave it in its original bottle and screw in a spray head.
  
• DO NOT DILUTE THEM.
  
• Remember for any sanitizer to work properly, the surface has to be clean before you use it.
  
• When you want to sanitize a surface (vegetables, cutting board, counters, sink, cages, toys. toilets, floors, etc.), spray one (it doesn't matter which one you use first) on the surface, then you spray on the other. When they mix, for a brief time the chemical action of the two make a very powerful sanitizer. You can rinse off the surface afterwards, if you want, but the result is non-toxic.
  
• Fortunately it is cheap. BTW, we use it in the bathroom to sanitize the counters, toilets, floors, etc.
  

Side Note: Bleach and dish detergent,hand soap cause toxic gas...........................

Edited February 21, 2013 by Jayd
added e

[birdhouse]

Due respect, but I've read some things that suggest vinegar alone makes a nice antimicrobial wash. By that I mean antibacterial as well as antifungal. Many source references have been posted here in the past. But alas, our forum search engine...

 

I am going to take the lazy way out rather than track it all down again. Anyone who wanted could take a fly by Wikipedia's vinegar page & sort thru the fact vs fiction there, though. My motto is "Never really trust Wikipedia. But it's as good a place as any to start."

 

Vinegar can also be made more effective by combining it w/other household ingredients. This was a study which combined vinegar & salt, for instance.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9713753

 

 

Vinegar contains a weak acid known as acetic acid. When combined w/hydrogen peroxide some amount of peracetic or peroxyacetic acid can form. How much depends on nerd science about concentrations, temperatures & functions of time. Short version is that's why it's best not to store these 2 beasties in the same container.

 

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_happens_when_you_mix_vinegar_and_hydrogen_peroxide

 

 

Material Safety Data Sheets (required by the government) shows health risks for as low as 5% paracetic acid that include skin & eye irritation as well as potential problems in case of inhalation ...for humans. Our fids' respiratory systems are generally thought to be more sensitive than ours. So, I just figure it's simple enough to avoid contact in any form. One of my other motto's , especially where the fids are concerned is, "Better safe than sorry."

 

http://msdsviewer.fmc.com/PRIVATE/RESULTS.ASPX?FORMAT=d__MTR&SUBFORMAT=d__CPNA&LANGUAGE=d__EN&PRODUCTID=79-21-0--5&productID_option=d__value

[Jayd]

Due respect, but I've read some things that suggest vinegar alone makes a nice antimicrobial wash. By that I mean antibacterial as well as antifungal. Many source references have been posted here in the past. But alas, our forum search engine...

 

I am going to take the lazy way out rather than track it all down again. Anyone who wanted could take a fly by Wikipedia's vinegar page & sort thru the fact vs fiction there, though. My motto is "Never really trust Wikipedia. But it's as good a place as any to start."

 

Vinegar can also be made more effective by combining it w/other household ingredients. This was a study which combined vinegar & salt, for instance.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9713753

 

 

Vinegar contains a weak acid known as acetic acid. "3% Dilution" When combined w/hydrogen peroxide some amount of peracetic or peroxyacetic acid can form. How much depends on nerd science about concentrations, temperatures & functions of time. Short version is that's "why it's best not to store these 2 beasties in the same container." This is referring to 100% Acetic Acid and peracetic or peroxyacetic acid not vinegar! In the SAME container, not separate!

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_happens_when_you_mix_vinegar_and_hydrogen_peroxide

 

 

Material Safety Data Sheets (required by the government) shows health risks for as low as " 5% paracetic acid" There refering to 100% Actic to H202! What is the % of vinegar[3%] to H202? that include skin & eye irritation as well as potential problems in case of inhalation ...for humans. Our fids' respiratory systems are generally thought to be more sensitive than ours. So, I just figure it's simple enough to avoid contact in any form. One of my other motto's , especially where the fids are concerned is, "Better safe than sorry."

 

http://msdsviewer.fmc.com/PRIVATE/RESULTS.ASPX?FORMAT=d__MTR&SUBFORMAT=d__CPNA&LANGUAGE=d__EN&PRODUCTID=79-21-0--5&productID_option=d__value

Your reference is to a non-scientific post in 2008. I'm sorry, on your previous post you said it was okay and you yourself said you used it? My feelings and that of the web at large are that vinegar [3% acetic Acid] and 3% H202, is non-toxic to breathe to our fids or ourselves. My apologize.

 

Some of my references are:

 

http://www.naturalbird.com/mcwatters/acv_for_birds.htm

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=is+vinegar+good+for+parrots&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz35

http://vickipierce.hubpages.com/hub/Apple-Cider-Vinegar-and-Birds

Edited February 22, 2013 by Jayd

[birdhouse]

I'd started by saying I didn't think the peroxide was necessary & why. After that I was talking about cleaning w/vinegar. My bad if it didn't read that way.

 

I actually don't use that combination on my cages. I love my steam cleaner for bigger sanitizing jobs.

 

I'd tried it because I'd read about using peroxide & vinegar here, actually. But the fumes bothered me. That made me look into the chemistry, which is why I put it out there.

 

The MSDS testing ref'd was for a 5% peracetic acid solution. I'm not convinced the combo is actually bad to use. Just should be handled w/caution.

 

 

 

http://msdsviewer.fmc.com/PRIVATE/RESULTS.ASPX?FORMAT=d__MTR&SUBFORMAT=d__CPNA&LANGUAGE=d__EN&PRODUCTID=79-21-0--5&productID_option=d__value

[Jayd]

I'd started by saying I didn't think the peroxide was necessary & why. After that I was talking about cleaning w/vinegar. My bad if it didn't read that way.

 

I actually don't use that combination on my cages. I love my steam cleaner for bigger sanitizing jobs.

 

I'd tried it because I'd read about using peroxide & vinegar here, actually. But the fumes bothered me. That made me look into the chemistry, which is why I put it out there.

 

The MSDS testing ref'd was for a 5% peracetic acid solution. I'm not convinced the combo is actually bad to use. Just should be handled w/caution.

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23651[/ATTACH]

 

http://msdsviewer.fmc.com/PRIVATE/RESULTS.ASPX?FORMAT=d__MTR&SUBFORMAT=d__CPNA&LANGUAGE=d__EN&PRODUCTID=79-21-0--5&productID_option=d__value

 

Thank you Val [birdhouse] I and everyone else known your intentions are always for the health and safety of our companions....Bless you

Edited February 22, 2013 by Jayd

[Acappella]

Another enthusiastic endorsement of my Shark steam cleaner here. No worries about fumes or residue, and in the winter cleaning a cage with one helps add some humidity to that dry winter air

[Wingy]

For anyone who has not used a hand held steam cleaner it cleans with ultra hot water only. It works so well at melting off gunk and I was able to clean a stove top coated in years worth of burnt on grease using just the steam cleaner, 64 ounces of water and an old rag to wipe. No chemicals, no fumes, no scrubbing and a happy owner with a sparkling clean stove. I just wish I could do walls with it.

[birdhouse]

Wingy, I got a floor model after I wore out my first hand held cleaner. The only thing I wish mine did was carpet. Although it will do a little freshen up.

 

But I use it to clean the walls. I have paint, paneling, vinyl wall paper & varnished wood. I did have to learn a little restraint. I lifted the varnish on a stair once! lol But once I got the hang of it...!

[Wingy]

I tried a small spot on the paint and it started to bubble.

[birdhouse]

Seems backwards, but I had more trouble staying out of trouble w/the little steamer. I don't know whether it was the attachments or what.

[aerial.2000]

Another enthusiastic endorsement of my Shark steam cleaner here. No worries about fumes or residue, and in the winter cleaning a cage with one helps add some humidity to that dry winter air

 

I totally gotta get me one of those I have found cleaning the cage in the winter time has sucked more then I thought it would!!!!! cant wait for spring and to be able to take it outside again!!! I also use vinegar/water to clean her cage as well!

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I've also heard alot about the shark steam cleaner for hardwood floors! I didn't know I could do cages as well! Gonna get one! Nancy