cleaning

[mrgoogls]

hey guys, every time i clean cooper's cage, it takes me forever. i feel like im done, then i take a second look and there is more poop. the papers are easy, but its just all the bars and the grate on the bottom. how do you guys clean your cages? i just feel like im doing it really slow and it could be done faster.

[Honesty]

I use a steam cleaner if I am going to clean the whole cage, but for the grate I always use "poop off" It is quite pricey, but it does the trick, or another way is to use a small scrubbing brush with a vinegar and warm water solution.

[Cami]

As far as the grate, I chop any hard stuff off with a (designated) long serrated knife which usually cleans well, I carry the grate to the tub and soak for a few min w/mild dishwashing liquid, scrub it all off clean

[mrgoogls]

thanks. maybe getting a brush would help. ill buy one before my next cleaning:)

[Birdboy]

I take the grate outside and hose it down and scrub it with a brush and avi clean. It's expensive but very good.

[coltfire]

i use a high powered water gun (gerni) its quick and gets every thing off

[Pablola]

I use poop off and a scrubby pad , poop off great , I buy the gallon ,then just pour some into tiny spray bottle that way it not gerring sprayed every where and wasted.

Leave the poop off on for 5 mins or so , it comes off real easy then

[mrgoogls]

i brought the cage outside and used the hose(in freezing weather....lol) and that worked pretty well. thanks guys!

[Blancaej]

Glad you got it cleaned a little faster! :) I use a steam cleaner for the entire cage, too. Then use a grill brush for the grate cleaning I do more often.

[Minamommy]

I use poop off too with one of those cage scrubbies. If you let the poop off sit for a few minutes it works great. Then once a week I take Mina out of the room and use the Mango cleaner/sanitizer to clean her cage and dishes. She can not be in the cage or around it till it's dry. All toys and dishes must be rinsed. All other times I use grapefruit seed extract. Every day I wipe down the grate and pane and Change paper I have it down to 4 min. The whole cage clean is 15 to 20. That Mango cleaner is amazing stuff too.

[Macaw Lover]

Try using white vinegar. Much cheaper than that Poop Off, does a fast job and great to use in the kitchen too. Because I spray any fruits and veggies with the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, I always have a bottle under the kitchen sink along with one in the birdies room. If someone goes poop on the floor I pick it up with a paper towel and spray it down with the vinegar and wipe again. Why spend money on something you don't have to when you have a less costly alternative.

Also, since I have large SS cages, I have found using Lysol toilet bowl brush to be very helpful. It is strong enough yet soft enough for the cages. I have 3 sets of carpenter horses so I can place a cage panel on it, take the power washer to it to get off anything, then I take that brush and with a bucket of Dawn soap water, I brush it down, rinse with the power washer, then I apply a spray of FS10 for sanitation, let it sit for 5 minutes and wash that off real well.

[Lady]

Try using white vinegar. Much cheaper than that Poop Off, does a fast job and great to use in the kitchen too. Because I spray any fruits and veggies with the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, I always have a bottle under the kitchen sink along with one in the birdies room. If someone goes poop on the floor I pick it up with a paper towel and spray it down with the vinegar and wipe again. Why spend money on something you don't have to when you have a less costly alternative.

Also, since I have large SS cages, I have found using Lysol toilet bowl brush to be very helpful. It is strong enough yet soft enough for the cages. I have 3 sets of carpenter horses so I can place a cage panel on it, take the power washer to it to get off anything, then I take that brush and with a bucket of Dawn soap water, I brush it down, rinse with the power washer, then I apply a spray of FS10 for sanitation, let it sit for 5 minutes and wash that off real well.

Hi,
Is the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide solution you post here a 50/50 mix? I currently use vinegar and water but the hubby doesn't like the way it smells. I am looking to change to something else that isn't as pricey as the products spoke of earlier on the thread. Winter is coming and cleaning inside without most of the windows open will be a little more difficult than when it's summertime.
Thank You~

[Macaw Lover]

If you put it on the fruits/veggies you would use both the vinegar and peroxide but they are in their own bottles, you would not mix them together.

Something else that I use for the dried poop, after spraying it with the vinegar and giving it a few minutes to soften up, is a bowl scraper, one that you could get at a Bed, Bath-Beyond. It is strong and generally doesn't do damage. I have to say that because I have SS cages and linoleum floors, not powder coated cages or wood floors so I can't say there would not be any damage, but my guess with the pc cages they probably would be ok.

[Lady]

Good to know Renee' thanks~
I use nylon brushes on her cage. Today I just used soap and water as it was a chilly and rainy afternoon and the windows were not all the way open. Tomorrow I will try just the hydrogen peroxide. It is the smell of the vinegar I am trying to limit.

[Macaw Lover]

no, no, no, for cleaning the cages you have to use the vinegar, not the peroxide, sorry.

I have big SS cages and have to wash them outside with a power washer after putting one of the panels on top of plastic saw horses. I get myself a bucket and put some Dawn, the original one, and after hitting the cage the first time with the power washer to get the top layer off, I then use a Lysol toilet bowel brush to scrub it with the soap, rinse it again the spray it down with F10SC disinfectant.

Big birds = big cages and it takes all day. Have to disassemble them, take them outside, wash them then bring them back inside and put back together again. It takes hours. I have a friend who is willing to help me know but he wondered how I used to do it by myself. I wonder that same thing too but years ago I only have 1 cage, no power washer and use an old picnic table to lean thing up against. I need to do Jody's cage in a couple of weeks, before it starts getting too cold to be playing in the water.

[Lady]

oh okay, maybe apple cider will smell better then. Yikes, you do have your work cut out for you. It's great you have someone help you for such a big job. When I have to get all the cracks and crevices I use my steam cleaner. It does the job but some day I would like to get a larger so I wouldn't have to keep stopping, waiting for it to cool down, refill and wait a bit longer for it to heat back up. It is only meant for clothes and curtains. I see they have the F10SC disinfectant at the My Safe Bird Store. Another good reason to get over there and make an account and :sws3:.

[Macaw Lover]

On another forum there was a discussion about using a steam cleaner. When using one, the poop ends up in the air and you and the birds breath that poop in. NOT a healthy way to do things.

You want to stick with the white vinegar. I think because of all the stuff that is still in the apple cider that you would be leaving on but maybe someone else can chime in on that.

[2birds]

Apple cider vinegar may smell different but it still smells like vinegar. I use white vinegar and I don't think that the smell of it lingers for very long. But then, the smell of vinegar doesn't bother me so maybe I don't notice it. On nice days I wheel the cages outside bird and all. Take the trays out, hose down the cages, go back to the trays and clean them, come back to the cages and scrub them down. After everything is clean I mist the birds until they are really wet and then let them sit outside for a while. When everything and everyone is dry I put the tray back in and wheel everyone back inside. On cruddy days I just take the trays out and clean them and wipe the cages down with vinegar and the birds get a mist with the bottle.

[Lady]

Well I agree with you Lori as far as me not having an issue with the smell. I use it for many things in my home including the laundry. If it is the best to use for Lady then I will keep using it. I guess I will have to maybe not make it so strong when I clean the rest of the house with it or add a bit of dawn dish soap.

[Minamommy]

The grapefruit seed extract cleans and disinfects. It's cheap no strong smell and birds can be around it. You just need to let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing.


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[Lady]

Thanks Kim. Now I just have to google and find out where I can get some locally. I see it at a health store called GNC but it is not for cleaning at $49.99 per bottle!

[Minamommy]

It is expensive but you only need 15 drops for a quart of water. Super concentrated. I've had my bottle for 2 years. Do you have a natural Heath food store or vitamin shop?


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[Lady]

I guess the GNC store would be the closest thing to a vitamin store that I would trust. Altho I always look at the expiration dates of everything. I am going to look up other stores that are close to me to compare prices.

[Minamommy]

My safe bird store has it. I think it's a pretty good price.


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[Lady]

Oh good thinking! Thanks :)