Cleaning Bowls: How to, and how often?

[RavensGryf]

Julie, I do love your answers so much (Efficiency = awesomesauce )
And I use scalding hot water for the soak part... So maybe I'll just do that most days, and the whole vinegar-dishwasher-vinegar shebang once in a while. There are only so many hours in the day!
Taw, your answer is inspiring me to buy a bunch more stainless steel bowls

Thanks AJ lol.
I too have a ton of extra bowls from past cages. The thing I don't like about the dishwasher (hm maybe it's just OUR dishwasher) is that I don't trust any residue left. I rinse my clean cups before using them to drink from. If I don't, I go to take a drink and it's uh, a bit bubbly :52:.

 

[SailBoat]

Great threads, very informative, love the humor.

Dish Washer's that are working well should not leave residue. They are highly dependent on the water intake above the pump (bottom of the dishwasher's interior) being clean and free of build-up. Dish washing powders have a tendency to clump-up in the water intake / pump intake reducing water pressure. As water pressure falls the powder also clumps-up in the spray wands. Residue and uncleaned dishes is the common results. Depending on the age of the dishwasher, the cost to replace the pump intake, pump and chamber wands becomes costly enough to warrant replacing it with a new washer. Use liquid not powder and run the hot water in the sink that supports the dishwasher prior to running the dishwasher.

FYI: Food (bird and human) can also build-up in the water intake causing the same problem(s) to develop. Clean / inspect the water intake monthly.

There is no question that birds in the wild live a much dirtier life than our companion parrots. Having said that, the small amount of effort it takes to keep the bowls that they are eating out of in our homes clean is well worth the extra effort.

 

[Taw5106]

Julie, I do love your answers so much (Efficiency = awesomesauce )
And I use scalding hot water for the soak part... So maybe I'll just do that most days, and the whole vinegar-dishwasher-vinegar shebang once in a while. There are only so many hours in the day!
Taw, your answer is inspiring me to buy a bunch more stainless steel bowls

Yep I like having bowls available, not having to find one then clean it. I run the dish washer each night so dirty bowls get prewashed (all food taken off dishes) then put in the dishwasher to get soaped and clean with hot water. I've had people tell me washing pet bowls in the dishwasher is gross so I ask them do they know how hospitals clean surgical tools? Tools they use on multiple patients? Same basis, a sterile cleaner that is like a huge dishwasher but hotter.

 

[Scott]

Nothing much to add to the discussion other than the water dishes require far more attention than food. Wet food has a normal "expiration" of a few hours depending on climate while dry pellets/seed/millet can be cleaned as needed.

So much can grow on a microscopic level in water; by the time you see obvious slime/sludge it has been toxic for a while.

My vet once made a comment about the "s*#t water" birds drink in the wild, but it is also possible their immune systems are stronger given the rigors of "survival of the fittest."

 

[Terry57]

I also wash my bowls in dish soap and then dry them before refilling with water. All dry food and water gets washed and dried every morning before replacing, and then water dumped, rinsed and refilled at night. Chop dishes are washed and dried as soon as I take them out.
I find it so interesting to read how everyone does things, great thread

 

[RavensGryf]

SailBoat, thanks for the dishwasher tips ! I think ours is maybe at least 5 years old? But sounds like it's time to check the water intake.

We used to use powder detergent, then when all the detergent brands started going phosphate free, it didn't even work anymore and started leaving white film. I know other households have complained about that too. Now, I use the pod style that you just put in the little compartment.

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

I have several spare bowls for both cages so I wash both water & fresh food bowels at night and leave seed/dry food bowls in and give clean water bowls every evening at bedtime. I just hand wash with a small amount of dish soap and let dry over night in the drainer by the sink and they are ready for first thing in the morning.

Water is changed several times throughout the day since the spoiled Miss Zilla requires ice in her water...LOL I just rinse well with hot water, then dry with paper towel & fill with fresh ice water each time.

Seed/dry food bowls are changed and washed as needed, usually twice a week.

 

[Firethorn]

The vet that I worked for for many years taught me to clean water and food bowels every day in a 2% bleach solution. I have a 2 5 gallon buckets under the sink. One half full of 2% bleach solution and the other half full of Prime dechlorinater. I dip and wipe all bowels for the birds and everything that is going to go into the fish tank every day. Better safe than sorry. (avoid the spashles bleaches there impossible to rinse clean).