Cleaning products???

[Devann]

Hi, another question (i've posted a lot of them in the last few days)....

I know that all the aerosols and febreeze have to go but is it safe to use cleaning wipes (lysol or clorox) in the same house with a bird (not on the cage or anything but like in the bathroom/kitchen etc)???

What about windex? I can't find any specific info on windex...

 

[Oedipussrex]

we still use spray-and-wipe products as well as treated wipes to clean bench tops and windows and things, aaand soapy smelly stuff when we mop the floor. We just got rid of the really spray/airborne/misty things as well as all the Teflon etc that aren't really necessary...
Its kind of up to your discretion. our house is large and well ventilated, but if it was a more confined space that you were using these products near your bird you might want to be more careful. Because technically anything that gives off that soapy smell is also releasing airborne soapy particles - thats why its smelly...

 

[lizardsmells]

I use vinegar and water to clean almost everything. I use a bleach solution to clean the kitchen and bathrooms and some kind of bird-safe aviary cleaner (poop off or avi clean) on bird things.

I thought vinegar and water would be awful to clean with, but it works as well as anything else I've ever used and gets the windows just as clean as windex or any other glass cleaner.

 

[Devann]

Thanks guys!

 

[MickeysMom]

We use Vinegar or GSE (Grapefruit seed extract) for everything but the bathrooms.....for poopy perches and cages, grates etc... I use a spray bottle with water, a few drops of Dawn (used for birds in oils spills) and GSE, works like a charm. To disinfect, I use just GSE and water.

The bathrooms still get Bleach products, but they are on a separate floor from the birds.

 

[DebsFlock]

I use "normal" cleaning products, including products that contain bleach, in the bulk of the house. I avoid pine-sol type products and I don't use any of these in the direct presence of the birds or such that the odor significantly penetrates the room they are in. Ventilation is, I think, key. If you have a tiny studio apartment with limited cross ventilation and no way to close off the birds that's one thing. If you have a sizeable house with doors you can close, vent fans in bathrooms and kitchen and plenty of windows, that's another thing. You don't want your birds breathing those products in significant amounts, or consuming them.

Personally, I don't think I could stand to live in a house that smelled of vinegar!

GSE is not a product I'd depend on to truly disinfect -- the evidence is mixed and the bulk of the positive results were made with GSE that had preservatives. The preservative-free kind does not appear to be effective at all which suggests it is the preservative in the product that has an antibacterial effect! As a result I use a little of the kind that has preservatives when I make sprouts.

If you ever truly need to disinfect (used cage, bacterial illness in your flock), I'd use a cage/aviary disinfectant and let the cage air out well after thoroughly rinsing it.

Some people use steam cleaners with no added cleaning products. The really expensive ones that produce super-heated steam can actually do some disinfection. The "regular" ones can do a decent job of cleaning as the heat helps the water penetrate, but they don't effectively disinfect.

 

[Mook]

Cleaning your house the 'Non-Toxic Way' | Little Acorns to Mighty Oaks This link might be useful. It's about cleaning without using toxic chemicals and stuff. It's very effective (and I live in a gross dirty student house) but I've no idea how parrot friendly it is so please check.

 

[Alisana]

My sister has used vinegar to clean her windows with once. By accident. And it worked! XD

If you have to use other spray/wipe solutions to clean, then have them in a separate room or use an outdoor/sun cage so they're not going to get affected by any fumes. I don't see you dumping a load of cleaning chemicals on your bench, but if you're worried then having them outside, in another room or down the other end of the house will work too.

Or use vinegar and steam cleaners[1]. Works well.

[1] - Avoid the chemical based ones.

Edit: Just red Deb's post - very good points there!

 

[lizardsmells]

Deb, I was worried about the vinegar smell too. I'm a dyer and before I started buying my chemicals for that in powder form I used to use vinegar to set the dyes on some fibers. My whole house would stink for days after using it. So yeah, I wasn't thrilled about the smell, but to my surprise that smell only sticks around for about half an hour, if that, after I clean. I think the fact that I use a vinegar solution and not straight vinegar is the reason.

I also have one of those steam cleaners and it is pretty great. But it won't get dyes off counter tops, so the bleach stays

 

[dishgal1]

Cleaner recipe:
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1 tbsp baking soda
1tbsp lemon juice.

Great for veggie wash, cleaning perches, or use in place of poop off.
I would check colorfastness or carpet etc. before using.

 

[evesta]

I use normal cleaning products, just not in the bird room. I do use vinegar spray for clean cages but when I run a bird dishwasher load I put a little bleach in. I love the smell of vinegar too and use it for about everything in the house since getting the birds. I wish they made a natural febreeze, I miss that stuff the most!

 

[jessi_jess]

I love the fabreeze too so now I use backing soda water and vanilla extract, u can swap vanilla for any extract like peppermint or orange but I just have vanilla on hand gem baking