Home disinfectants for bird room?

[budgebudgies]

Hello! A few of my budgies are recovering from bacterial infections and to prevent future issues and maybe help speed recovery, I was thinking of moving them to another room for a few days, spraying the bird room (where they spend most of their time in) with disinfectant and letting it air out then move my budgies back into their bird room.

I was recommended F10 but right now there's none shipping to my state and my vet bills are starting to get glances from some older family members that are... more on the thrifty side. I looked online and found articles suggesting the use of apple cider vinegar (although it's mainly recommended for cages, I'm trying to apply it for a room) and there's an article suggesting a lemon juice-baking soda mix. https://www.thesprucepets.com/easy-homemade-bird-cage-cleaner-390334

Does anyone have experiences with using apple cider vinegar or lemon juice-baking soda? In theory, if it's good for using on bird cages, then it'd be okay to spray the bird room with and allowed for the smell to vent out before putting my budgies back in but that could be just my thoughts. I'm new to birds, and any advice and experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[noodles123]

If you can get it, f10 SC (the no-rinse/ clearish-yellow concentrate) is AWESOME. IMO, it is the absolute best (and safest) in terms of the value and sterilization. It is a concentrate, so a tiny bottle will make a ton. Although you don't want them drinking it, if they do ingest a little once mixed, it is relatively safe. You can use it in the same room with your bird, but ideally, you don't want them touching it while it is still wet (not that it will kill them if they do touch some of the mix, but you want to avoid that).



ACV, lemon juice, vinegar etc are not on-par with serious cleaners. The nice thing about f10 is that it is strong (kills all sorts of serious bacteria many viruses that vinegar etc don't touch) but it is safe and I use it to clean my house in general, as I do not use standard cleaners (because of the bird).


If you want natural (but not as effective) you can try vinegar, baking soda, grapefruit seed extract +water etc. Poop-off is a fairly safe cleaner for birds but IT DOES NOT DISINFECT.

 

[noodles123]

Here is the sales pitch that I sent to a friend who has a new bird---"the PDF link is included. You will want to get the bottle that contains a yellowish/clear liquid (not the green, as it contains added detergent which would need to be rinsed, unlike the clear stuff):

Although white vinegar does kill some things, it does not have the disinfecting power that many seem to believe...I too was a wishful member of the vinegar club, until I read a bunch of studies...and as far as natural goes, it is great, but it isn't going to kill many viruses which are quite resistant to vinegar. In terms of bacteria, full strength vinegar kills 70 (ish)%, as opposed to bleach which is more than 99% effective (albeit dangerous for birds)...Vinegar is also largely dependent upon the act of scrubbing and even then, It kills a very limited window of microbes when compared to something more powerful. F10 does a MUCH better job in the virus/bacteria department, and you can adjust the concentration depending on your needs.

http://www.f10products.co.uk/ebooks/...ublication.pdf [FONT=&quot]Untitled-1 [www.f10products.co.uk][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]www.f10products.co.uk[/FONT]


Page 6 lists what it kills- and although this product was put out by the F10 people, there are MANY professionals who have used it safely for years, plus, studies have backed up these findings.

I wanted my parents to start using it as an alternative to other cleaners (even though I don't live with them) so here is an excerpt of the email "sales pitch" I sent to them lol:

"It is called f10sc (super concentrate) and 200 ML is $27.27 on Amazon, but you only need to add 2ml to 17oz of water in order to achieve the 1:250 mix ratio ([FONT=&quot]200ml/2(based on 2ml per 17 oz)=100x17oz=1700 oz)[/FONT]. I store mine in transparent, chemically resistant spray bottles that I purchased at Wal-Mart.

[FONT=&quot]That means you can make 1700 ounces (or 13.2 gallons) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]of cleaning solution per 200 ml bottle of concentrate(17 oz water +2 ml solution is what I am using). A 1 GALLON REFILL OF Windex is almost $14.00....soooo for the same price (roughly $28.00) you can get 2 gallons of unsafe Windex, or 13.2 gallons of bird-safe f10sc! If you increase dilution to 1:500 (still viable) then that number stretches even further!
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Additionally, after mixing the solution, it continues to work for up to 6 months (in diluted form) and years in concentrated form (assuming it is not compromised by puncture etc). I went to the pharmacy at Walmart and they gave me a free 1ml syringe which I use to measure my 2ml addition to my 17 oz. I mixed it without gloves and I have had no issues with skin irritation.[/FONT]

It is totally safe when used at recommended concentrations (as low as 1:100 and as high as 1:500 parts per liter ). It doesn't produce harmful fumes, is non-corrosive, non-irritating, non-aldehyde (sp?) and DOESN'T NEED TO BE RINSED!

It kills Salmonella, MRSA, mold, fungi and viruses in 10 minutes at a 1:250 dilution ratio and it can be used on fabrics in laundry as well as hard surfaces. It is a veterinary grade disinfectant that can be used to sterilize surgical equipment at higher concentrations. Also, "[FONT=&quot]Unlike many other products F10 stays active providing an ongoing residual effect."-- Numerous studies were conducted to back up this statement and no traces were found in bird muscle, blood,kidney and urine etc after adding it to drinking water in 1:250 dilutions for 6 weeks! [/FONT]

In the US, the label on the bottle still has to contain a crazy chemical warning, but a large portion of vets use this as the disinfectant. When the company was contacted, they indicated that it was safe to use around pets and without gloves etc but that the EPA etc requires that label here for anything within a certain category due to litigation etc in this country specifically- the precautions listed are not the same in England or Europe in general. It can even be used in a nebulizer with birds (by a vet who knows what they are doing) to kill aspergillosis (sp?)- It also can be added to reptile drinking water to prevent growth or nasty things (again, only by a vet who knows what they are doing). When diluted, it is used as a hand disinfectant for people in multi-bird settings (between birds)."

 

[budgebudgies]

Here is the sales pitch that I sent to a friend who has a new bird---"the PDF link is included. You will want to get the bottle that contains a yellowish/clear liquid (not the green, as it contains added detergent which would need to be rinsed, unlike the clear stuff):

Although white vinegar does kill some things, it does not have the disinfecting power that many seem to believe...I too was a wishful member of the vinegar club, until I read a bunch of studies...and as far as natural goes, it is great, but it isn't going to kill many viruses which are quite resistant to vinegar. In terms of bacteria, full strength vinegar kills 70 (ish)%, as opposed to bleach which is more than 99% effective (albeit dangerous for birds)...Vinegar is also largely dependent upon the act of scrubbing and even then, It kills a very limited window of microbes when compared to something more powerful. F10 does a MUCH better job in the virus/bacteria department, and you can adjust the concentration depending on your needs.

http://www.f10products.co.uk/ebooks/...ublication.pdf [FONT=&quot]Untitled-1 [www.f10products.co.uk][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]www.f10products.co.uk[/FONT]


Page 6 lists what it kills- and although this product was put out by the F10 people, there are MANY professionals who have used it safely for years, plus, studies have backed up these findings.

I wanted my parents to start using it as an alternative to other cleaners (even though I don't live with them) so here is an excerpt of the email "sales pitch" I sent to them lol:

"It is called f10sc (super concentrate) and 200 ML is $27.27 on Amazon, but you only need to add 2ml to 17oz of water in order to achieve the 1:250 mix ratio ([FONT=&quot]200ml/2(based on 2ml per 17 oz)=100x17oz=1700 oz)[/FONT]. I store mine in transparent, chemically resistant spray bottles that I purchased at Wal-Mart.

[FONT=&quot]That means you can make 1700 ounces (or 13.2 gallons) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]of cleaning solution per 200 ml bottle of concentrate(17 oz water +2 ml solution is what I am using). A 1 GALLON REFILL OF Windex is almost $14.00....soooo for the same price (roughly $28.00) you can get 2 gallons of unsafe Windex, or 13.2 gallons of bird-safe f10sc! If you increase dilution to 1:500 (still viable) then that number stretches even further!
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Additionally, after mixing the solution, it continues to work for up to 6 months (in diluted form) and years in concentrated form (assuming it is not compromised by puncture etc). I went to the pharmacy at Walmart and they gave me a free 1ml syringe which I use to measure my 2ml addition to my 17 oz. I mixed it without gloves and I have had no issues with skin irritation.[/FONT]

It is totally safe when used at recommended concentrations (as low as 1:100 and as high as 1:500 parts per liter ). It doesn't produce harmful fumes, is non-corrosive, non-irritating, non-aldehyde (sp?) and DOESN'T NEED TO BE RINSED!

It kills Salmonella, MRSA, mold, fungi and viruses in 10 minutes at a 1:250 dilution ratio and it can be used on fabrics in laundry as well as hard surfaces. It is a veterinary grade disinfectant that can be used to sterilize surgical equipment at higher concentrations. Also, "[FONT=&quot]Unlike many other products F10 stays active providing an ongoing residual effect."-- Numerous studies were conducted to back up this statement and no traces were found in bird muscle, blood,kidney and urine etc after adding it to drinking water in 1:250 dilutions for 6 weeks! [/FONT]

In the US, the label on the bottle still has to contain a crazy chemical warning, but a large portion of vets use this as the disinfectant. When the company was contacted, they indicated that it was safe to use around pets and without gloves etc but that the EPA etc requires that label here for anything within a certain category due to litigation etc in this country specifically- the precautions listed are not the same in England or Europe in general. It can even be used in a nebulizer with birds (by a vet who knows what they are doing) to kill aspergillosis (sp?)- It also can be added to reptile drinking water to prevent growth or nasty things (again, only by a vet who knows what they are doing). When diluted, it is used as a hand disinfectant for people in multi-bird settings (between birds)."

Thank you! I'm definitely gonna modify that and go convince my family once F10 is shipping to my state again. In your first reply you mentioned a vinegar, baking soda, and grapefruit seed extract mixture. Do you know what would be a good ratio?

 

[noodles123]

Here is the sales pitch that I sent to a friend who has a new bird---"the PDF link is included. You will want to get the bottle that contains a yellowish/clear liquid (not the green, as it contains added detergent which would need to be rinsed, unlike the clear stuff):

Although white vinegar does kill some things, it does not have the disinfecting power that many seem to believe...I too was a wishful member of the vinegar club, until I read a bunch of studies...and as far as natural goes, it is great, but it isn't going to kill many viruses which are quite resistant to vinegar. In terms of bacteria, full strength vinegar kills 70 (ish)%, as opposed to bleach which is more than 99% effective (albeit dangerous for birds)...Vinegar is also largely dependent upon the act of scrubbing and even then, It kills a very limited window of microbes when compared to something more powerful. F10 does a MUCH better job in the virus/bacteria department, and you can adjust the concentration depending on your needs.

http://www.f10products.co.uk/ebooks/...ublication.pdf [FONT=&quot]Untitled-1 [www.f10products.co.uk][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]www.f10products.co.uk[/FONT]


Page 6 lists what it kills- and although this product was put out by the F10 people, there are MANY professionals who have used it safely for years, plus, studies have backed up these findings.

I wanted my parents to start using it as an alternative to other cleaners (even though I don't live with them) so here is an excerpt of the email "sales pitch" I sent to them lol:

"It is called f10sc (super concentrate) and 200 ML is $27.27 on Amazon, but you only need to add 2ml to 17oz of water in order to achieve the 1:250 mix ratio ([FONT=&quot]200ml/2(based on 2ml per 17 oz)=100x17oz=1700 oz)[/FONT]. I store mine in transparent, chemically resistant spray bottles that I purchased at Wal-Mart.

[FONT=&quot]That means you can make 1700 ounces (or 13.2 gallons) [/FONT][FONT=&quot]of cleaning solution per 200 ml bottle of concentrate(17 oz water +2 ml solution is what I am using). A 1 GALLON REFILL OF Windex is almost $14.00....soooo for the same price (roughly $28.00) you can get 2 gallons of unsafe Windex, or 13.2 gallons of bird-safe f10sc! If you increase dilution to 1:500 (still viable) then that number stretches even further!
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Additionally, after mixing the solution, it continues to work for up to 6 months (in diluted form) and years in concentrated form (assuming it is not compromised by puncture etc). I went to the pharmacy at Walmart and they gave me a free 1ml syringe which I use to measure my 2ml addition to my 17 oz. I mixed it without gloves and I have had no issues with skin irritation.[/FONT]

It is totally safe when used at recommended concentrations (as low as 1:100 and as high as 1:500 parts per liter ). It doesn't produce harmful fumes, is non-corrosive, non-irritating, non-aldehyde (sp?) and DOESN'T NEED TO BE RINSED!

It kills Salmonella, MRSA, mold, fungi and viruses in 10 minutes at a 1:250 dilution ratio and it can be used on fabrics in laundry as well as hard surfaces. It is a veterinary grade disinfectant that can be used to sterilize surgical equipment at higher concentrations. Also, "[FONT=&quot]Unlike many other products F10 stays active providing an ongoing residual effect."-- Numerous studies were conducted to back up this statement and no traces were found in bird muscle, blood,kidney and urine etc after adding it to drinking water in 1:250 dilutions for 6 weeks! [/FONT]

In the US, the label on the bottle still has to contain a crazy chemical warning, but a large portion of vets use this as the disinfectant. When the company was contacted, they indicated that it was safe to use around pets and without gloves etc but that the EPA etc requires that label here for anything within a certain category due to litigation etc in this country specifically- the precautions listed are not the same in England or Europe in general. It can even be used in a nebulizer with birds (by a vet who knows what they are doing) to kill aspergillosis (sp?)- It also can be added to reptile drinking water to prevent growth or nasty things (again, only by a vet who knows what they are doing). When diluted, it is used as a hand disinfectant for people in multi-bird settings (between birds)."

Thank you! I'm definitely gonna modify that and go convince my family once F10 is shipping to my state again. In your first reply you mentioned a vinegar, baking soda, and grapefruit seed extract mixture. Do you know what would be a good ratio?

I was unclear on that--- the vinegar would be just used with water in a spray bottle. This would be separate from the grapefruit seed extract which would also be mixed with water but used as an alternative to vinegar or in another space. The baking soda was meant to stand alone as well.


You might try ebay for f10 ( that is where I have had to start getting it..and I feel like I am outing my supplier, but that is an option) lol--I know it seems costly, but it really isn't. If you have to pay a bunch of shipping, it gets more expensive, but OTC bird cleaners are still more expensive when pre-mixed and those don't disinfect in the same way.

 

[Abu Colo]

Apple Cider Vinegar has more sugar than other kinds of vinegar which makes it a rather poor choice as a cleaning agent for sugar-hungry bacteria. It is better suited as a nutritional supplement for some purposes as directed by a vet. Personally, I am not a huge fan of vinegar as a cleaning agent for most tasks as it is comparatively slow-acting, and being acidic is probably not as safe as people imagine. It is good to clean steel bowls I suppose, but overall I prefer hydrogen peroxide (H202 3%) which is cheap, faster-acting, safe on most surfaces, effective against most pathogens and bacteria, and easier on the lungs I find. It is also extremely satisfying to hear that fizz on contact with dirty surfaces, which is also useful to gauge how dirty something is. I invite everyone to pour some hydrogen peroxide into a water bottle feeding tube and hear the ebullient echo of symphonic sterilization. For ceramic bowls in contact with infectious pathogens, 2-5 minutes in a microwave will basically destroy anything. This is also a good tip for Swedish dishcloths, which you absolutely must try if you have not already, and any other microwave-safe objects, which obviously does NOT include metals. Bona also makes a disinfecting floor cleaner for tile with hydrogen peroxide as the active agent, which can also be used in some models of robot mops.