House cleaning help

[Tinder]

Could someone give me an idiot's guide to household cleaning please?

I know most of the products I used to use before adopting Joey, my eastern rosella, are now out but just need to hear what other people use instead.

White vinegar has been recommended for cage cleaning & I know it can be used for general household cleaning too. But what else can be used? And can white vinegar be used right where the bird is without moving them to another cage? Neat or dilute?

I have laminate flooring in my living room & ceramic kitchen floor tiles. I used to use products specially formulated for cleaning these surfaces and giving them a shine. Sometimes i would add a little bleach too. What do i use now? Is ordinary detergent (washing up liquid) safe? Anything else for floor cleaning? (I also have a 2yr old human baby who likes to spill things on my floors a lot!)

What about using cleaning products in other rooms of the house, such as bedrooms & bathrooms? For eg. if I put a little bleach or floor cleaner in my mop bucket to mop my bathroom floor upstairs (Joey is downstairs in the living room), closed the bathroom door behind me and opened the window wide - would it still be a potential hazard?

I have glass doors on my shower and the ony product I've ever found to get it really clean & rmove watermarks etc is Cillit Bang (not sure if this is a uk only product) - I know this is a definite no-no now, so what do you use on these tough jobs?
I just need some info on how others clean their houses (if you do lol!) so I can find new safe ways of doing things. Examples of how you get certain things clean would be great - eg. I get my glass shower doors sparkling clean with....

Thanks in advance!

 

[mellykyitus]

i use F10, its a bird safe disenfectant. i use it for everything in my house!

 

[Riio]

Hi there! Not sure if this will help you much, but I pretty much use what I did before I got Rio...The only thing is, I put Rio outside for the day when Im doing my heavy cleaning (I live in San Diego CA so weather is almost always nice, so Im lucky in that aspect!) I did try to cut down on the really heavy stuff like bleach and what not but as I also have a little one (3yr old VeRy MeSsY boy) I do have to use it lightly. So far things have worked out just fine. Oh and I, like you said, open the windows and turn on fans where I can to help get smells out. It might also require an extra rinse if I feel that will help get rid of some of the smells.
Im sure others will have very much more helpful advice for you...good luck...and Happy Cleaning (wait is there such a thing?!LOL)

 

[merlinsmom13]

I use a shark steamer for floor cleaning. You don't use any cleaners w/it. It really takes odors from the air too. Vinegar/water for windows/mirrors. I still use bathroom cleaner for the bath, I just make sure Merlins far away from the bath & use the bathroom fan.

 

[birdmama61]

I still use mr clean . I put the birds far enough away that it does not bother them and it dries within minutes which is good . I also use mr clean to clean my bath and they are okay there too . i dont know I think mr clean is just a little easier on the breathing and the cleaning .

 

[Tinder]

i use F10, its a bird safe disenfectant. i use it for everything in my house!

Great I’ll try some of that, thanks. Is it a good general cleaner then?

Hi there! Not sure if this will help you much, but I pretty much use what I did before I got Rio...The only thing is, I put Rio outside for the day when Im doing my heavy cleaning (I live in San Diego CA so weather is almost always nice, so Im lucky in that aspect!)

I live in north west England where it rains for 40 weeks of every year and then the really bad weather starts lol. Thanks for your post though

...good luck...and Happy Cleaning (wait is there such a thing?!LOL)

Oh god no! first thing I’m hiring when I win the lottery is my own housekeeper!

I use a shark steamer for floor cleaning. You don't use any cleaners w/it. It really takes odors from the air too. Vinegar/water for windows/mirrors. I still use bathroom cleaner for the bath, I just make sure Merlins far away from the bath & use the bathroom fan.

Great suggestions there thank you. I’ve thought of getting a steam cleaner for a while, would you recommend the shark model?

I still use mr clean . I put the birds far enough away that it does not bother them and it dries within minutes which is good . I also use mr clean to clean my bath and they are okay there too . i dont know I think mr clean is just a little easier on the breathing and the cleaning .

I’m not familiar with that product as I don’t think we have it in the UK. Someone recommended Bar Keepers Friend for shower cleaning etc and I know that’s a product we can get over here & one that’s easier on the environment. I’ve never used it though so cant comment.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[Rio Mom]

I use a shark steamer for floor cleaning. You don't use any cleaners w/it. It really takes odors from the air too. Vinegar/water for windows/mirrors. I still use bathroom cleaner for the bath, I just make sure Merlins far away from the bath & use the bathroom fan.

I want to get a shark floor cleaner sometime. I have a handheld one that I've been using to clean River's cage and perches (I put him in his other cage while I'm cleaning of course). I works really well! I just steam, and any poo just wipes right off. Next I'm going to try using it other places in the house, bathroom, etc.

 

[merlinsmom13]

I love mine, it was my gift to myself last year. I ordered from the internet, 2 weeks later it dropped in price & they offered the handheld as a bonus. I really want a handheld too. Story of my life, a day late & a $ short. lol

 

[Rio Mom]

I just googled the shark floor cleaners, and looked at the various type/models. Now I want one even more! I didn't know you could even freshen carpets with one! My handheld one was given to me by my uncle when he was moving last fall. He had a bunch of stuff he didn't want to take with him. (truckloads actually, still sorting through stuff in the basement) Mine doesn't look like any I saw (must be an older model), but was brand new in the box when he gave it to us. He actually gave us quite a few things new in the box. For whatever reason, he buys things, and then doesn't use them, and buys other things in multiples. I have never seen so many food processingn type appliances in one kitchen in my life! lol. I have several different kinds now thanks to my uncle. I'm gonna save up and get myself one of those floor cleaners!

 

[merlinsmom13]

I saw them at Big Lots yesterday. $69.00 Be sure to get the large one, there's a smaller model w/less heads included. Mine has 3 different heads, the only problem w/one is when the pad gets saturated it smears & doesn't make good steam. I just change the pads often (my house is big, w/no carpet)

 

[Rio Mom]

I saw them at Big Lots yesterday. $69.00 Be sure to get the large one, there's a smaller model w/less heads included. Mine has 3 different heads, the only problem w/one is when the pad gets saturated it smears & doesn't make good steam. I just change the pads often (my house is big, w/no carpet)

Thanks for the information! I will definately check big lots! That's a really good price. I have bought several bird toys there for cheap also.

 

[markbrown]

I use vingear to clean my house. I also used Mild dish soap, baking soda and table vinegar to clean my birds cage.


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[Remy]

I like to use vinegar for disinfecting also.

I'm loooving htis steamer idea! I have such a hard time getting his poop off stuff!! I got a product called Poop Off, which helps, but I think a steamer might be even better!

 

[Rio Mom]

I like to use vinegar for disinfecting also.

I'm loooving htis steamer idea! I have such a hard time getting his poop off stuff!! I got a product called Poop Off, which helps, but I think a steamer might be even better!

You would definately love a steamer! I recently discovered (amongst that uncle of mine's castoffs) I have two steamers, and older model, and the new current model. The current model works better yet! The scrubby attachment is great for perches/grate, and the cloth/pocket attachment works great for the sides/everything else. When we bought our home, the hood over the stove had eons of grease caked on it. I thought I would have to buy a new hood. It took a bit of time, but it all came off with just steam! I've since been going nuts with it, cleaning the whole kitchen, bathroom, even the bathroom walls lol. I freshened the pillows, next I'm gonna try to freshen the mattress. After Christmas I usually have some extra spending money, I've already decided it's going to a floor steamer.