Housekeeper comes once a month - What to do with my bird?

[Calitoo]

Hey all!

I'm pretty new to the forum, and very new to parrots in general (my first bird ever arrives tomorrow).

I've done a LOT of preparation to make sure the house is safe for her in terms of throwing out teflon, aerosols, etc.

What I haven't figured out is what to do with her during housecleaning. Because of our busy schedules, we have a housekeeper who comes once a month to scrub/vacuum/dust the bathrooms, kitchens, hardwood floors, bedrooms, etc. This process takes about two hours and often produces a lot of cleaning fumes/smells that linger throughout the day.

I've been told by other parrot parents to just keep her out of those rooms until the smells disappate. But it's not that simple because A) Where would I put her? And B) What is a safe enough time period to be sure those fumes are really gone? I don't want to take any chances.

Should I put her in a room and close the door, and just clean that one room myself? Or could she still be affected by the fumes in the rest of the house? Is it even safe for regular cleaning supplies to be used in her space (not on her cage, obviously)? Do I have to give up having the housekeeper entirely?

You can see that I am very paranoid about this.

 

[SilverSage]

Your housekeeper needs to switch to using bird safe cleaners which will be better for your health as well


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[Kiwibird]

You can either request your current house cleaner use bird safe cleaners (you can provide them for him/her if needed) or you could switch to a "green" housecleaning company. I actually recently saw a documentary that had a lady who founded a "green" cleaning company because she was getting sick from the chemicals she had to use as a housecleaner. They still come and clean your home but with non-toxic products. You could check out if something similar is available in your area.

 

[adz1984]

Fumes are airborne so will likely get inside every room of the house unless the room is completely sealed off with a separate airspace. How about outdoors like a backyard or balcony with half the cage covered to protect against wind/sun. As for time period or how much danger she's in if any would depend on what's being used amongst many other factors.

 

[Calitoo]

Thank you for the advice!

I live in California, so it's unfortunately too hot right now to have her outside for very long.

It seems the best option is to switch entirely to bird-safe cleaners. What are your recommendations? I've heard about using white vinegar and grape seed extract... what else?

 

[Kiwibird]

White vinegar (cleaning strength, can be found in the cleaning aisle and has a higher acidity content than food grade vinegar), baking soda, plain old water and a steam cleaner should be able to take care of virtually every cleaning task in the house! No need for fancy brand name "green" cleaning products. I also use rubbing alcohol for mirrors and windows because it truly gets them sparkling but it is pricier than vinegar and vinegar does work for those tasks too, just with more effort and elbow grease I've found.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Some really good suggestions of good products to use. One important point is you need to be able to trust whoever is in your home cleaning that they will not revert to the 'old' trusted products behind your back?

 

[Calitoo]

Well we actually supply her with the products she uses, so she doesn't actually bring anything to the house. Does anyone know what is a safe product to use on all of the hardwood floors if you were to mop them?

 

[plumsmum2005]

https://www.cleanhappens.com/products/simply-floored-natural-floor-cleaner

 

[Calitoo]

https://www.cleanhappens.com/products/simply-floored-natural-floor-cleaner

Ooh, I like the look of this. Do you know if the entire Better Life line of products is okay to use around birds?

 

[plumsmum2005]

No, do some research to make sure you are happy with it. Came up on a search I did and based in US. Sounds like it should smell nice LOL. Real hardwood needs care and not sopping wet mops. I do not think I would be sloshing it around as shown in the pic? A vacuum and then the odd damp mop although I always hand wipe with a cloth mine.

 

[Calitoo]

From a customer testimonial (allegedly): "I raise all different types of birds and spend approximately two hours each day cleaning cages and taking care of them. Since birds are sensitive to smell, it's important to have a cleaner that is safe and odorless, but at the same time can get the job done, which is why I was excited to learn about Better Life. Your what-EVER! natural all-purpose cleaner is ideal for bird cages. I was pleased with how well it cleaned, how safe it was and at a very good price, too. I also use the Simply Floored! and love that it cleans so well and is safe for the birds."

 

[plumsmum2005]

Someone awaiting a lung transplant also raves about it.

 

[Scott]

I also use vinegar as cleaner. Odor is a bit funky but quickly dissipates.

Speaking of cleaning.... of course beware the oven self-cleaning feature! Heats to very high temperature, and frequently the teflon liner = disaster!

 

[SailBoat]

When using rubbing alcohol, remember to use it in a well vented area! Alcohol displays oxygen! So, that quick mist onto glass followed by a quick drying cloth is not an issue for Humans. But the Parrot needs to be 40" (1 meter) away. It really fast dispersing so, its the first few seconds that are important.

So, it is not recommended as a Beak cleaner.

Cleaning wood floors should be a damp event at most! Even the sealed wood floors should never be exposed to anything more than damp! Always quickly remove spills and dry fully. A dry wood floor is a happy long lasting wood floor!