How to disinfect toys made out of wood and rope?

[MrSebastior]

I have a bunch of big bird toys I had for my 'tiel and I was wondering how I could clean and disinfect them all at the same time.

My idea is this; I fill the tub with only hot water (it gets hot trust me, steaming hot, I think could possibly get blisters if you held your hand down there for like a minute or so) and add a full bottle of vinegar, the bottle is 0.3L and 24% (I don't know where i got 99.9% from before I edited, does vinegar that strong even exist?). That's the strongest i could find.

Let that sit over night, repeat the process but tomorrow morning and let it sit 'till the water is cool/room temperature.

Then what do I do? I don't want vinegar soaked in there.
Should I repeat the process again, but this time, without any vinegar?
I was thinking i could just rinse it off with hot water wearing rubber gloves, but it still gets too damn hot on the hands, so that's out of the question.

Would that work?
Do you guys have any other ideas? Maybe quicker too since we have a lot of laundry to do as well hehe.

 

[Kiwibird]

What is the "reason" for disinfecting? If it's just "old" toys he's pooped on or gotten food on or whatever (no potential contact with other diseased birds) I scrub them in hot water, let them dry and it's fine. NEW toys that have possibly been exposed to other birds (like from a petstore) I boil (wood, rope and leather). If they have dye, it WILL come off. Acrylic and plastic toys (which cannot be boiled) I spray down with vinegar and wash in hot water.

Edit: I just have to (respectfully) disagree about using any kind of chemicals near parrots. I keep Kiwi's cage/toys/bowls clean by means of washing in hot water, vinegar or boiling if needed, but I don't keep his environment sterile. The jungle he comes from naturally isn't sterile. Just my OPINION.

 

[Timothy]

I use bleach. bleach is pretty safe around birds. For Toys and perches, any material, i use 1 part bleach 10 parts super hot water, and a dabble of Dawn dish soap. ill let em soak for half an hour and then scrub em down with a dish scrubber. I also bleach the bowls once a day.

 

[MrSebastior]

It's just old poop yeah. I can't get ahold of bleach, would vinegar not disinfect them at all?
I just like the idea of disinfecting hehe.

I read ages ago that hot water is actually and excellent disinfectant for birds, but that was smaller parrots. Pretty sure it counts for all of them.

So hot water would be fine then?

 

[Kiwibird]

For washing up toys he already has, hot water is fine. Parrot poop is actually very easy to clean off just about anything, and hot water is usually all you need. If you use as much as your suggesting, it is going to soak into the porous materials and possibly leave an unpleasant taste and your bird won't play with them. A little vinegar goes a LONG way. I use it in a spray bottle rather than soaking in it

 

[MrSebastior]

I was thinking of doing 3 washes.
First one will be a mixture of water and vinegar, for the main cleaning and disinfecting part.
Second and third I'll JUST use water. Once I'm done, pat them down and dry them up a bit with a towel and then let them air-dry by the window or so

 

[veimar]

I usually use bleach and cage cleaner as well (depending on how dirty the stuff is). For used stuff the steamer is the best. I completely agree with Kiwibird about not keeping stuff sterile! My birds fly all over the place and taste all sorts of stuff (yuck!), but although I clean a lot I just cannot reach every remote corner.
So if you suspect possible infection threat use the steamer (even add some clorox to the water), and wash throughly afterwards of corse. My hubby makes a lot of DIY toys, so we have to clean very well. For soft large things you could even use the dry cleaner.

 

[MrSebastior]

Alright, thank you!

EDIT: Actually wait, isn't clorox a bleach company? Is there a guide or something on here on how to use bleach for bird toy cleaning?

 

[weco]

Alright, thank you!

EDIT: Actually wait, isn't clorox a bleach company? Is there a guide or something on here on how to use bleach for bird toy cleaning?

Yes, Clorox is a brand of bleach, though you can usually find a cheaper priced bleach at one of the dollar stores.....the only real difference is the percentage/dilution of bleach.....also, what has been mentioned about taking the color out of toys is also correct, because most bird toys, like children's toys, are colored with food grade food coloring, so hot water, boiling water or bleach will usually take the color out of the toys.....

 

[Birdman666]

I wash rope toys in the washing machine.

I use a steam cleaner on the wood ones.

 

[bonita]

I have a product from My Safe Bird Store, Pet Focus ,Disinfectant, Germicidal, Deodorant. Not the cheep but kills every virus, bacteria, everything used in Vets office, Aviarys . One ounce to gallon of water, no rinse, usable in spray bottle. One quart $17 lasts forever. Soon as it dries birds can get right on Toys ect. Bonita