by Seth » Fri Nov 22, 2013 4:22 pm
This works well for cleaning. The steam cleaner is excellent for cleaning AND sanitizing. Please do not use poop-off or royal cage cleaner expecting it to sanitize - it is a product specifically designed as non-toxic to birds to use for cleaning - that is, dirt removal. A steam cleaner or other bird safe non-toxic sanitizer must still be utilized AFTER the dirt is removed to sanitize - that is, remove harmful bacteria, pathogens, etc.
To state this more clearly:
Clean = remove surface dirt and stains
Sanitize = kill and remove as much bacteria, pathogens, etc. as possible while not resorting to the extreme and impractical methods required for sterilization
Sterilize = wipe out everything on it making the thing absolutely free of anything and everything
The methods for each are different. Sanitize/Sterilize cannot be accomplished until the clean is accomplished. Why? Because even the smallest amount of dirt/poop/whatever is a place for harmful bacteria/stuff to hide in and not be killed by a sanitize/sterilize. Additionally, it is a place where that not quite dead yet harmful stuff can grow again and even build up resistances to your sanitize/sterilize method.
Steam cleaning, as Mike uses, is an excellent method for sanitizing. I use this method sometimes. It has the flaws that your birds have to be far away so you do not harm them and also you can harm yourself or other objects with the high heat required to produce the steam.
A method I personally like is using a product called Oxyfresh. It is the trade name for stabilized chlorine dioxide, and is, based on the scientific literature I have studied, the most effective (if used correctly) sanitizer commercially available to laymen after formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is toxic to everything under the sun, so do not EVER use it or expose yourself or your birds to it.
Stabilized chlorine dioxide is, as far as I can tell based on the literature I have studied, non-toxic to animals, including avians. It also has the benefit of being a macrobiotic, which means that it kills a LOT more things than most other products. It is also scentless, so people like me with sensitive lungs/sinuses can clean without worry of inhaling fumes that make them ill (I suffered a severe chest/lung injury some time ago and switching to this product drastically improved the quality of my life - I can clean without wearing a mask and my house is actually freer of harmful substances since it kills more stuff). As a result, I have swapped most cleaning around my house to this chemical. I personally have found it will remove finishing on wood surfaces, so be warned if using it on non-bird stuff. It is also a deodorizer if used correctly (actually removes - not masks - odors).
The product is primarily used for dental hygiene for people who are allergic to the regular sanitizer that dentists use. It is also regularly used by vets for dental cleaning and hygiene for cats and dogs. Hospitals use this chemical as one of their primary sanitizing and sterilizing products.
The Oxyfresh company has various household products they sell for various personal hygiene and household cleaning uses. I cannot speak to most of them, having not tried them. The product I primarily use is the largest bottles of their Cleansing Gele. I use the Cleansing Gele in its pure out of the bottle form for its advertised purposes for myself. What I do for my birds and for general household sanitizing is mix a small amount of the gel with water in a sterilized spray bottle. This solution is, in my opinion, an effective sanitizer that I can use even when my birds are around. You do want to wipe it off and sometimes rinse afterwards depending on what you are doing. I also will use it to soak plastic and metal parts from toys, perches, etc. in a water/gele mixture to remove dirt, deodorize, and sanitize. Deodorizing basically is applying the chemical and letting it sit for a while. In order to scrub bowls and perches, I spray it onto the brush, scrub the item in question, and then rinse clean with water.
I am in no way affiliated with the Oxyfresh company. Just sharing my knowledge and experience to help improve others' lives, and especially to assist with the quality of life and longevity of life of everyone's' avian (or other animal) companions. Very shortly after I began regularly using it for my birds I noticed a high increase in their general well being. Very shortly after I began using it for general household cleaning I noticed a significant increase in myself and the other members of my household's general well being.
One other thing. If you have aquaria, this is still going to kill your fishes because of the whole ppm water infusion the way fish absorb chemicals from the water through their gills thing. Therefore, as with any chemical you introduce into the atmosphere, you must still be very careful about spraying in the same room as an aquarium.
~Seth
P.S. Sorry this looks so weird except in the actual forum. I am not sure why it is not registering my carriage returns in the view comments on trainedparrot.com but looks fine in theparrotforum.com.