Clean vs. Disinfected

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I was going to tack this on to the "Fully Cleaning Cage" sticky, but I thought that might be pulling things too far off the main topic there.

When you clean your cages, do you expect them to be aesthetically clean, or do you expect them to be "germ-free"? Do you think you need to periodically disinfect or sterilize all the items in your bird's environment? Or is "clean" good enough unless there has been an outbreak of disease?

I think we are all kind of in a crunch between using things that are "nontoxic" and actually effectively making our bird's environment sufficiently free of nasty buggies. I think a lot of products are touting as "killing germs" but few of these can really be said to disinfect. Plain old soap and water (well, detergent and water) actually does do a pretty good job of getting rid of organic debris in which "germs" live and removing them from the surface. On the other hand, it doesn't really kill them, and it may not be as effective at removing them from porous surfaces like wood. For wood I've heard that a sustained bake is the best approach.

If you really want to neutralize bacteria, viruses and fungii in general you need to go to sustained high heat and/or chemical disinfectants, and even then you are not likely to get 100%. On top of that porous surfaces need special handling since first you have to permeate the structure with your disinfectant and then you need to get it out again! I'm sure you want to do this if you've had an outbreak of disease or are dealing with a cage or perches which are not new and/or may have been exposed to disease. It's not so clear we really need to sweat it in daily life. Many books do recommend using a disinfectant after you clean a cage, every time. Other people won't use them at all.

One thing that worries me is that I think a lot of companies and well-meaning but misdirected websites tout products or mixtures like vinegar and water or lemon and baking soda as killing germs when they do no better and in some cases worse than soap and water. They may get things clean, but they don't sterilize them. Steam cleaners are frequently oversold in this respect. Since I think it is probably not critical (or realistic) to aim for a sterile environment, these things may do a good enough job, but IMO it is wise to be aware that these products and homemade mixtures are NOT going to do the trick if you have an item that has been exposed to a bird with, say, PBFD. In addition to that, safety of hommemade mixtures isn't a given. Yes, one can consume vinegar, but it isn't clear to me acetic acid fumes are great for a bird to breathe.

I guess I'm waffling on a bit, but I'm curious how most bird owners think about this... do they strive for clean or germ-free?

[michellet]

For me, as long as it looks clean and smells clean then i'm happy. I dont believe that a sterile environment is always a good thing....for humans or pets. Exposure to some bacteria is benificial to building up a level of resistance....but thats only my opinion Our birds are all happy and healthy, and I dont think disinfecting everything our birds come into contact with is practical, achievable or sensible. Everything is regularly given a good clean, but the bleach only comes out once in a while, and personally i'm more afraid of the affect of the bleach than the germs!

[lotus15]

I clean on a daily basis, but I also disinfect about once a month.

There are, however, all natural and non-toxic disinfectants now by Seventh Generation!! I love them. I haven't used them on the bird cages yet but was thinking of it. I currently use Pet Focus for disinfecting.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

There are, however, all natural and non-toxic disinfectants now by Seventh Generation!!

I'd be very careful before assuming something that is natural is safe. If it kills bacteria and neutralizes viruses, it does nasty things to cells by definition.

[lotus15]

There are, however, all natural and non-toxic disinfectants now by Seventh Generation!!

I'd be very careful before assuming something that is natural is safe. If it kills bacteria and neutralizes viruses, it does nasty things to cells by definition.

Oh, absolutely, I was not implying that it was safe by any means-- just that it was an all natural disinfectant since you mentioned (I think) in your post that it was hard to juggle between "all natural" and a strong disinfectant. I'm very careful about safe vs. unsafe when it comes to cleaning products. Even when it says no-rinse, I always rinse anyway.

[Michael]

I'm not expert and don't actually have the ability to do this, but I heard that the Sun is one of the best disinfectors. Putting the cage out in the baking summer sun should do the trick. What do you say?

[TheNzJessie]

I'm not expert and don't actually have the ability to do this, but I heard that the Sun is one of the best disinfectors. Putting the cage out in the baking summer sun should do the trick. What do you say?

i have heard to same


i always wash my cages outside and let them dry in the sun. better than towel drying them because i think i would be putting more germs back on the cage from the grotty pet towel in the cupboard

[lotus15]

I'm not expert and don't actually have the ability to do this, but I heard that the Sun is one of the best disinfectors. Putting the cage out in the baking summer sun should do the trick. What do you say?

I have heard that it's best to disinfect THEN let your cage dry in the sun, but I don't think that the sun in and of itself has any disinfecting capabilities-- I don't think it's quite hot enough, at least nowhere I've lived. Baking things in the oven, however, is a great way to disinfect.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Actually the UV in sunlight quite possibly does have some effect (think what it can do to your skin!). I don't have time right now to look for hard numbers, but certainly some fungi and spores won't tolerate full sun. In a humid climate it may also help get things drier than toweling them off and letting them air out inside So it certainly can't hurt, although the exposure to outside contaminants has to also be considered. If a pigeon is likely to walk all over or poop on the cage, for example... since they are known carriers of chlamydia. And I would not rely on it if there was a known pathogen I was trying to eradicate...

[TheNzJessie]

Actually the UV in sunlight quite possibly does have some effect (think what it can do to your skin!). I don't have time right now to look for hard numbers, but certainly some fungi and spores won't tolerate full sun. In a humid climate it may also help get things drier than toweling them off and letting them air out inside So it certainly can't hurt, although the exposure to outside contaminants has to also be considered. If a pigeon is likely to walk all over or poop on the cage, for example... since they are known carriers of chlamydia. And I would not rely on it if there was a known pathogen I was trying to eradicate...

in nz right now its been 95%-100% humidity for 8 days straight. last 3 have been 100%