#cleaning ask

[flock-talk]

Are your birds trained to go to the bathroom in their cages or do they go wherever in their bird room? Also, how do you deep clean their toys and room ?

They can go anywhere in the room, it’s designed to be easy clean so it’s not really a concern if they poop all over the place in there. I just arrange the ropes/perches so there’s always a clear walkway through the room that won’t have poop on it.

Intense deep cleaning depends on the type of toy, soft woods and dyed ones that can’t be soaked get wiped with really hot water + vinegar. Ropes and hard woods get soaked in scalding water and vinegar. Both get scrubbed then left in the sun for UV sterilization. Things that don’t get chewed on like the walls and floors get soaked and scrubbed with a mrs. Meyers all purpose cleaner. Things that are Too Large to be carried up and down the stairs (the large branches mostly) get scrubbed with vinegar, the cages usually just need a wipe down but if there’s bits stuck in the cracks they’ll get taken outside and power washed prior to a wipe with mrs. Meyers cleaners. Food bowls and bathtubs get soaked in scalding water with a little dish soap.

I try to use cleaners that will kill the most bacteria (mrs.meyers) but for items that spend a lot of time in a bird’s mouth I like to err on the side of caution and use something that 100% can be ingested (vinegar). A balance between the absolute safest option and the thing that’s actually going to clean things properly. Everything gets rinsed out and dried thoroughly before being placed back in the room.

[flock-talk]

hey, im curious what you use to clean the floor, other surfaces etc, in the bird room? and also if you have any suggestions for household cleaners in general that are effective but non toxic for animals to be exposed to the smells/any residue. i know you have a lot going on right now so absolutely no rush in responding. thank you -pennaraptor

The vast majority of the room gets cleaned with warm water and vinegar, individual things like bowls or monthly deep cleaning parts (soaking ropes) may get diluted gentle dish soap and extensive rinsing. You can also use steam cleaners, I’ve not personally used one.

I have heard that mrs. meyers cleaners can be bird safe depending on the scent. They’re a more “organic” style cleaner so some of their scents are sourced from essential oils which can be safe provided it’s not a toxic scent (like tea tree oil is outright toxic, lavender and citrus can be safe, etc). They’re supposed to be a bit of a more gentle “natural” cleaner. They make concentrate formulas so you can heavily dilute it in a spray bottle to make them safer. I’ll use that brand to clean the rest of my house and monthly wipe downs of bird room surfaces the birds won’t chew on (the floor, the walls) to make sure things are getting disinfected properly. To be extra safe I usually do another wipe down with water to ensure everything is rinsed off and provide ample time to air out the space before birds move back in. Although I dilute it so much the scent is usually so faint to begin with that it’s gone by the time I’m done cleaning anyways.

There isn’t a ton of concise research on cleaning chemicals with birds unfortunately so there isn’t a for sure guarantee whether something store bought will be totally safe. Vinegar/water is the most commonly used cleaner for parrots since it won’t do harm if ingested but it is not a 100% flawless cleaner so some bacteria and viruses can still survive through a cleaning with it. That’s why I’ve opted to do regular daily/weekly cleanings with vinegar and just a once or twice a month wipe down with the diluted Meyers cleaner.

[flock-talk]

Any specific way to wash rope perches? Or is hot water and soap fine?

I wouldn’t use soap since that will soak in to the materials and that won’t be good for your bird if they decide to chew the perch at any point.  Using vinegar to disinfect the perch is a much better option since it’s non-toxic for birds, once thoroughly rinsed out you won’t be able to smell any vinegar.  Otherwise yes, just soak them in hot water and wipe them down with a cloth.

[flock-talk]

How do you clean off berry stain off the walls? Luna has been making a mess on the upside of my door room and really want to clean it off before it stains more and are there ways to get her to avoid from going up there a lot? I do recalls but she doesn't always come down right away before she splashes the walls with her messy beak.

Haven’t really found a good way, either picking it off by hand, scrubbing with a brush, baking soda+vinegar, soaking it and brute force.  Prevention is really the best way to deal with it unfortunately.

[flock-talk]

I have to know, how in god's name do you keep your carpet so clean?

oddly enough I actually have to clean it again soon!  In general I just vacuum every day and that tends to keep it clean, I also dab any poops off the carpet as soon as they happen and have some towels and sheets on the ground where the birds spend the most time so most of the floor cleaning is just banging off those towels and throwing them in the wash.  Every few months if I find that some poops have dried on or it’s just looking a bit messy I’ll spread baking soda on the floor, maybe drop some vinegar on it and then hand scrub it and vacuum whatever’s left (I typically put the birds in another room when this happens since the reaction produces CO2 at a larger rate than what’s normally in the environment, just to be safe)

[flock-talk]

i was wondering what's the best way to clean rope perches?

Typically just spot clean to get crud off when you see it, as for deep cleaning you can soak it in warm water and vinegar then give it a good scrub

[flock-talk]

Hi! Do you know how to clean birb poop off different fabrics (wood, textile, plastic, metal, etc.)? Can a masterpost happen in the future? Maybe when you have time? :)

There’s not really much difference in surfaces, if you notice it right away just dab it off and wipe with a paper towel, if it’s dried pick it off and just soak the rest and scrub it off.

[iceandsteel-blog]

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