White Vinegar

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

So this is how I clean my buns cage,

Empty the litterbox and wash it with soap and water

Take the mats/blankies out wash them.  Wipe the cage (plastic board) with white vinegar.

I read that white vinegar is a natural disinfectant.  But I’m worried that the smell might be too strong so I dilute half water/ half vinegar.  Does anyone have this problem?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Apparently the smell consideration is only for us? I’ve read time and time again vinegar is what you SHOULD clean with for rabbits…I find it strong…It also apprently takes the urine smell out? I spray it on carpet if there was an ‘accident’ after I’ve cleaned it so that they can’t smell pee there…

[Bunnies4ever]

I only use a solution of one part white vinegar and one part water to clean my rabbits litterboxes and cages. It’s the ONLY thing I use and it works for me. My buns don’t stink, so it’s just for my peace of mind. Sometime when they’re rearranging their cages, they will have an accident. I have a spray bottle handy. Just spray and wipe. I don’t have blankets in their cages (they don’t like them), just grass mats. When it’s time for a full cleaning, I just spray the plastic bottom and I’m done. They hate it because I move their toys. They spend the rest of the night putting things back in place!

[wendyzski]

I pour a little vinegar in the bottom of the lirtterbox after i dump it, and then swish it around before rinsing.  That and Feline Pine means no smells at all!

I also use vinegar to clean the floors in my kitchen and bathroom, so that there aren’t any wierd or toxic chemicals on the floor for her to lick.  A vinegar/water solution and maybe some natural castille soap if it’s really dirty, and mop.

[osprey]

I use white vinegar for cleaning up pee as well.  It is also good at getting the white powdery residue from bunny pee off of things.  I use a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water, put it in a spray bottle and use that as the primary cleaner in the buns’ pen.

One thing to keep in mind, though.  As far as I know, vinegar is not a very effective disinfectant.  It does wonders with odors (I use it to clean garlic/onion smells from cutting boards too), but most of the information that I’ve read indicates that vinegar does not kill many germs.  Use it freely on stuff the same buns will use again, but if you are worried about cross contamination to other bunnies, bleach and boiling water are your best bets.  I am paranoid now that I have a coccidia positive foster in the house, so I am going to rely more on bleach than vinegar to clean up her area.

 

[babybunsmum]

i use 50/50 vinegar & water for cleaning.  use soapy vinegar water for cleaning her litter box & rinse well.  i’ve heard that water with grapeseed oil is a great non-toxic disinfectant.  or was it grape oil?  a friend uses this instead of bleach since her african grey parrot can’t tolerate most chemical fumes.

edit:  i mean…. i get confused between grape seed oil and grapefruit seed oil. 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Actually since we are on the topic, I read a recent study that the more chemicals you use to clean and the more often you do it; is linked to asthma and allergies (duh, i guess right?) so maybe we should all be using vinegar and grape seed oil?

[Hannah]

White vinegar is good for smells but I’ve found it doesn’t always get stains out depending on what kind of fabric the pee’s on. My bunnies have an extreme fondness for peeing on beds (*grumble*), and Shout Wipes and their… spot cleaner bottle-thingies… have been absolute lifesavers for that. I certainly wouldn’t suggest cleaning your bunnies’ cages with them, but if you need to get up a quick fabric stain they work wonders, and what doesn’t come out directly with the wipe usually come sout in the wash. My bed would be very orange without them….

[BinkyBunny]

A 50/50 solution is great for fighting the tough urine smells and stains. The acidic nature of vinegar really gets right to it. I add a drop of pine and mint scent of essential oil for a less vinegary smell.

Osprey – I actually have read the opposite in regards to vinegar. I too was afraid that vinegar wasn’t killing the "germs". I am "green" with most of my cleaners, soaps and detergents -but I do keep bleach for rare occasions. So I started researching and researching, and found that vinegar was good at killing most germs. I have to go find those links and info now – be back.

Okay, I’m back now:  so for the life of me I could not find the actual study that I once found – I will though, now I’m on a mission, however, here is some good stuff regarding vinegar (many sites recommend using it with hydrogen peroxide – but don’t store them them in the same bottle!)

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vinegar-kills-bacteria-mold-germs.html

http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/vinegar-as-a-disinfectant.html

Below is an exerpt from the bottom of the article of  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/12/26/48hours/main259812.shtml  It puts claims by Heliose, a household cleaning tips master, to the test.

"Can vinegar kill mold, or even better, bacteria?

"If in fact, plain old 5 percent household vinegar would kill certain germs or mold or mildew in…your kitchen or bath, it would be fabulous," she theorizes.

48 Hours took the hint from Heloise and tried to find out for her, asking Good Housekeeping to find out if vinegar kills mold and germs.

"We put the mold into the grout of the tiles," says Gina Marino, Good Housekeeping‘s microbiologist.

This mold and bacteria had to grow for a few days.

And when it was time for results of the experiment, vinegar’s greatest booster flew in to hear the answer to her question.

"Well, with mold, it’s sort of effective," Marino says. "It reduced it by 90 percent actually."

But what was really exciting for Heloise is how well vinegar worked against bacteria.

It was 99.9 percent effective.

Vinegar worked far better than anyone expected."

So, those are just a few of the many claims that vinegar works as an effective disenfectant.  However, I don’t doubt there are other claims that rebutt that.  I just haven’t found that many.

One thing though, if you use vinegar on grout, you should rinse the grout with water, as vinegar can slowly eat away at grout.

[babybunsmum]

i actually mix 30 drops of eucaliptis (sp?) oil in my vinegar/water spray bottle for cleaning around the house… it cuts the vinegar smell completely & is nice & fresh like pine smell.  i’ve not used this on the rabbit’s room cause i wasn’t sure if eucaliptis is ok for her.  BB, i read some similar info about vinegars cleaning abilities.  i love not spending $$ on so many different cleaning products aside from the ‘green’ factor, and i don’t feel bad if the pets lick surfaces i’ve cleaned when its with this stuff.  i still do have bleach too for nasty jobs (dog’s mess when he’s sick…. peee eeew!) when i phsycologically need something strong to feel the job is done.

[skunklionshow]

For stains, you can make a paste w/ the vinegar & baking soda or vinegar & cream of tarter…I think you can also use corn starch.  I use vinegar & baking soda to clean everything in my house.  Test the paste on a small piece of fabric to make sure it doesn’t affect the fabric.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Just a word of caution with vinegar, be sure after using it on things that a bunny’s feet will touch, to wipe down to remove residue as it raises the PH and irritates bunny feet and can cause them to be sore.

[Gravehearted]

in our house Viktor likes to lick things after they’ve been wiped with vinegar! I hadn’t heard about the residue causing problems with feet, i’ll have to make sure to wipe it down with some water too since I use it on their cage floors all the time.

BinkyBunny – the info you posted about vinegar being such a good cleaner is pretty cool! it’s certainly much less expensive and more green than most other kinds of cleaning products.

[Quinn_the_Cutest_Bunny]

A great way to get iron stains out of anywhere (carpet, mattresses, blankets, etc.) is using a mic of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Use 8 oz of peroxide and 3 tbsp of baking soda. If the smell bothers you you can cut it with a little hit of liquid dish soap. Apply it to the area and once it dries vacuum the baking soda up. Just be careful using baking soda around your bunny as it is a natural leavening agent and could cause bloating if ingested. I’ve been looking for a natural cleaner for my bunny’s cage and litter box, so I will definitely be using the vinegar! Thanks

[Bam]

This is a very old thread, and we ask members to not revive old threads because it can cause confusion. Please feel free to start a new thread about bunny safe cleaning agents, though, and thank you for your tip about peroxide and baking soda..

I’m locking this thread.

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