Vinegar to clean cages?

[SamAlexandra]

Hello, I hope I'm posting in the right place. I want to do a deep clean on my budgies cage, and I've read white vinegar is a good thing to use.

Unfortunately I can't buy that where I live, only destilled malt vinegar.

Does anyone know if that would be just as effective and safe?
If so what ratio of water to vinegar should I use? And if not, what cleaners would you recommend?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Macaw Lover]

What is the difference between white and malt vinegar? | Reference.com

From that description, no, I would not use it in an attempt to clean a cage as it is two totally different things, sorry.

 

[Pipsqueak]

I don't know where you are in England but most places will sell all kinds of vinegar.

 

[Clueless]

Hello, I hope I'm posting in the right place. I want to do a deep clean on my budgies cage, and I've read white vinegar is a good thing to use.

Unfortunately I can't buy that where I live, only destilled malt vinegar.

Does anyone know if that would be just as effective and safe?
If so what ratio of water to vinegar should I use? And if not, what cleaners would you recommend?

Thank you in advance!

I think I read a thread about this before. Let me search....

 

[MandaExotics]

I think malt vinegar is 5% acetic acid so in theory there are some cleaning applications you can do with it. I wouldn't recommend it, it might smell delicious delicious on fish but I'd warrant it wouldn't be so great on a bird cage. I wouldn't know how long it would take to wear off either off the top of my head. I'd wear some old clothes and disinfect with a 1:10 bleach solution if you can't find white distilled vinegar. I like to use F10 which I get off Amazon, not sure if it's available in England. Keep in mind if you're trying to disinfect a cage from any possible diseases vinegar is not a viable solution anyway.

 

[Lwalker]

I haven't tried it but I have heard lemon juice, baking soda and water works and is safe. Some say mix them together and some say soak with lemon/water mix then scrub with baking soda.

In all cases, rinse well

Make Your Own Bird Cage Cleaner - Easy and Safe

How To Make A Homemade Bird Cage Cleaner With Lemon Juice and Baking soda | I Love Pets

 

[MandaExotics]

I haven't tried it but I have heard lemon juice, baking soda and water works and is safe. Some say mix them together and some say soak with lemon/water mix then scrub with baking soda.

In all cases, rinse well

Make Your Own Bird Cage Cleaner - Easy and Safe

How To Make A Homemade Bird Cage Cleaner With Lemon Juice and Baking soda | I Love Pets

I make a fruit and veggie wash with lemon and baking soda, never thought about it for cleaning anything else.

 

[feathergirl]

here is some information all about vinegar pretty interesting,

White vinegar is often used as a household cleaning agent.[37] Because it is acidic, it can dissolve mineral deposits from glass, coffee makers, and other smooth surfaces.[38] For most uses, dilution with water is recommended for safety and to avoid damaging the surfaces being cleaned.

Vinegar is an excellent solvent for cleaning epoxy resin and hardener, even after the epoxy has begun to harden. Malt vinegar sprinkled onto crumpled newspaper is a traditional, and still-popular, method of cleaning grease-smeared windows and mirrors in the United Kingdom.[39] Vinegar can be used for polishing brass or bronze. Vinegar is widely known as an effective cleaner of stainless steel and glass.

Vinegar has been reputed to have strong antibacterial properties. One test by Good Housekeeping's microbiologist found that 5% vinegar is 90% effective against mold and 99.9% effective against bacteria,[40] though another study showed that vinegar is less effective than Clorox and Lysol against poliovirus.[41] In modern times experts have advised against using vinegar as a household disinfectant against human pathogens, as it is less effective than chemical disinfectants.[22]

Vinegar is ideal for washing produce because it breaks down the wax coating and kills bacteria and mold. The editors of Cook's Illustrated found vinegar to be the most effective and safest way to wash fruits and vegetables, beating antibacterial soap, water and just a scrub brush in removing bacteria.

Vinegar - Wikipedia

edited to add this link White Vinegar - 2 x 5L: Amazon.co.uk: Grocery

 

[Nerine]

I use vinegar to clean not only cages, but many other things. Works terrific!

 

[SamAlexandra]

I like to use F10 which I get off Amazon, not sure if it's available in England. Keep in mind if you're trying to disinfect a cage from any possible diseases vinegar is not a viable solution anyway.

I use F10 to clean perches/toys, so I could definitely use that. Do you know how long I should leave the solution on before rinsing it off?
One of my budgies uses the bars of the cage a lot to get around, so I don't want her to injest too many chemicals.

 

[SamAlexandra]

Thank you so much for all of your replies! I won't be using the vinegar. It's so frustrating that "regular" white vinegar isn't available here.

I'm concerned about Avian Gastric Yeast and/or candida, so I know everything needs to be kept very clean. (My vet is involved, currently trying to figure out the problem.) It's a little overwhelming when my girl's cage is SO big. If anyone happens to have any tips I'd really appreciate it.

 

[rocky'smom]

I use Dawn dish soap and then vinegar rinse on both my cages.

 

[Hankmacaw]

You do not need to rinse F10 off. It is totally non-toxic to you or your bird. I have nebulized my bird with F10 as do many falconers. I have a friend who gave her bird a soaking in F10 with her vet's approval. F10 is non-toxic and non-corrosive. It also has the broadest spectrum of bacteria, fungus and molds that are killed by it.

F10 is readily available in England.

 

[alshgs]

I use vinegar for everything. I mix it with water. It's the only thing I use in the house since i have dogs

 

[Monica]

Apple cider vinegar is an alternative to white vinegar. It can be used at full strength and allowed to dry or diluted with water.