Rubbing alcohol for cleaning?

[Ragu]

Has anyone tried this? We ran out of poop off at work, so i pulled some natures miracle cage and aviary cleaner and when i sprayed it, noticed it smelled exactly like rubbing alcohol. I looked at the ingredients and it does have RA listed. So would that mean that i could use RA and water in a spray bottle to clean Ragu's cage? It did such a good job cleaning the poop off of Harry's (our A. ringneck mascot) cage that it makes me never want to use poop off again! I hate the smell of poop off anyway and believe it or not would rather smell alcohol...but ONLY if it is safe! I know i could use ACV, but again, alcohol's smell is preferable to me lol!

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

HATE Poop Off and am allergic to it (asthma). But I love AviClean and use it exclusively. I feel rubbing alcohol is too caustic to living tissue and worry about the birds getting residual RA on their tongues and ingesting it. If you do not rinse the cage with plain water after using RA, it just stays on the metal and plastic.

 

[Ragu]

Ah ok I see. I'll have to look into aviclean. I usually just take the grates and pans outside and scrub them and hose them off. But they are huge (the one pan is almost as talk as me and wider then I am) so it's kinda a pain to do everyday. And when when winter hits here in pgh, that won't be an option...it's already freezing in the mornings ..well I'm freezing at least lol. And everything is so big I can't scrub in the utility sink like I do with his perches and such,so I need a better option for when the cold weather comes. It's funny, for now little he is in his cage every day be sure can mess it up enough that it takes me almost an hour every day to get it sparkling again lol. I think I just need a better system...or to stop being so ocd haha

 

[JosienBB]

I don't think rubbing alcohol leaves a residue? Of course, the fumes I would be worried about, but not residue. Rubbing alcohol is 70% alcohol and 30% water, both of which evaporate completely. Of course, if there were impurities, that would leave a residue, but generally those considered safe enough to be sold in drugstores are high quality. If you're worried about residue, increase the temperature just a little (maybe a quick run over with a blow dryer) and that should make it evaporate completely. Once again, I am only speaking of residue. Fumes is an entirely different matter.

 

[Ragu]

i wondered about the fumes as well, but idk if you have ever used the natures miracle for birds...i kid you not it smells exactly like alcohol! They wouldn't make a product for use around birds if it wasn't bird safe...would they? Natures miracle makes awesome products as far as i know, ive used almost every kind of clean up aid they have for dogs and cats (and even ferrets) at work and everything works great! Although the NM for other pets does have a kinda pleasant odor, so i was a bit surprised when i smelled straight alcohol for the bird kind. If this isn't safe for birds,especially when it is specifically for cages and aviaries, then i may really have to rethink my beliefs on nature's miracle! Maybe start recommending urine off to all the customers haha

 

[JosienBB]

It's not so much the smell as it is the actual alcohol in the fumes that is harmful. Perhaps you can look up the ingredients of NM. Does it have a large percentage of alcohol?

Edit: Just read your OP and noted you said it had RA. But how much? Is it high in the ingredients list, or lower near the end? Even better would be if they had a breakdown of how much alcohol was in the solution.

 

[Ragu]

ill post the ingredients when i get to work. i think it actually says isopropyl alcohol...which to me equals rubbing alcohol...is here a difference?

 

[bicmeister]

rubbing alcohol is diluted isopropanol or ethanol or combo of both with additives. i think it depends on what brand you buy.

 

[tozie12]

just a thought to help avoid the need for scrubbing the pans in the first place. i hate scrubbing. i'll willingly wipe all day but scrubbing absolutely kills my neck injury (you'd be surprised at some of the motions that affect your neck!). so i wrap cage pans. in the case of the smaller pans like my twiggy, i get a big roll of cheap garbage sacks. put the pan in one. pull the drawstring tight. lay newspaper over it. when it comes time to clean the cage i let all the ick drip into the pan, then pull it out and pull the garbage sack off inside out. it contains all the ick and i simply give it a quick wipe and re cover it. in the case of larger trays? i get the big rolls of plastic sheet like painters use. cut a sheet out and fold/fit it on the pan, tape it in shape with masking tape (i called 3M and it is absolutely safe). then like with twiggy's cage. when i clean the cage all that ick drips down into the pan. i fold/roll it up. quick wipe on the pan and no scrubbing necessary.

as far as cleaning products? i use BioKleen products. they are all natural green products that leaves no residue so they dont require rinsing. and they have a pleasant light citrusy type scent.

 

[kimmie99]

I line the bottom pans with old newspapers. When I clean them I take the pans outside, squirt a few times with Lysol's news hydrogen peroxide cleaner (safer and not as caustic as bleach and actually better than bleach) and then a good ol' squirt with the hose! Dry them off and put back in. The bottom grates slide out as well and they get a good squirt with same cleanser and sit while I do the pans then come back to the grates and I use a long handled dish cleaning brush (bird cage use only) and then squirt off with hose!

 

[3MB]

I alway use a white vinegar solution. I find it works really well for all my animals. I use about a 70/50 vinegar to water solution in a spray bottle. It's natural and loosens poop nicely!

 

[Ragu]

Ok the ingredients are water, natures enzymes, isopropyl alcohol, and natural citrus scent. It doesn't give an amount of each.but I sure don't Snell the "natural citrus scent" lol

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Allergic to Nature's Miracle as well... AviClean does the job, does not need rinsing and is great at loosening dried food and poop. When using an alcohol based cleaner you have to realize the alcohol and water join with the bio residues to create an alcohol ester that promotes the removal of the bio residue. People think because you are using an alcohol you are automatically removing bacteria and disinfecting the surface; this is NOT true because bio solids are often left behind unless you are rinsing with large amounts of water. Think about how shiny chrome pans and bars eventually turn to a dull color; this is the oxidation of bio residue left on the pans and bars. In research labs, workers use a mild acid to remove these residues by dipping the cages once a month.

With AviClean I spray the pans, use paper towels to remove the solids, spray the surface again and wipe dry. Place paper or pet training pads on the pans or bars and put back in the cage. Done. Every three months every cage is torn down and all crevices are cleaned and put back together; it is amazing what collects in those areas where the cage panels join!