Question:
Some people seem to go to the extreme w/ antibacterial substances when cleaning up after their pets: Febreeze spray everywhere, Clorox wipes, antibacterial hand gel, etc.
Yet scientists are discovering that natural imunity is compromised by this sort of product.
I feel that I all I need is hydrogen peroxide & Nature Clean all purpose cleaner, maybe a little tea tree oil if necessary.
What do you use, what is overkill, & is it better to use more or less antibacterial stuff?
Personally, I wouldn't feel safe using bleach, Febreeze, etc anywhere near my pets.


Answer:
i agree with you neuro, i dont feel safe using bleach or anything like that with my pets. many people have the opinion that dogs are "dirty" and must disinfect everthing if they go in the house. i feel natural is better, and when i have to clean my bathroom or something, joey is locked in the kitchen or outside, and pippin is in his crate, accidents can happen.
personally i get frustrated with people who think gross, or immeidately wash their hands when my dogs lick them, i suggest washing hands after playing with them and before preparing food, but is it neccessary to jump up as soon as the dog likcs you ?? i dont think soo. when i am in the hospital (i am a nursing student) i use antibacterial stuff like crazy, but there IS a time and place for that stuff.
teresa


Answer:
I use 10% bleach in water solution to clean and disinfect. Nothing else. It's safe, disinfects very well, and for the rest, I just keep my bedding clean and sandbaths sifted/fresh.
I don't like overly scented products like Frebreeze. Somehow, all those chemicals just scare me.


Answer:
This is a very interesting topic of discussion....
At first when I became interested in microbiology, I was so paranoid about all the germs that were lurking and using alot of cleaner (such as bleach b/c I know that killed bacteria) etc. but with some time and some realizations, I concluded that i never lived in a sterile environment (think of how much we got into as kids and we are all still here)...actually we do not want to live in a sterile environment...our immune systems wouldn't know what to do. yes, there are bad bacteria out there but with simple procedures, such as hand washing, can help reduce our chances of getting sick. our immune system can do alot of fighting itself. someone once told me, "we haven't died yet from living in this bacterial filled world" and they are right. As for cleaning with my animals...I too don't feel safe using bleach either. 10% in water is fine and diluted enough but I have this fear that it all won't be clean or residue will be left (its my own neurosis). I love my steam cleaner...it works great and knowing how heat kills vegetative cells (dividing bacteria), I feel comfortable using it and knowing that I didn't miss a spot of a toxic chemical.


Answer:
In the four and a half years I have had chinchillas, I have never used bleach to clean their cages. I prefer using a diluted mixture of tea tree oil with water and that is it. I can't understand why anyone would use Febreze around their pets! It is not at all natural and I don't care what the company of Febreze says about making their product safe for pets, I don't believe it is.


Answer:
Bleach scares me, and I don't trust that Febreeze is safe (not to mention that I think that it stinks), so I just use vinegar diluted with warm water.


Answer:
I do recommend using the alcohol based cleansers for hands in between good old soap and water, but not the antibacterial soap with triclosan (not sure if that is the exact spelling). It is the triclosan that is linked with producing super (resistant) bacteria. Vinegar is the best/cheapest thing you can use in my opinion for pet related surfaces.


Answer:
Vinegar works well. I do use a bleach solution (especially in a cage where I suspect an ill rabbit was in) with just a bit of bleach (about 10% as well), but one of the best "germ" killers is SUNLIGHT! If you leave a cage or whatever out in the sun, the sun will bleach it. Just like the sun can bleach out colour, it can also kill germs. Ultraviolet light is all natural, completely safe, and definitely a great disinfectant!


Answer:
The smell of bleach makes me sick. Febreeze has been suspect in several pet deaths (including birds, dogs, and cats) despite their claims that it is entirely safe - besides, it reeks. I use vinegar for hard water stuff (turtle tanks, etc) and use a dilute chlorhexidine solution for heavy disinfecting when needed and just basic dish soap for most things.
There was a scientific paper released a few weeks ago about bleach, and how it isn't a good disinfectant unless it is diluted down to at least 10%. If its stronger than that, the pH is too high to adequately eliminate biological contaminants... which is one of the reasons why you don't see it used in medical facilities.
Rav


Answer:
Bleach needs to be diluted with water to make it effective b/c the dilution in water allows for the chlorite ions to become active and that is what makes bleach so effective against biological agents.