Keeping your birds clean is important if you want to keep them healthy. There is so much information available now on cleaning product, safe and non safe. Sometimes it's hard  to

know what is best to use around birds and other times you can find some information misleading. There are a lot of products in shops that state they're safe for birds. This isn't always true so read the ingredients. If you're unsure of a product don't buy it. Look out for

the cleaning products that state organic or natural. This could simply mean they've added

a natural ingredient to the product or the product itself is not manufactured organically

but they used some organically grown or made ingredients to make the product. This does

not mean it is organic. Always read labels and ingredients carefully when considering a new product for your birds.  

There are debates about whether bleach is able to remove bacteria from things. There are people who say it just makes things look white &and clean and those who say it does actually clean. This is a debate that will continue on probably for ever. It's chemical vs natural cleaners.

Bleach is an unsafe product in large amounts and used often. If you choose to use bleach this is how. Two or three drops of bleach mixed in 500 ml of water. A thorough rinse should follow the use of bleach. Metal or glass food and water containers should replace plastic ones as e-coli can embed itself into plastic and no matter what you use to remove it, you cannot remove it from plastic or any other porous things.

You should change or clean the food and water bowls as often as it gets dirty which can be once a day to 3 times a day. Change old branches for new ones every few month is also recommended to prevent e-coli.

In the end, You can’t disinfect a birds cage entirely and toys, branches, ropes etc are porous so disinfectants only work on them for a period of time, after this they need to be replaced. Studies have shown just using a little soap to scrub these things can remove up to 95% of the harmful bacteria and fungus and disinfecting makes very little difference, if any at all. If your bird is healthy it is more likely to already be resistant to many bacteria it is normally exposed to. A healthy immune system will help against any other new germs that come around.

Vinegar: acts as a disinfectant and absorbs odours

Bi - Carb: absorbs odours and acts as a scrubbing agent

Lemon Juice(100% natural): acts as a freshener and bleach. It whitens

Water: dilutes strong cleaners and is also effective when hot

You can use all these for all purpose cleaners. The vinegar and bi-carb of soda are

also great for cleaning carpets.

For fresheners you can add a small container of 50/50 vinegar and lemon juice

For other fresheners add herbs, spices, lemon rinds etc to boiling water or just boiled

water and place in various places around the home.

Travellers Friend Citrus Seed Extract (Available in Australia)

Grapefruit Seed Extract (Available in Australia and USA)

Citra-solv (USA)

Liquid Laundry Soap

Apple Cider Vinegar

Avi-Care

Diluted eucalyptus oil is safe to use for cleaning but as with everything you use, rinse after.

Safeguard Fruit and Veggie Wash is great for surface washing in the kitchen and throughout the house. It's a West Australian organic product that. It can be found in some places in the Eastern states but is not a world wide                      

                                   product. This cleaner lifts waxes and tough dirt.

Containing Aloe, citrus and Olive leaf extract, diluted and you can safely wipe down any surface areas.

A surface spray made from 2 squirts of fruit and veggie wash to 500ml of water. Can be used to clean any kitchen surface.

1 squirt to 500ml water can be used to clean any bird cage, perches, gyms and surfaces.

A disinfectant recommended by avian vets in Australia is F10 SC Veterinary Disinfectant  (recommended dilution: 2-4ml in 1 litre of water)

A disinfectant used by avian vets in Australia is F10 SC Veterinary Disinfectant  (recommended dilution: 2-4ml in 1 litre of water). This is a powerful veterinary disinfectant so should not be used as a regular cleaner.

You can also use floor steam mops. They’re fantastic at removing bird poop and and flung food where other products either can’t or take some elbow grease to do it. The steam mop is very quick and convenient to clean floors and not only are they instantly dried, you can also safely leave the birds out while cleaning the floors.

Carpet shampooing, sometimes it just has to be done. My steam mop also steam cleans carpets but it does a terrible job so I stick to the hard floors only. I do shampoo my carpets. I have a bissell shampooer and use Natural Orange shampoo for it. Occasionally I will use another cleaner. If I can’t get the shampoos I want I use Earth Choice floor cleaner. It isn’t a shampoo, it’s a hard floor cleaner but it seems to do a great job on my carpets, so experiment a little on your cleaners.

No matter what floor shampoo I may use or no matter how safe it is supposed to be, I never have my birds out while shampooing my carpets. The birds remain in their cages, door shut or outside in the fresh air, all my house windows open for airing and they don’t come out until the carpets are dry.

Bissell Floor Cleaner. Shampoos

carpets and hard floors

H20 Steam Mop. Needs no cleaners. Only needs water

Earthchoice Eucalyptus floor shampoo. A great alternative if you can’t find a safe floor cleaner. May only be available in Australia

Gypsy

Tee Tree Oil

A lot of people ask if it’s OK to use Tee Trea oil as a cleaner. Tee Tree oil is a commonly used product for many things in Australian homes but it is not safe to use for birds or around birds in any form. It is toxic to birds, therefor should be avoided. Use Eucalyptus oil instead.

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