I use plain dish soap (or sometimes cheap shampoo) to clean my tubs. To disinfect I generally use the Lysol-type wipes. They are quick and easy and I don't end up using more chemicals than needed.

For water dishes and hides I use generic Magic Erasers (I think it's Arm & Hammer that makes the originals - I purchase generic everything to cut down on cost). The Magic Erasers are great at getting out the water deposits and any dried on urates or fecal matter. Just remember to rinse well after using them - I don't remember exactly what they are made of (some type of plastic similar to expanded PVC I believe) but the microscopic pieces of plastic that they are composed of are highly abrasive (obviously) and I wouldn't want my animals ingesting any of it. Another plus about them is that they don't have any cleaning agents in them so that is one less chemical I need to use around my animals. I'm not saying that they are great for the environment but using less detergents isn't a bad thing either.

Since they are abrasive you should wear some type of rubber glove (the yellow cleaning gloves work fine) if you are going to be washing/scrubbing a lot of bowls and hides. Otherwise, you'll notice that your fingertips can get pretty raw feeling after a while. Also, I've noticed that using soap with them makes them a little less effective so be sure to wash or disinfect them either before or after using the Magic Eraser to maximize their effectiveness.
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Stay United!


"...I say 'apparently' because despite all our progress she is not at all a tame or handle-able snake and gettting her from that cage would re-start a war.. and we've had a good armistice for several months now."-Gus Rentfro - I love this quote!

[ Hide Replies ]

• A hopefully helpful cleaning tip! - cbmorphs, Wed Dec 9 00:07:51 2009
• RE: A hopefully helpful cleaning tip! - BrandonSander, Wed Dec 9 02:27:15 2009
• RE: A hopefully helpful cleaning tip! - Jonathan_Brady, Wed Dec 9 07:14:43 2009
• RE: A hopefully helpful cleaning tip! - TOM_CRUTCHFIELD, Wed Dec 9 07:35:19 2009
• RE: A hopefully helpful cleaning tip! - cbmorphs, Wed Dec 9 07:49:55 2009
• RE: A hopefully helpful cleaning tip! - cbmorphs, Wed Dec 9 08:36:23 2009
• RE: A hopefully helpful cleaning tip! - TOM_CRUTCHFIELD, Wed Dec 9 14:07:19 2009
• RE: A hopefully helpful cleaning tip! - Jonathan_Brady, Wed Dec 9 14:14:02 2009
• RE: A hopefully helpful cleaning tip! - cbmorphs, Wed Dec 9 19:15:39 2009
• RE: A hopefully helpful cleaning tip! - Jonathan_Brady, Wed Dec 9 19:51:08 2009
• Chaz Helpful Chlorhexidine Mouthwash Mi - LarM, Wed Dec 9 14:50:54 2009
• RE: Chaz Helpful Chlorhexidine Mouthwash Mi - cbmorphs, Wed Dec 9 19:30:24 2009
• Hey Chaz I've read label too - LarM, Wed Dec 9 20:30:47 2009
• Another helpful tip... - kylefrost, Wed Dec 9 14:42:05 2009
• RE: Another helpful tip... - cbmorphs, Wed Dec 9 18:42:56 2009
• RE: Another helpful tip... - BrownsBoas, Wed Dec 9 21:17:10 2009