Best way to clean..

[rumor]

Hello! This is my first post on the new chins N Hedgies forum.. i'm a little ashamed to admit that i've been lurking around since probably around the time it started, but just now registered :embarrassed:

Anyway.. I remember reading awhile ago on the old forum about how important it is to keep cats and chinchillas separate due to health concerns. Ive always been very careful to keep our kitty out of the room the chins are in, or any chin supplies.

About a week ago my boyfriend while i was at work took our kitty to the vet....in my chin carrier. *sigh* He said he couldn't find the kitty carrier. so, to cut to the chase - my question is what can I use that would be chin safe to clean it - or can it be cleaned well enough?

Ive read that vinegar and water can be used for normal routine cleaning, but im not sure it would be a strong enough cleaner in this case to kill any harmful bacteria etc.

any thoughts/ideas would be appreciated.

thanks!

 

[tunes]

Either white vinegar and hot water or bleach and hot water would work. Be sure to do a very thorough rinse if you use bleach.

Also, if it's a plastic carrier and there are cracks or scratches in it, you may not be able to get it totally clean. It's why I try not to use plastic around any of the animals.

 

[AZChins]

I'd bleach it myself. Scrub every inch inside and out and give it a good rinse. I wash my carriers after every time I use them, but I am one of those weird people scared that one chin will give another chin something. Bleach does a great job at killing viruses and bacteria. After rinsing set the carrier in the sun to dry.

I'd definitely clean up the carrier after a cat has been in it.

 

[menagerie]

I would squirt it down with straight white vinegar and straight hydrogen peroxide. Spray one, then spray the other. Let it sit for a while then rinse with hot water. That should kill off anything that is lurking.

 

[rumor]

Thanks so much for the advice! I was really tempted to use bleach, but .. it is plastic - I have a nicer metal ryersons for serious travel, but just to bounce around in when i clean the cage, i normally put them in the plastic(larger) one.

i wasnt sure if it was ever safe to use bleach no matter how well you rinse. but i'd feel more comfortable with that, i think if its possible. I was actually tempted to just buy a new one after the cat had been in it, but i'd rather avoid spending another $40-50 for something i already bought once. hehe

off to clean!

 

[AZChins]

What's wrong with using bleach on plastic? Using bleach is pretty much the only way that I know that anything made of plastic will actually be disinfected.

Bleach is one of the cleanest rinsing chemicals you can use. If you get it on your hands, it reacts with the fat in your skin and creates soap...that is hard to clean off your hands because you have to rinse off a couple layers of oils to get it off completely as it reacts. This does not happen on plastic, metal or any other surface that does not have fat on it.

I use it on plastic waterbottles, plastic carriers and all my cages. It rinses off very well or my entire house would smell like bleach fumes.

 

[rumor]

I think mostly it was just me being overly nervous. bleach is no doubt one of the most effective cleaners out there.

I just had seen a few articles about how certain chemicals could sort of seep into plastic, and .. i didnt want to make an oops that could cost me my babies knowing how sensitive they are.

In the end, (i actually just finished!) yay. cleaning the carrier with bleach, and rinsed, and its like new, although still drying thanks again