Washing Down Cage Decor

Here in the Northeast, it's wintery out and taking everything outside to hose it down isn't going to work. How and where do you folks clean your tank decor - getting the dried-on poo residue off? I get most of it off with daily spot cleanings with baby wipes, but do a more thorough vinegar and water clean once a week and need a place to do it. We've got a small house, and the only places are the sinks or the tub, and I don't want to cross-contaminate the places where we wash our dishes and food - and ourselves. I've been trying to do it right in the tank, but Figment's had some pretty messy poos lately and I need to get a soaking and scrubbing done. His branch is a rather ungainly shape and size; it won't fit well in a bucket (at least, no bucket the I have handy).

I'm open for tips and tricks.

Well I was about to suggest a bucket... then I read your last sentence LOL.

I have a sink in our laundry room that doesn't get used for anything really, so that's what I use.

Figment might just have to deal with his mess until weather permits lol.

As long as you are cleaning it, it shouldn't be too bad. Just slightly unsightly.

-Brandon

I was going to suggest a basement or laundry sink.

There are times I do use a downstairs bathroom sink, but sanitizing with sprays of 91% isopropyl, Nature's Miracle for Stinky Dragons, Betadine, household disinfecting wipes, Lysol... does the trick. Basically, if it's good for cleaning a bathroom, it should be good for dragon droppin's too. As long as there's no toxic residue, cuz the little buggers taste everything (like a puppy). :wink:
You can also ask a vet what to use.

If I had something large like a tree branch, I'd probably take it out to the garage with Zardoz' bathtub (a dedicated plastic dishpan from a dollar store).

When I do clean up after him, which seems like constantly (he's pooping twice a day now) I wear nitrile (surgical) gloves, disinfect whatever rock he's chosen to baptize, wash my hands thoroughly, and then use a hand sanitizer. It's probably overkill, but with several vets in the circle of family/friends, I learned a little, and nobody's afraid to use that bathroom. :lol:

Fortunately, today is a bright sunny low 40s here, so my bleach-soaked bricks are outside airing out..

ComicBookMama":3hm1tgbv said:

I've been trying to do it right in the tank, but Figment's had some pretty messy poos lately and I need to get a soaking and scrubbing done. His branch is a rather ungainly shape and size; it won't fit well in a bucket (at least, no bucket the I have handy).

I'm open for tips and tricks.

Click to expand...

I guess some measurements/size requirements might help(?) Having no idea what size bucket/s you may or may not have, would a 4 or 5 gal. bucket from Home Despot work for you? A clean/new dedicated plastic garbage/trash can (any size you like)?

Jes' spitballin' here...

MrSpectrum":23bmzqtu said:

ComicBookMama":23bmzqtu said:

I've been trying to do it right in the tank, but Figment's had some pretty messy poos lately and I need to get a soaking and scrubbing done. His branch is a rather ungainly shape and size; it won't fit well in a bucket (at least, no bucket the I have handy).

I'm open for tips and tricks.

Click to expand...

I guess some measurements/size requirements might help(?) Having no idea what size bucket/s you may or may not have, would a 4 or 5 gal. bucket from Home Despot work for you? A clean/new dedicated plastic garbage/trash can (any size you like)?

Jes' spitballin' here...

Click to expand...

Hmmmm... I didn't even think about those larger sized buckets from Home Depot; I've been measuring against the home sized mopping buckets we have from WalMart. That might very well do the trick, depending on how I wedge the branch in. It's spiderwood, so there are many small branches coming off the main one, but I might just give that a go. Thanks for the idea!

How about using those big plastic storage totes? As long as you don't fill it up too much you should be able to lift it to dump it into a bucket which you can then dump into the toilet. Might have to do a wash then rinse, but they come in all shapes & sizes... and with Christmas around the corner, the stores should have the jumbo ones for Christmas trees, should you need one THAT big....

beckys19":1dhsokao said:

How about using those big plastic storage totes? As long as you don't fill it up too much you should be able to lift it to dump it into a bucket which you can then dump into the toilet. Might have to do a wash then rinse, but they come in all shapes & sizes... and with Christmas around the corner, the stores should have the jumbo ones for Christmas trees, should you need one THAT big....

Click to expand...

Oooh! Excellent idea! Thanks for sharing it... I actually like it better than the bucket, since I can easily see the branch fitting better into a rectangular bin than a round bucket.