Is bleach a better cleaner then Chlorohexadine? If so, what ratio?

I use Chlorohexadine to clean my tubs but have recently been thinking of switching to bleach. One of my girls has an RI and I want to make sure I am cleaning as good as I can. Is bleach better to use, at least for the next couple months to make sure I kill any surfaces that may have any RI bacteria on it?

If bleach is better, what ratio should I use? I have seen 5%, 10% and even 50% bleach to water ratios that people have used on this forum. Thanks for any advice.

I personally would not use bleach on my snakes tubs. If you do, I would wash with soap and water right after and rinse well. I would use a 10% bleach to water ratio!

I use a half bleach half water mixture in a bucket and use a sponge to wipe out all of my enclosures and then rinse them out very well. I have never had a problem, but I have never used anything other than that so I couldn't tell you if one was better than the other, sorry.

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Originally Posted by bsash

I use a half bleach half water mixture in a bucket and use a sponge to wipe out all of my enclosures and then rinse them out very well. I have never had a problem, but I have never used anything other than that so I couldn't tell you if one was better than the other, sorry.

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Your wasting bleach. 50% just causes more fumes and cleans the same as 10%.

I clean the snake's enclosure with bleach and water once a month and then the rest of the time I use chlorohexidine.

I use vinegar. It cleans just as well as bleach and it non toxic so a ton of rinsing after isn't necessary. It also keeps me from hauling a 40 gal tank in and out of the house.

I use pure white vinegar, whip the tub down, wait a minute for the vinegar to evaporate, put everything back.

vinegar, really? I might just have to do some research on this. I HATE moving the big tanks (I know, I should just switch to tubs). The two that are in the tubs are easy....go figure :D

Vinegar really? Is it really as effective? I definetely will have to research this too. I would much rather use vinegar over bleach......probably just rotate using it and chlorohexadine.

The whole point to using Chlorohexadine is that is very effective and is gentle on the animals you're cleaning for. I only use bleach when I thoroughly hand scrub my racks once a month. Bleach may be slightly more effective cleaning wise but is much harsher on you, and your animals.

Don't quote me on this, but my vet told me one time that chlorohexadine only kills certain types of bacteria, whereas bleach kills them all. I've used both and never had problems with either... I use chlorohex right now because I like the smell better than bleach, but I might switch back because of price.

I can't imagine using vinegar though... that smell just doesn't seem to come out of anything and I'd hate for my tubs to all smell like that for a month after I clean them.

The vinegar smell does go away. and the smell of bleach isn't anybetter as far as im concerned.

We use a 50/50 vinegar to water mix on our kids eating area, toys, etc. When I first started using it (thanks to the wife of course), I thought the same thing. After a few minutes, the smell was gone.

Bleach just scares me a little. Sometimes, when working with bleach, I feel a little sick from the fumes. I could only imagine how bad it would be if I missed spot in my tubs that have so little ventilation and 65%+ humidity.

I've never used bleach with anything to do with my animals, not once, Bleach kills more things as far as mold and viruses go, but they both kill 99% of bacteria which is our main concern. first thing I found on google Vinegar Kills Bacteria, Mold and Germs

honestly I never understood why bleach was so highly recommended. and how can you complain about the smell of vinegar over bleach? bleach is 10 times worse and takes longer to go away. you know you can rinse the vinegar off also....lol

So, do you use pure vinegar or a ratio (50/50)?

I usually dilute it. to about 50/50 but i don't see using it pure as any problem.

i use pure white vinegar due to lazyness

I just use warm water and antibacterial soap! Never had any problems!

Ya know I don't think It matters what you use as long as you do it properly. If it kills bacteria,mold, and whatever else is in the tank that shouldn't be your good.