Cleaning products?

Looking for more n00b info!

Anybody have some recommended cleaning products for the monthly tank cleaning? It would also help to list things that are generally unsafe to be around BPs (obviously bleach is dangerous, but I don't know if windex is, for example.)

I'm used to keeping fish which means zero chemicals for cleaning, and I'm trying to get a sense of what's safe and what I should ideally be using.

Don't care about the most economical product, just the most effective.

As always, THANKS!

I know F10 is a popular cleaner.

I personally use Simple Green and I dilute it.
It is supposedly non-toxic, biodegradable and environmentally friendly (although it does come in a plastic bottle:P)

I chose that because it is what I used to use when I had fish, and it worked well.

10% bleach solution works fine. Just grab a spray bottle at Wally World that had measurements on the side. The only thing is, make sure you rinse until you can no longer smell bleach on the enclosure.

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F10SC

http://www.reptilebasics.com/cleaning-products


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I prefer the f10 range they make a detergent (f10scxd) for washing scrubbing and a disinfectant (f10sc) as well. Both are reptile (animal) safe products and have very good stability and don't cost tons.

Dawn dish soap can also be used as a cleaner, most soaps can in fact. They all need to be completely rinsed however. Chlorhexidine is a fair disinfectant it however is not very stable, if mixed with tap water it only lasts one week. This makes it cost more than f10 which lasts diluted for 6 months.

AVOID things ending in ol. Pinesol, phenol, thymol, ect. They are generally phenol products reptiles are very sensitive to phenols and they should be avoided.

Chlorine needs to be really well rinsed I personally suggest 12 hours in bright sun before returning to the enclosure (chlorine bleach is broken down by UV)

Small bug-a-boo on my part, disinfectants are not cleaners, they are disinfectants. F10, chlorhexidine, chlorine bleach, and every other disinfectant i know of REQUIRES cleaning before use. failure to do so just increases bacterial/ viral resistance to that disinfectant.

instructions;

http://datasheets.scbt.com/sc-359873_mfr.pdf
http://www.f10biocare.co.uk/vetguidelines1.pdf

I use kennel sol to disinfect, and a diluted natural lavender cleaner for general cleaning.

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Thanks all for the responses. So when I do my monthly cleaning, do I fully disinfect? And the other cleaners are more for spot cleaning?

I do a full cleaning monthly or so. If I use paper substrates I do a partial full. The tub gets treated fully but the rack does not. I usually spot clean as I have particle substrate. I remove all soiled and make certain there is no matter remaining on the enclosure .


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I usually just use Dawn dish soap then chlorhexidine then every 6 months or so BioShield from ProProducts.

This helped paint the picture for me the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Information quoted from: http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/environment/

Cleaners or detergents are products that are used to remove soil, dirt, dust, organic matter, and germs (like bacteria, viruses, and fungi). Cleaners or detergents work by washing the surface to lift dirt and germs off surfaces so they can be rinsed away with water. The same thing happens when you wash your hands with soap and water or when you wash dishes. Rinsing is an important part of the cleaning process. Use these products for routine cleaning of surfaces.

Sanitizers are used to reduce germs from surfaces but not totally get rid of them. Sanitizers reduce the germs from surfaces to levels that considered safe.

Disinfectants are chemical products that destroy or inactivate germs and prevent them from growing. Disinfectants have no effect on dirt, soil, or dust. Disinfectants are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). You can use a disinfectant after cleaning for surfaces that have visible blood or drainage from infected skin.