Most time-efficient method/system for cleaning Sterilite tubs?

[PsychD_Student]

I'm a very pragmatic person, and as my collection has grown to over 30 specimens (with babies on the way), I've been trying different methods of cleaning the sterilite tubs for my collection. As a full time doc student, I'm really looking for the most time efficient manner of cleaning the tubs.

My goal is to find the ultimate method!

Method 1: I was just bringing them to the bathtub once a week to clean them one by one with a sponge. With only 6 snakes, that was fine, but with more its too much of a pain.

Method 2: Bringing tubs out to the side of the house, pouring in dawn dish liquid, and spraying them with the water hose - using my thumb applied to the house to increase the water pressure for the more "difficult" corners lol. That was ok in the summer, but its not the best way in the cold winters. I don't like having cold wet feet and hands outside in December!

Method 3: The most recent method I tried was basically having triple the amount of necessary tubs, and switching them out as I need. Then, I went back to the first method and cleaning a bunch at once in the tub.

Method 4: The current method came to me after swinging by Sams Club and picking up some spray bottles for my F10 disinfectant. The 6 pack came with a spray bottle that would foam soap after squirting it out. At first I thought it was a waste of a bottle, but then the idea came to me. After changing a tub with a prepped tub (sterile and with newsprint or paper towels), I will take it out, put it on my worktable and spray it with the foaming squirt bottle containing a dawn solution. Then I scrub a bit with a sponge, and then place it aside. After finishing all the tubs in that manner, I will then go and rinse all of them off with my detachable shower head, return to the attached snake room and F10 everything. After about a half hour, I will use a terry cloth work towel and dry each tub before I place newsprint or paper towels in it, and then place that in a stack on a shelving unit in my snake room. From there, I can grab them as I need if a snake makes a big "accident", and place the tub aside to clean during the weekly cleaning. This method is a nice one because I can go as I need if I'm not bogged down with that pesky dissertation, or I can put them aside and catch up after a week or two.

I was wondering what some of the other breeders out there are doing when its time to clean all the tubs. Would anyone else mind sharing their method? Does anyone have an improved method that is more time-efficient? Whenever I have searched "best way to clean tubs," or something similar, I will often find posts about F10 or chlorhexidine solutions. I haven't found many posts of individuals explaining how the heck you clean all those tubs! Anyway, I'm looking forward to other ideas!!!

[Inarikins]

Why are you 'deep cleaning' each and every tub once a week? Aside from spot-cleaning as needed, I think most people only disinfect and clean everything once a month or so. If they mess their paper, pull them, change the paper and put them back in. Or switch to substrate and spot-clean.

[Artemille]

1. Buy tubs without dips in the edges. Switch to Iris, Vision, etc.

2. Remove dirty paper, throw away.

3. Wash water bowl, wipe out any grimy bits (less grimy bits with flat bottomed tubs!)

4. Wipe dry, spray some Chlorhexadine, wait to dry.

5. Put new paper.

[kitedemon]

I agree that once a month is likely enough. There is an elephant in the room however, are you not doing the rack too? If you use lidded tubs this is a moot point. If you don't there is still a contact surface that also needs to be cleaned as well, the rack surface that the snake can contact. It is a bigger job than the tubs. I have been trying to figure out an efficient way to do that one. Due to the liquid I remove the flexwatt each month. It takes me most of a day. I can't imagine how people with larger collections do.

[kitedemon]

1. Buy tubs without dips in the edges. Switch to Iris, Vision, etc.

2. Remove dirty paper, throw away.

3. Wash water bowl, wipe out any grimy bits (less grimy bits with flat bottomed tubs!)

4. Wipe dry, spray some Chlorhexidine, wait to dry.

5. Put new paper.

You have missed a step. The cleaning part, disinfectants are not cleaners. The surface must be completely washed with soap and water and washed off.
From the instructions...
4. Thoroughly clean all surfaces with soap or detergent and rinse with water.

http://datasheets.scbt.com/sc-359873_mfr.pdf

[RobNJ]

Clean when they go....instead of saving it all for one day, spread it out evenly over the course of a week. 30+ snakes only takes me on average 30 minutes a day.

[Coopers Constrictors]

I check the tubs every other day or so. When dirty, I clean everything out. I do not spot clean as I use paper towels as substrate. Chlorhexidine, properly diluted with water is what I use to clean everything out with. On Sundays, the water bowls get a bleach spray and then get put into the dish washer for a hot wash and thorough rinse. No other cleaning agents are necessary.

[kitedemon]

I check the tubs every other day or so. When dirty, I clean everything out. I do not spot clean as I use paper towels as substrate. Chlorhexidine, properly diluted with water is what I use to clean everything out with. On Sundays, the water bowls get a bleach spray and then get put into the dish washer for a hot wash and thorough rinse. No other cleaning agents are necessary.

Chlorhexidine is deactivated by any organic matter. Failure to properly clean with soap and water and rinse completely after makes the disinfectant useless. Incorrect use of disinfectants creates resistant bacteria and virus.

From the instructions
1. Remove all animals and feed from premises, vehicles and other equipment.
2. Remove all litter and manure from floors, walls and surfaces of barns, pens, stalls, chutes and other facilities and
fixtures occupied or traversed by animals.
3. Empty all troughs, racks and other feeding and watering appliances.
4. Thoroughly clean all surfaces with soap or detergent and rinse with water.
5. Saturate all surfaces with the recommended disinfecting solution for a period of 10 minutes.
...

Step 4 cannot be skipped just because it takes more effort.

Complete instructions, take a moment and read them contact the tech support people if there are questions. Save future problems for everyone and follow the instructions of the manufacturer!
http://datasheets.scbt.com/sc-359873_mfr.pdf


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[sum182]

Anytime my snakes relieve themselves I:

1. Empty the tub completely.
2. Wipe up anything in the tub I can with spraying
3. Spray the tub with Odoban and let sit for 5min (allows it to disinfect and soaks anything that dried to the tub so it can be wiped away)
4. Spend some quality time with the snake while I let the Odoban sit (IMPORTANT! )
5. Wipe down completely till all grossness is gone.
6. Change water, Odoban the bowl if needed.
7. Return everything to the tub, including the snake.

Then maybe once a month i do the scrub down. I use newspaper as a substrate which is why this works for me. with aspen or others this would be complicated and wasteful.

[Zuma22]

I do a full cleaning once a month with Dawn and Chlorhexidine. I go shelf by shelf, so 2-4 tubs at a time. I set up a tub of dilute Chlorhexidine solution.

1) Scrub each tub with Dawn in sink. Rinse.
2) Wipe down with sponge from Chlorhexidine solution. Let sit while repeating process with hides and water bowls.
3) Rinse tubs, water bowls, and hides.
4) Repeat until you are soaking wet and wondering why in the world you have so many animals.
5) Dry everything. Replace paper, water, and snake.

I, too, started with the bath tub method and that quickly became too difficult to and time consuming. I find the part that takes longest is drying everything. I haven't found anything more efficient for drying than just wiping down with a towel forever. With 23 tubs, it all takes me about 2 hours.