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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / December 2003Disinfectant needed
Hi, The shelter I volunteer for has recently had an outbreak of URI, and since then has gotten very over-zealous (IMHO) about cleaning and trying to prevent it. My issue is that I hate chlorine bleach, and the fumes make me gag. Can't be too pleasant for the cats, either. We have two cleaning shifts a day, morning and evening, and the morning people had to clean out every cage with a bleach/water solution, the evening people used a green disinfectant (not sure what it is). Finally, I got the bright idea to follow the bleach/water cleaning with a rinse of plain water, to try to cut down on the awful bleach smell. Now that the URI is pretty much over, we've had to bleach out rooms where the previously sick cats were before new cats moved in. It's also always been standard routine to bleach out a cat's cage once it leaves the shelter. Is there a good disinfectant other than bleach that we can use? I would love to stop using so much bleach!  Signature-Kelly kelly at farringtons dot net Check out www.snittens.com http://www.safetec.com/sanizide.php3 Actually, I bet if you just went to a cleaning store or home depot or something you could find something less obnoxious. However, there are products like the above too. They might even sell it in medical supply stores. Karen > Hi, > The shelter I volunteer for has recently had an outbreak of URI, and since [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Is there a good disinfectant other than bleach that we can use? I would love > to stop using so much bleach! Kelly, You may want to consider wearing a disposable dust mask, or something that will help keep the fumes from being inhaled. You can pick a mask, like the one I described at your local hardware store, or a Home Depot. Moreover, if you are looking for another solution to clean your shelter there are a few on the market that have been specifically designed to do so. They are KennelSol, BioSentry and ACES Kennel Odor Eliminator. All of these solutions disinfect the same as bleach. For the most part, they don't have the deleterious fumes, but do smell. The only disadvantage that these disinfectants have when compared to bleach is the price; they aren't cheap. > Kelly, > > You may want to consider wearing a disposable dust mask, or something > that will help keep the fumes from being inhaled. You can pick a mask, like > the one I described at your local hardware store, or a Home Depot. The paper dust masks you speak of will NOT protect against chemical molecules. For that you need a respirator. It is very dangerous for people to think those little paper masks protect against bleach and other chemicals. Moreover, > if you are looking for another solution to clean your shelter there are a > few on the market that have been specifically designed to do so. They are > KennelSol, BioSentry and ACES Kennel Odor Eliminator. All of these solutions > disinfect the same as bleach. For the most part, they don't have the > deleterious fumes, but do smell. The only disadvantage that these > disinfectants have when compared to bleach is the price; they aren't cheap. >> You may want to consider wearing a disposable dust mask, or >something [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >people to think those little paper masks protect against bleach and >other chemicals. I thought the same thing. Paper masks are great for mowing the lawn or working in dust, but half-face respirators are recommended for bleach fumes. Even a respirator isn't complete protection, you really need to ventilate the area well. We finally switched to a product the vet orders for us for the cat room (I can't recall the name, but I'll find out). It's expensive, but with the dogs, we can run the fans, open the overhead doors and let the dogs outsides to air the place, but we couldn't do that with the cats. Sherry "Sherry " <sriddles@aol.comkitty> wrote in message > I thought the same thing. Paper masks are great for mowing the lawn or working > in dust, but half-face respirators are recommended for bleach fumes. Even a > respirator isn't complete protection, you really need to ventilate the area > well. Yes, this is true too. I should have mentioned it. You know that "slimy" feeling that you get on your hands after using a bleach cleaner without gloves? The one that will not go away no matter how much you rinse? My dentist told me that it is your skin dissolving. The topic at the time was rinsing with hydrogen peroxide--which has the same action. Lots of people do this, but it is dangerous. It is a carcinogen that destroys gum tissue in the same way that finely sprayed bleach can destroy delicate lung tissue. You know that > "slimy" feeling that you get on your hands after using a bleach > cleaner without gloves? The one that will not go away no matter how > much you rinse? My dentist told me that it is your skin dissolving. Ugh. I never knew this and not sure I want to!!! Thanks though. lol > You know that > > "slimy" feeling that you get on your hands after using a bleach > > cleaner without gloves? The one that will not go away no matter how > > much you rinse? My dentist told me that it is your skin dissolving. > > Ugh. I never knew this and not sure I want to!!! Thanks though. lol It is in so many regular spray cleaners, and a fine spray is really dangerous for all breathing things. The warnings on the back of the bottle protect them from lawsuits, I guess. What a world. >Yes, this is true too. I should have mentioned it. You know that >"slimy" feeling that you get on your hands after using a bleach [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >carcinogen that destroys gum tissue in the same way that finely >sprayed bleach can destroy delicate lung tissue. Bleach is nasty, for sure. It's effective on about everything (including parvo) and is cheap, and that's why we still use it in the back kennels but I hate it. Kind of on the same topic, we had an overzealous volunteer once who came in, brought her own cleaning supplies, and drenched the cat room in Pine Sol, and cats just can't handle that odor. They get sick. We had to "evacuate", thank *God* it was a warm day. We had cats in carriers on the lawn, everywhere. I didn't think we'd ever get that room aired out. Sherry "Sherry " <sriddles@aol.comkitty> wrote in message news:20031128173834.08047.00000773@mb-m03. > Bleach is nasty, for sure. It's effective on about everything (including parvo) > and is cheap, and that's why we still use it in the back kennels but I hate it. I use it for the same reasons--but never in a fine spray, and I wear gloves now. > Kind of on the same topic, we had an overzealous volunteer once who came in, > brought her own cleaning supplies, and drenched the cat room in Pine Sol, and > cats just can't handle that odor. They get sick. We had to "evacuate", thank > *God* it was a warm day. We had cats in carriers on the lawn, everywhere. I > didn't think we'd ever get that room aired out. I didn't know cats hate Pine Sol. I use it in my toilets because I like the way you can clean one bowl and it makes the whole house smell clean. > Sherry >I didn't know cats hate Pine Sol. I use it in my toilets because I >like the way you can clean one bowl and it makes the whole house smell >clean. Any phenol-based cleaner is dangerous to cats. If they'll walk on it, then they'll lick their paws. Please read the labels before choosing cleaners such as Pine Sol and Lysol. -mhd > >I didn't know cats hate Pine Sol. I use it in my toilets because I > >like the way you can clean one bowl and it makes the whole house smell [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > -mhd Thanks. Happily, they tend to stay out of the toilets. Ditto on the cleanser warning.....natural orange is good. (Spic n span is supposed to be safe, but not a very good cleaner!) a. > > >I didn't know cats hate Pine Sol. I use it in my toilets because I > > >like the way you can clean one bowl and it makes the whole house [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Thanks. Happily, they tend to stay out of the toilets. Thanks for all the good ideas! I'll print out the details on some of the products mentioned and show it to those who make decisions. If we could get away from bleach, I would love it! I'm sure the cats would, too. Signature-Kelly kelly at farringtons dot net Check out www.snittens.com > Ditto on the cleanser warning.....natural orange is good. (Spic n span is > supposed to be safe, but not a very good cleaner!) [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > > > Thanks. Happily, they tend to stay out of the toilets. > Thanks for all the good ideas! I'll print out the details on some of the > products mentioned and show it to those who make decisions. If we could get > away from bleach, I would love it! I'm sure the cats would, too. Well, the main thing is that you make sure to wear gloves and never spray it in a fine enough spray to inhale. That was my only important point with regards to your question. > > Ditto on the cleanser warning.....natural orange is good. (Spic n span is > > supposed to be safe, but not a very good cleaner!) [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > > > > > Thanks. Happily, they tend to stay out of the toilets. >Hi, >The shelter I volunteer for has recently had an outbreak of URI, and since [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >Is there a good disinfectant other than bleach that we can use? I would love >to stop using so much bleach! Kelly, a few years ago our basement flooded and I went to Home Depot to buy a disinfectant for the purpose of scrubbing out our basement. What they sold me was a hospital grade disinfectant that also specifically kills FIV, FeLV, and a host of bacteria. It doesn't have a strong odor when diluted to the right strength. I also used it to disinfect myself when coming home from the cat shelter. I don't remember the name of it, but it was pink. Is there a good disinfectant other than > bleach that we can use? I would love to stop using so much bleach! Kelly, I know the feeling about being paranoid about the virii and all. I don't do any hands on volunteering for our SPCA group for now after this past summer and a severe epidemic of distemper, and having a FeLV+ cat of my own and afraid of bringing him home something he can't fight off. I was in Petsmart the other day and while a friend and I were looking for something in the dog section, there was a disinfectant made for Parvo elimination. I haven't had the opportunity to see if it wipes out more than just Parvo but it might be worth looking in to. Sorry, I can't remember the name of it but it had "Parvo" in the product name and it was in Petsmart. Cheryl > Hi, > The shelter I volunteer for has recently had an outbreak of URI, and since > then has gotten very over-zealous (IMHO) about cleaning and trying to > prevent it. > My issue is that I hate chlorine bleach, and the fumes make me gag. Be very careful about any product that releases a fine spray of bleach. It can cause permanent lung damage. You want big fat drops if you use it at all. |
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