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Cleaners/Disinfectants

Der_Doe12

Der_Doe12

New member
I know most of you say bleach/water or vinegar/water but anyone got a word on this stuff? Zoo Med Wipe Out 1 Disinfectant? Anyone used it and had success/failure with it?
 
I hear it works fine but no better then bleach/water mix. I'm assuming you know the proper ratio to use. I don't have experience with the product myself I have just heard that it's similar results with the zoo med stuff being more money.
 
No. I don't know the ratio for water and bleach. Well I know the ratio I just need it dumbed down lol. Not good at ratios and stuff. Isn't it like a cap full of bleach for every 2 cups of water? In lamence terms.
 
Der_Doe12 said:
No. I don't know the ratio for water and bleach. Well I know the ratio I just need it dumbed down lol. Not good at ratios and stuff. Isn't it like a cap full of bleach for every 2 cups of water? In lamence terms.
Click to expand...

It's a ten to one ratio. For example if you want to make 100ml of cleaner you would mix 90ml of water with 10ml of bleach. I put it in a spray bottle. I spray down whatever I'm cleaning, give it a good scrub, and then a good rinse. That's how I do it and it works well for me and I have heard it is a safe and effective from reputable herpers. I don't know if one is better then the other but I don't see any reason to pay money for it when the bleach/water method is safe and effective and super cheap. Unless money isn't an issue in which case I don't know which is better.
 
notserp said:
It's a ten to one ratio. For example if you want to make 100ml of cleaner you would mix 90ml of water with 10ml of bleach. I put it in a spray bottle. I spray down whatever I'm cleaning, give it a good scrub, and then a good rinse. That's how I do it and it works well for me and I have heard it is a safe and effective from reputable herpers. I don't know if one is better then the other but I don't see any reason to pay money for it when the bleach/water method is safe and effective and super cheap. Unless money isn't an issue in which case I don't know which is better.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry I contradicted myself. At first I said one wasn't better then the other but to be honest that's just what I've heard from people, like I said in my second post, I don't know if one is better then the other.
 
The key here is active ingredient. Sitting in front of me is Clorox brand "regular bleach" with an active ingredient listing of:

sodium hypochlorite 6.0%
other ingredients (whatever that contains?!) 94.0%
total 100%
(yields 5.7% available chlorine)

The problem with this and most normal, household commercially available bleaches is that when diluted down to 10% solution, you're making a 0.57% (in the case of the bottle I have) solution, a FAR cry from a 10% solution. At this point a true 10% solution would be quite difficult to make without some sort of means to increase the available chlorine in the current "full strength" bleach.

From a microbiology lab done many years ago, we did an experiment to show zone of inhibition. The zone of inhibition test shows how susceptible a known controlled organism is to a given antibiotic/antimicrobial agent. The test is done on an agar plate the organism will grow on, the plate is streaked with this organism, small sterile discs containing the antibiotic or antimicrobial agent are then placed on the plate, the plate is then incubated, and then the clear zone (aka zone of inhibition) where no growth occurred is measured. The test itself doesn't show that the organism has been killed, but that the antibiotic/antimicrobial agent was able to prevent growth.

Our lab used 10% household bleach (which we know to be actually a mere 0.5-0.6% solution of chlorine), water (control), 3% hydrogen peroxide, 70% isopropyl alcohol, and Roccal-D as disinfectants, and tested against attenuated Staphylococcus aureus. The bleach and water discs had no zone of inhibition, rubbing alcohol had a small zone, and both hydrogen peroxide and Roccal-D had sizeable zones of inhibition.

Our lab TA also tested other common bacteria, I forget which, but pretty much the general conclusion was that bleach sucked at a 10% solution. This is especially so as most people simply spray and then wipe an area for "disinfecting" it. The problem with this is a lack of contact time. At the research lab (an ABSL-3 facility...research it) I use to work at, using bleach in a proper concentration to get proper solutions, we acidified bleach and used it for disinfecting tools, equipment, and surfaces after necropsies that involved various Centers for Disease Control select agents. One of the tougher agents to clear were anthrax spores. Disinfection, via P&P, called for a 20 minute contact time BEFORE we could even start scrubbing and wiping down surfaces. Tools and surfaces had to be scrubbed for about 5-10 minutes, as a combination of both scrubbing and contact time ensured the breakdown of cell walls of various bacteria.

With all this in mind, per my veterinarian's recommendation I use chlorhexidine or A-33 dry. I'd use Roccal-D, but it is difficult for me to obtain it as a private individual in New Mexico. I do make and use acidified bleach, but it is something that has to be used quickly.

For regular household cleaning, my wife who's a microbiologist, uses no less than a 20% solution of bleach IF she uses bleach. She mostly uses vinegar, hot soapy water, and good old fashion elbow grease.
 
Agree with the above. Jamie has a background in microbiology as well and has done several experiments with various cleaners and found that they really do not disinfect as well as many people think that they do. Ammonia is pretty effective with most reptile related flora but has to be used very carefully in a cleaning situation.

We use chlorhexidine as well per our herp veterinarian's recommendation. There are several good questions/answers regarding cleaning products on the iherp forum. Here is one of them to get you started - hope it helps.

http://www.iherp.com/Answers/ReptileProblem.aspx?Id=2691
 
HerpsOfNM said:
The key here is active ingredient. Sitting in front of me is Clorox brand "regular bleach" with an active ingredient listing of:

sodium hypochlorite 6.0%
other ingredients (whatever that contains?!) 94.0%
total 100%
(yields 5.7% available chlorine)

The problem with this and most normal, household commercially available bleaches is that when diluted down to 10% solution, you're making a 0.57% (in the case of the bottle I have) solution, a FAR cry from a 10% solution. At this point a true 10% solution would be quite difficult to make without some sort of means to increase the available chlorine in the current "full strength" bleach.

From a microbiology lab done many years ago, we did an experiment to show zone of inhibition. The zone of inhibition test shows how susceptible a known controlled organism is to a given antibiotic/antimicrobial agent. The test is done on an agar plate the organism will grow on, the plate is streaked with this organism, small sterile discs containing the antibiotic or antimicrobial agent are then placed on the plate, the plate is then incubated, and then the clear zone (aka zone of inhibition) where no growth occurred is measured. The test itself doesn't show that the organism has been killed, but that the antibiotic/antimicrobial agent was able to prevent growth.

Our lab used 10% household bleach (which we know to be actually a mere 0.5-0.6% solution of chlorine), water (control), 3% hydrogen peroxide, 70% isopropyl alcohol, and Roccal-D as disinfectants, and tested against attenuated Staphylococcus aureus. The bleach and water discs had no zone of inhibition, rubbing alcohol had a small zone, and both hydrogen peroxide and Roccal-D had sizeable zones of inhibition.

Our lab TA also tested other common bacteria, I forget which, but pretty much the general conclusion was that bleach sucked at a 10% solution. This is especially so as most people simply spray and then wipe an area for "disinfecting" it. The problem with this is a lack of contact time. At the research lab (an ABSL-3 facility...research it) I use to work at, using bleach in a proper concentration to get proper solutions, we acidified bleach and used it for disinfecting tools, equipment, and surfaces after necropsies that involved various Centers for Disease Control select agents. One of the tougher agents to clear were anthrax spores. Disinfection, via P&P, called for a 20 minute contact time BEFORE we could even start scrubbing and wiping down surfaces. Tools and surfaces had to be scrubbed for about 5-10 minutes, as a combination of both scrubbing and contact time ensured the breakdown of cell walls of various bacteria.

With all this in mind, per my veterinarian's recommendation I use chlorhexidine or A-33 dry. I'd use Roccal-D, but it is difficult for me to obtain it as a private individual in New Mexico. I do make and use acidified bleach, but it is something that has to be used quickly.

For regular household cleaning, my wife who's a microbiologist, uses no less than a 20% solution of bleach IF she uses bleach. She mostly uses vinegar, hot soapy water, and good old fashion elbow grease.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the info, that sucks that I haven't been cleaning properly. I truly thought I could trust my resources. I'm not that educated, I don't know what chlorhexidine or A-33 are. What are they, where can you get them, and how do you use them?
 
Ya...
I just wing it. A couple glugs of vinegar in a sink half full of HOT water for me :p
Then get a rag and get it soaked in that, wipe down the tanks, then rinse out the tanks twice with HOT water (no vinegar), and dab dry with paper towel, or until air-dried.
 
yeah, I'm all about using as little chemicals in my house hold as possible..
not easy constantly battling my partner on it, (as he does enjoy air fresheners and 'good smells' as he says.. lol yes they do smell good but there all poison, none of them should really be inhaled in close contact, so why are we inhaling them at all?!.. IMHO

I use white vinegar, HOT water, lemon juice and old fasion elbow grease!
.. may not smell the best but its safe, for my pets and family... and much better for the enviroment in the end.
 
This is where we get ours from - it comes in a concentrated gallon that lasts quite a while and is very inexpensive (you mix up the concentration that you want. The dilution factors are on the label depending on the size of bottle that you use to store it in). You can also get it at most local reptile shows from some of the vendors - they sell it in 28oz bottles already diluted. Chlorhexidine is the generic name for Nolvasan if you want to look up the specifics on the disinfectant itself. The only drawback to using this disinfectant is that you will have to watch because it will form particulate in the bottom of your bottle if not changed out during regular intervals.

http://www.jefferspet.com/generic-chlorhexidine-solution/camid/PET/cp/LE-GA/
 
I followed a link posted by Buzzard and read an interesting article. Thanks Buzzard I appreciate the help. It talks about using hydrogen peroxide and vinegar together. You don't mix them together your supposed to spray one on top of the other. It says that a safe chemical reaction happens that kills the bacteria. Regular white vinegar in one bottle, 3 percent hydrogen peroxide in the other. Does anybody do this or know anything about it? It sounds good but I don't know if it actually works.
 
Wow, guys. Great responses! Definatly increased my knowledge of cleaning my sclaey friends cages'!!! Thanks a lot.
 
Lots of good information here. I followed most of the links.

Does anyone know if chlorhexidine kills crypto?
I have been using chlorhexidine and am wondering if I am doing all I can to keep my babies safe?

Thanks for the help everyone.
 
Buzzard said:
This is where we get ours from - it comes in a concentrated gallon that lasts quite a while and is very inexpensive (you mix up the concentration that you want. The dilution factors are on the label depending on the size of bottle that you use to store it in). You can also get it at most local reptile shows from some of the vendors - they sell it in 28oz bottles already diluted. Chlorhexidine is the generic name for Nolvasan if you want to look up the specifics on the disinfectant itself. The only drawback to using this disinfectant is that you will have to watch because it will form particulate in the bottom of your bottle if not changed out during regular intervals.

http://www.jefferspet.com/generic-chlorhexidine-solution/camid/PET/cp/LE-GA/
Click to expand...

Thank You, better price then I'd been paying all these years. Bookmarked & repped. Thanks for sharing. ;)
 
I have been doing more research about cleaning with vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. The most effective way is what I mentioned above, but I learned it works best to leave the two to sit for a while after you spray them separately on top of each other. Its an acidic reaction that occurs that cleans and kills the bacteria. I read from a couple places that it works ten times better then bleach and safe enough to clean your vegetables with it(I guess it leaves a vinegar taste on lettuce so they recommend using a vinaigrette to compliment the taste, lol). I have yet to try it and really can't form an opinion it's just what I have read. I wish I could have shared links to some of the articles but I'm bad with computers and don't know how. I just searched 'how to clean with hydrogen peroxide and vinager) Any better educated people out there that can back this up.
 
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