Is which brand of soap is safest to use to clean a hamster's cage?

Question

I hope my hamie lives a long life! I want it's cage to be clean...but I'm not sure if bleach is ok. I want to be 100% sure! Help me please!

Answer 1

Certain kinds of Dawn soap both clean and disinfect the cage. It's also gentle enough not to harm your hamster in case residue in unknowingly left over, and the hamster chews on a part of the cage that had that residue.

Answer 2

buy the super pet cage disentfectant. it cleans the best, leaves a nice scent, and is non toxic.

Answer 3

For weekly cleaning, just some mild dishwasher liquid will do. There's no point in totally sanitizing the place, and strong cleaning agents will be much more harmfull to your hamster than some few leftover bacteria.

Answer 4

If you use bleach you need to dilute it in water and rinse THOROUGHLY, and let it dry outside to air out for a day or so. Bleach is very irritating to the sense and can hurt your hamster's lungs. I only use it during real heavy duty cleanings, like when my rat got mites and I had to clean the cage to get rid of them.

I like to use vinegar. It's a natural cleaner, and does really well. It also doesn't hurt their lungs a bit. You can also do vinegar, then hydrogen peroxide.

Answer 5

Soap can be used for cleaning purposes, but it won't disinfect at all.  If you use soap, consider using an organic cleaner (natural ingredients are better for your pet, too!).

Bleach is only necessary if you need to sanitize your cage if your hamster has picked up some kind of virus, or there is mold in the cage.  Use sparingly, use diluted, wash thoroughly afterwards....it's bad for your little pets lungs.

White vinegar is much better than either soap alone or bleach. It is a cleaner plus a disinfectant for bacteria.  It is safe for pets and for you, and leaves no lasting odor. Once vinegar dries, there is no odor, so your pets won't even know you used it!  Vinegar is also great at eliminating urine odors, even if you can't smell it, chances are your hamsters can.

Here is a great article that lists cleaners, and what they clean (bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal).

http://ratguide.com/care/environment/cag...

But for typical cleanings, washing with vinegar (diluted or full strength), rinsing with water, and drying well, will be your best bet - safe and effective!

Good luck!

Answer 6

You can never go wrong with vinegar.  It smells bad, but people have used it for so many years for cleaning.  It's also very cheap and environmentally safe.

Answer 7

Don't use bleach.  Any washing-up liquid is fine.  Rinse well.