Safe Ways to Keep Room Smelling Good?

BoomBoom

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May 2, 2012
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Boomer (Sun Conure 9 yrs), Pewpew (Budgie 5 yrs), Ulap (Budgie 2 yrs), Eight & Kiki (Beloved Budgies, RIP)
.

Since we brought Boomer home, we got rid of candles, air freshners, scented oils and colognes. We also got rid of cleaning agents like lysol (I kept one for the bathroom), bleach, windex, even antibacterial dishwashing soap. So I'm left with using a vinegar solution for cleaning and disinfecting.

The problem is the smell isn't very pleasant even with a bit of regular dishwashing soap. It goes a way after a while but since I clean everyday, the scent lingers. I've tried cinnamon sticks, vacuuming regularly, keeping the room airy, large potted plants, air filter... they didn't help much.

What do you use to bring in a little fragrance into your home? Something safe and preferably low maintenance? I've heard of bird-safe candles but I'm still worried about the smoke it will produce. Also, while we are on the subject of scents I'd like to know if the strong odor of vinegar is bad for birds? I clean our birds cages with the vinegar solution.

Thanks in advance!!! :orange::heart:


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Alisana

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Vinegar is all good.

Have you considered natural lemon scent?

Otherwise some flowers have a very nice fragrance. Orchids are nice - depending on the variety you get, there are some with stronger scents then others. (My grandmother keeps a greenhouse and brings in the flowering ones every two-three days to rotate) They're bird safe if I recall correctly - but still use caution and don't encourage eating the orchids.
 

DebsFlock

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Scooter -- male Green Cheek Conure "Normal" but that's a matter of opinion! Hatched in March 2010

Scotty -- Male Cape Parrot hatched somewhere between 2007-2009 we think

Caballo Blanco -- male C
Actually the MSDS warnings on acetic acid (vinegar) are as or more significant than some of the more "chemical" products. I personally would not use a strong vinegar solution in the presence of my birds any sooner than I'd use a strong bleach solution. If it irritates you, it has the potential to irritate a bird, too. I tend to use Poop off exclusively to clean when the birds are present since it seems to be tried and true around parrots.

I'm sure some people think I'm very cavalier, but I don't sweat too much what I'm using elsewhere in the house as long as the birds aren't out in that room until the odor has dissipated and the odor is not getting strong in the room where they are. I think the size and ventilation of the house is key.

I use a variety of cleaning products -- typically not strongly scented except for the bleach based stuff I use to clean the white tile in the kitchen every week or so. I use Method and Mrs.Meyers Clean Day products and I even have a couple of Yankee Candle scented oil diffusers in rooms the birds don't frequent. I wll admit that I stick with products that are either quite mild or which I have been using without issues. And I don't use anything with any significant odor or irritant factor in the presence of the birds.

If I had a one-room apartment, I'd be a lot more conservative and that's probably also true if I didn't have decent ventilation and good vent fans.

MHO and YMMV is that common sense can guide you here. We really don't know exactly which things cause problems and "natural" essential oils can be just as much of an irritant as artificial scents. OTOH, few things are instantly deadly as PTFE fumes are, and those things typically are odorless. Since we have little solid information to go by, it's all what makes YOU feel comfortable that you are doing right by your birds, yourself and your family.
 

kc_y0

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Art - Budgie.
Astro - Budgie.
Mini - Budgie, RIP gorgeous girl.
I would also like to know of some nice scented things I could have around with Audrey. I used to use those oils with the reeds that smelt lovely but had to give them up when Audrey came home! I always try to ventilate the place but I feel its not enough and get conscious about it when guests come over! I will be keeping an eye on this topic!
 

DebsFlock

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Scooter -- male Green Cheek Conure "Normal" but that's a matter of opinion! Hatched in March 2010

Scotty -- Male Cape Parrot hatched somewhere between 2007-2009 we think

Caballo Blanco -- male C
Worse comes to worst, do what we did when our house was on the market -- bake cookies! We got refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough and made a small batch of cookies whentever we expected visitors...
 

Alisana

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When I say natural lemon scent, I mean actual lemon juice, squeezed from a real lemon that you've mixed with a vinegar/water solution. :p

Unless you are heavily disinfecting something, you wouldn't be using straight vinegar. Mine is always a vinegar with warm/hot water mix.

Is your air filter getting cleaned regularly and is it powerful enough? A friend of ours has a macaw and amazon and they keep two air filters in the room to keep the smell down. (Kind of like fermented fruit I guess)
 

Spiritbird

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In the summer, I like to boil lemon and orange rinds to give the house a fresh, natural fragrance. In the winter, cinnamon sticks and orange rinds will perfume your home with a cozy aroma. It is also a great way to clean and refresh a garbage disposal if you have one.
 

Karyns

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Lutino cockatiel and soon a baby Green Cheek Conure
I too like my house to smell fresh and having 6 dogs in addition to 2 birds this is a must! After doing some searching online I heard of Mia Bella Candles...they are all natural wax (not paraffin) and 100% cotton wick....I just burned one last evening.....house smelled great but was not an overbearing smell that you couldn't breath and burned it in my kitchen whereas my birds are right next door in my living room. They are still alive!! lol I also have become friendly with a woman who has 2 african greys and she said she burns Yankee candles at least 20 feet from her birds and has never had a problem. I had a cockatiel years ago and my husband and I do not remember ever not burning candles with the bird in the house......when we started having kids we could not give him the attention so my husbands best friend took him......he's 16 years old now and still going!!!
 

WannaBeAParrot

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Pritti (Cherry-Head Conure) -- Fly in Peace my beautiful boy. Forever I'll love you.
For cleaning -- I wrote about this in a different thread -- I have been using the produce wash you can buy in the supermarket, Whole Foods, health food stores. I buy the concentrate and dilute it according to instructions. Sometimes I use it in more concentration for items (like when I buy new bird toys and things -- I soak them in a concentrated solution and then rinse soak and rinse again). This stuff is made for cleaning chemicals and dirt off produce and does a magnificent job. It is amazing as a cleaner for counters, cages, floors. Totally non-toxic and has a light citrus scent. You can also buy it premixed in a spray bottle. Try the produce section if you are interested. Someone wrote about how to make your own - but it included vinegar I think. I use vinegar every now and then, for bathroom tiles.

How I started using produce wash "off label" -- My cleanliness-queen cousin was visiting for a week -- was constantly wiping counters and sinks and glass. After a few days she said - you're out of the great cleaner, i used it all up. Then I realized she was using the produce wash, lol. I told her what it was and she said it's "The Best!". It is pretty darned good and non toxic and much cheaper than the Poop clothss and spray i used to buy at the bird store

For fragrance --I've done the bake cookies/muffins thing too on days when people are coming over and we are not cooking food. Another easy thing I do is boil a pot of water with cinnamon powder in it (I suppose u could use sticks instead) - the fragrance moves throughout the area. Another thing is to cut up a fresh citrus fruit - the fragrance just seems to permeate and hang in the air for a while. So you can cut half now in to slices and half later. Eat it and the fragrance seems to release in air even more. Save the rinds - let them dry for potpurri (I learned that in grade school arts and crafts class).
 

brianlinkles

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i am the mom of three parrots:
Dorothy- African grey (cag)
Bowie- blue and gold macaw
Nellie- hyacinth macaw
Reggie- hyacinth macaw
Marnie- white bellied caique
My vet has told me that soy candles are safe around birds. I do not burn them right next to the birds however I do burn them throughout the house. I agree with Debsflock, if I had a small apt. I would be more careful where I burn it. I do however burn them often in different rooms from the birds. I have even used candles that were not soy however the one thing I will always be cautious of is that the wick is cotton. Do not use any wick where there is the presence of metal. I also swear by grapefruit seed extract mixed with water. I used to only use poop off for the cages however I tend to be a clean freak and it was getting very expensive. Now I buy the gse mixed with water. I use it to clean out the water bowl several times during the day, cages, floor etc. I have researched and found it has a higher rate of anti bacterial than even soap used to scrub before surgeries! Very economical however it really has no odor so it will not add any type of freshness to the air!
 
OP
BoomBoom

BoomBoom

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Boomer (Sun Conure 9 yrs), Pewpew (Budgie 5 yrs), Ulap (Budgie 2 yrs), Eight & Kiki (Beloved Budgies, RIP)
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Thank you for all the suggestions! I'll write a longer post later as I'm about to get ready for shower. But real quickly...

On cleaning, I didn't know vinegar could be as harmful as bleach-based products :( I've been using a 15% distilled vinegar solution with water. Cages, kitchen floors, counters, food dishes and toys get cleaned with it. The apartment is not big so I'm sure Boomer smells it. Im glad you posted that, Deb.

I am now very interested in the produce wash WannabeaParrot suggested. I'll look for it at Walmart later!!! I may even squeeze a bit of lemon juice in it unless that would mess up the whole solution.

On the scents... I like the idea of boiling lemons and cinnamon. How long does the scent linger? How often would I need to boil a batch? I have to admit, I am looking for something that would require minimal effort :) With full time work and caring for Boomer and the budgies plus my other hobbies, time management gets tricky sometimes!

Thanks again for the wonderful responses. Keep those suggestions coming!

PS. What is GSE? I'll make sure the air filter is maintained, thanks.
 
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Oedipussrex

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Worse comes to worst, do what we did when our house was on the market -- bake cookies! We got refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough and made a small batch of cookies whentever we expected visitors...

hahaha i was going to say the exact same thing, except with cupcakes!!!
omnomnomnom :smile054:
 

dawnkyung

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Banner, Amazon Parrot
I use Pet Focus for everything that Banner sits on or comes into contact with. We have a cleaning lady that comes every other week and she washes our floors, counters, tables, anything glass with Fabuloso and Windex - but we also have a well ventilated house with cross breezes all over the place when you open the windows. We never have left a bird in the house while she is cleaning - they always go out with us for a drive or a walk, or have some time in the travel cage outside on the porch. I haven't had any problems even though the Fabuloso can be strong during the cleaning and immediately after, before we open the windows and turn on the fans.
 

friedsoup

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Senegal Male Bogart
Reminds me of an old song.[If I knew your were coming I'd have Baked a cake.] regular cooking makes the house smell great I still remember a house I went into as a child she used to make Ginger snap cookies, I still melt at the smell of Ginger snaps.
 

BreannPearlLang

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for smell, i boil stuff. like sliced oranges, sliced lemons, and cinnamon. it fills the whole house up with a great smell.
 

Spiritbird

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Yes soy wax and bees wax candles are safe, and the most expensive. I burn beeswax at times. It is the parafin that is toxic to birds and most likely people too.
 
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BoomBoom

BoomBoom

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Boomer (Sun Conure 9 yrs), Pewpew (Budgie 5 yrs), Ulap (Budgie 2 yrs), Eight & Kiki (Beloved Budgies, RIP)
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Hi everyone. I scoured Walmart, Vons and BuyLow (a big supermarket), none of them carried vegetable wash :( So I will have to settle with the vinegar solution (just 5% vinegar this time), until I can get my hands on one.

I am now boiling lemons like most of you recommended. i Cut 2 lemons in 4 quarters and filled half a pot with water. How long do I boil it? Also leaving it boiling for too long is not harmful right? I am using a stainless steel pot.

Thank you again!!!
 
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BoomBoom

BoomBoom

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Boomer (Sun Conure 9 yrs), Pewpew (Budgie 5 yrs), Ulap (Budgie 2 yrs), Eight & Kiki (Beloved Budgies, RIP)
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I didn't know lemon was good for them too haah!
 

DebsFlock

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Parrots
Scooter -- male Green Cheek Conure "Normal" but that's a matter of opinion! Hatched in March 2010

Scotty -- Male Cape Parrot hatched somewhere between 2007-2009 we think

Caballo Blanco -- male C
...
On cleaning, I didn't know vinegar could be as harmful as bleach-based products :( I've been using a 15% distilled vinegar solution with water.

To be fair, you generally don't encounter really strong vinegars, but the acetic acid in it is inherently irritating. I don't think residual vinegar odor is likely too much of a problem, but working with a strong solution right around the birds could be. It's true that it's not nearly as toxic if ingested, some people actually add a small amount of cider vinegar to the birds' water.

On the flip side, a small amount of residual bleach odor is also not a big deal as far as I can tell. You just don't want it around full-strength, and you definitely don't want it ingested.

Someone may have answered this already and I missed it, but GSE is grapefruit seed extract. It initially looked like a very promising "natural" antibacterial but subsequent testing with preservative free samples didn't reproduce the results from earlier tests with preserved versions... I use a tiny bit of the preserved kind when I make sprouts. It is possible the preservatives are actually what has the disinfectant effect.

I'd be careful about offering lemons too often (citrus in general). I do offer it occasionally, but raw tomato is considered too acidic to feed regularly, and lemon is very acidic as well.
 

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