I know there are a few of you out there who steam-clean your cages.

Do you find it easier or more of a pain than washing with a hose outdoors? Do you have one of the very expensive ones or do the ones in the $120-$200 range work OK? Any other comments or thoughts on steam cleaners

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I had one once upon a time. It took the finish right off a faucet...so I tossed it. It just seemed too likely to wreck stuff.

I just wash my cages with a scrubby sponge and maybe a little vinegar.

I always do it with the cages I get from CL, even of they look clean, and maybe once or twice a year with the other ones. It works very well, but I'm just too lazy to do it.

I have a steamer, but it's a cheap one.. like $75ish? Not sure, my MIL sent it. I tried it on the cage, but I didn't love it. Seemed just as easy to slap a wet towel on the gunk and then scrape it with a razorblade a few minutes later.

My preferred method is definitely outside with the hose. I can't get Zephyr's cage out of the house without taking it apart, but hubby and I can disassemble it and have it outside in 10 minutes. Same for putting it back together. And then the hose is just so FAST!

The steamer I felt like I was meticulously going over every inch of the cage, whereas with the hose it's just.. point and shoot. And I don't have to practically crawl into the cage to steam the floors.

So thinking of the upcoming winter here in Portland where a hose outdoors is not a practical option, I think I am going to try a steamer (also kind of interested on how it does on the bathroom and kitchen). Have it narrowed down to 3, but not a clue where to go from here. I don't what nozzles, features or what constitute a good cleaner. Any insight on which of these 3 might be best?

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Almost thinking I'm at the "point of confusion" where I might draw the option I'll go with out of a hat lol!

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I have this one:
I really like it. It holds a lot of water and will go for quite a while without having to have a refill/reheat. It has a really strong steam stream and comes with several nylon scrubbers. I use distilled water to avoid mineral buildup, which was a problem on my older unit. Being a mega neatfreak, I never really let my cages get so nasty they have to be rolled outside for cleaning anyway, so the steam bath about once a week, and daily cleanings, of course, really keeps them clean without the inconvenience of taking outdoors. Plus, when you totally spray down a big cage outdoors with the water hose, water can get inside the iron bars, causing rust, which runs down legs and shows up at corners and such later. I have 10-year-old-plus Avian Adventures cages and a few old-style Kings Cages (back when they were good) and I've been steam cleaning them since I've had them (I used to have a cheaper model of steamer called a Shark, I think). Those cages look almost brand new. I also like the McCulloch mophead tool, which gets REALLY hot and TRULY steam cleans the tile floor under the parrot cages.

The only thing I had a problem with was seeing a bit of berry juice on my wall and THINKING shooting with a quick steam squirt would take care of it. It did. . . but it removed the paint doing it. Whoops.

I decided to bite the bullet and pick one. The Sienna Eco-Canister Steamer dropped in price on Amazon to $114.00 so I got it before it went back up. I figure it's somewhere to start thats not terribly expensive in case it is a pain or I don't like steam cleaning but also not so cheap it's going to be a bad experience and a total POS that never had a chance of working out. And if I find I really like it, I can always look into upgrading at some point to a bigger/more powerful one

OOwl- I will keep in mind to go easy on painted surfaces! I am starting to notice small rust spots (nothing of concern at this point) on Kiwi's cage, and it's only a few years old. We plan to upgrade to a stainless one in a few months, but I hope a steam cleaner will keep this very expensive stainless cage pristine (or as pristine as a cage with a feathery mess monster as the tenant can be)

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So I got the steamer and WOW it's awesome! I took Kiwi's rug from underneath his cage outside to hose down, but once that's dry, I'm going to do his cage. Instead, I tested the steamer in the bathroom. A "deep cleaning" usually takes me about an hour or so, due to being totally OCD and making sure every nook and cranny is spick and span. The steamer easily cut the time in half! I bet this is going to do great with Kiwi's cage, toys and perches! So excited to try!

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Oh my... I think I know what I want for a Christmas present from my boyfriend this year. I've been interested in steam cleaners and the like for cleaning cages and everything else, but never really tried looking too far into it. After reading this thread however, I don't think I'll be able to resist!

We have a REALLY cheap hand held steamer. I think it was under $40. It works great, melting dried on birdy poop in an instant. I also use it in the shower, great for vaporizing mildew. The ONLY thing I would change is that I wish it held more water. But for the money, I feel like I got a good deal!

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Fiji & Sundance