Cage Cleaning Service (steam)

lpolliard · May 27, 2014

Wouldn't this be nice? I found myself wishing this was an option as Chico's cage got more disgusting. No worries, his cage got a thorough cleaning last weekend. I do admit I should be cleaning his cage more frequently but so does my house

. Over a year ago I did some research on a portable steam cleaner. The unit price was out of reach as a personal device ($4K) and a rental was not to be found. I even asked my house cleaning service for a quote but I would prefer a good steam cleaning and sterilization. Anyone out there seen someone offering this service?

Maybe I can generate some interest in this business model. What would you pay for someone to come in with a mobile steam cleaning rig to clean and sterilize your large bird cage (Macaw size)?

getwozzy · May 27, 2014

I have not seen or heard of anyone doing mobile cage-cleaning, but I haven't really looked for it either ...I use one of these, which works great and has multiple uses...

Birdman666 · May 27, 2014

Exactly.

I paid less than $100 for mine. Worth it's weight in gold for steam cleaning cages.

lpolliard · May 27, 2014

It seems like the output would make a long day of cleaning. I was thinking a high pressure steam cleaner would be needed. Which one did you get and what makes it so valuable? How do you use it? Do you steam the area and it blows off the unwanted material to the floor? Or do you have to steam it to loosen it up then hit it with a stream of water?

labell · May 27, 2014

I didn't vote, not because I like cleaning cages but because I am cheap when it comes to something I can do myself!

I groom my own standard poodle which is a major job. I shelled out a ton of cash at first to get all the appropriate grooming supplies but now it costs me nothing but having blades occasionally sharpened. A good groomer for a Standard can run between $65-$95 plus tip,

that's every 4 to 8 weeks depending how neat you like your dog I like mine very neat!

I do think this would be a great idea to throw out there if your area is wealthy enough for that sort of thing and you could get a regular clientele, after all there are people who pay others to maintain and clean their salt water tanks. I did that myself as well back when I had salt water tanks

, but I knew plenty of people who paid for that service.

Birdman666 · May 27, 2014

I just zap it with a steam cleaner, it melts the poop, and then I wipe it down with a towel. Takes a big job and makes it a smaller job...

Keep in mind, at one time I had 11 cages and three playstands to clean.

(Now I ONLY have 5 cages and four playstands to clean! (Much better...) :32:

I forgot the name of it, but one tank of water is enough to do all five cages.

thekarens · May 27, 2014

I'll raise you one standard poodle and add two Maltese. We've always done them all ourselves. I'm the bather and my partner is the clipper. HOWEVER, if I could afford to have my dogs professionally groomed and someone come steam the cages I'd jump on it in a heart beat.

I agree that would need the kind of clientele that can afford a housekeeper, etc.

RavensGryf · May 27, 2014

I don't know about a large macaw cage, but for a smaller medium size, IF I was feeling way too lazy (or busy), I'd pay ONE TIME to have a deep cleaning then keep it up myself after that so that it doesn't get bad enough to ever warrant paying for the service again.

Honestly, Robin's cage can use a DEEP clean. It's because he's use the cage for two decades, and anyone who's used a cage for many years knows that it will have stained areas no matter how meticulously you clean it on a daily basis. Especially if it's black.

SO... Though I'm not wealthy, if I had an extra $40-50 for ONE TIME I might consider it.

Terry57 · May 27, 2014

My hubby and I were just talking about getting a steam cleaner, thank you for that pic, Shirre

We have 17 cages and 5 stands to keep clean, and it is so hard during the long winters to keep them all clean by washing in the bathtub. Sounds like a good investment

If I were rich I would definitely pay for a service that would do that for me, though!

Birdbrain91 · May 28, 2014

I would love to use one on my Sun conure's cage she holds on the door and poops on it all the time. I've been using Poop Off but I'll have to look into a steamer. Would any steam cleaner work?

RavensGryf · May 28, 2014

Birdbrain91 said:
I would love to use one on my Sun conure's cage she holds on the door and poops on it all the time

Same here! Robin always gets it running down the bars on the door

then it gets in the lock (which is black also). With all the crevices it's impossible after some time to not have that white stain.

If you know what I'm talking about by "white stain" (on black cage), does a steam cleaner take that off?

getwozzy · May 28, 2014

Terry57 said:
My hubby and I were just talking about getting a steam cleaner, thank you for that pic, Shirre We have 17 cages and 5 stands to keep clean, and it is so hard during the long winters to keep them all clean by washing in the bathtub. Sounds like a good investment
If I were rich I would definitely pay for a service that would do that for me, though!

The thing I like about the Gruene is that it wasn't too expensive, I can use it on my kitchen and bathroom floors, and it's easy to pack around and steam stuff. The steam power this one has is pretty good for it's size- use just the nozzle to steam blast stuff off or use one of the brush attachments to steam and scrub... It hasn't let me down!

I've also found it easier to try and do spot cleans/wipe downs on areas that get regular traffic, and then deep clean the whole cage weekly.

I've also heard of lightly "greasing" the grate bars with coconut oil -which prevents the poops from sticking to it... I haven't tried this yet, but next time I do a deep clean I'll give it a shot!

getwozzy · May 28, 2014

RavensGryf said:
Birdbrain91 said:

I would love to use one on my Sun conure's cage she holds on the door and poops on it all the time

Click to expand...

Same here! Robin always gets it running down the bars on the door then it gets in the lock (which is black also). With all the crevices it's impossible after some time to not have that white stain.

If you know what I'm talking about by "white stain" (on black cage), does a steam cleaner take that off?

A steam cleaner would get it off- if you hold the nozzle close enough, the super hot steam basically melts stuff off... Or you can use a scrubber attachment and steam and scrub at the same time. Either way, it should get all the nasties off

Dopey · May 28, 2014

I voted and I would pay for it. I have fibromyalgia and to have someone else do the job twice a year would be awesome.

Damicodric · May 28, 2014

Steam cleaners are great. Poop Off is a God send. We try to do daily touch ups, instead of 3 hours on a Saturday. The cage cleaning idea is nice, but as a "business model" .... The market is non existant. Bankruptcy court would welcome you in 120 days. Unless, of course, you tied this to and cross marketed it with some other cleaning business - like house cleaning, carpet cleaning, etc. Many car detailers clean with steam through high end steam extractors. I'm sure those guys would do it for a quick 25 bucks. It may be an ancillary revenue stream in those situations, but as a stand alone business - you're better off trying to sell ice in Alaska.

RavensGryf · May 28, 2014

Ignorant question, but what sort of place would rent a steam cleaner? I'd be more interested in renting one for very occasional use, rather than purchasing one.

lpolliard · May 28, 2014

RavensGryf said:
Ignorant question, but what sort of place would rent a steam cleaner? I'd be more interested in renting one for very occasional use, rather than purchasing one.

I called a few construction tools rental stores in Orange County and couldn't find one available. Might have to dig deeper to find a rental. I recently found one for sale on Craigslist. He wanted $3500.

RavensGryf · May 28, 2014

Sounds like a nice unique idea, but Damicodric does have a point. Not only in this economy, but I live right around the corner in a neighboring city from the OP, and knowing someone who has a service business in the area, I can tell you even in the wealthy areas around us people are extremely tight, and they just won't pay. Competition is fierce out here too.

lpolliard · May 28, 2014

getwozzy said:
I've also heard of lightly "greasing" the grate bars with coconut oil -which prevents the poops from sticking to it... I haven't tried this yet, but next time I do a deep clean I'll give it a shot!

Coconut oil would probably work. I use Pam spray on my grate and it makes clean up very easy. One or two passes with a sponge/scrubby and its clean.

RavensGryf · May 28, 2014

lpolliard said:
I called a few construction tools rental stores in Orange County and couldn't find one available. Might have to dig deeper to find a rental. I recently found one for sale on Craigslist. He wanted $3500.

$3,500 to buy used? Doesn't even sound right.

OMG.

Cage Cleaning Service (steam)

How much would you pay a service to steam clean (sterilize) a large Macaw sized cage?

$0 - I like cleaning cages

$30

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Removing stains

wing clipping/bonding

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