Cage cleaning - I've found perfection

ScottinSoCal

Member
Sep 7, 2019
66
73
Ventura County, CA, USA
Parrots
Had a Blue Front Amazon. Now have an African Grey (CAG)
I’ve always thought it was a good idea to patronize small, locally-owned businesses. The profits typically stay in the local area, instead of being shipped out to corporate headquarters and then distributed internationally to stockholders. Plus, they’re more committed to staying in business. That meant that when the pressure washer I use to clean Scooter’s cage decided to go on permanent vacation, I didn’t mind going to my locally-owned home and garden store to get a replacement. But this time the rewards were a lot more tangible and immediate.
They first said they weren’t sure if they had what I was looking for – an electric pressure washer. They had several gas models in the back warehouse, but we haven’t had good luck with small gas engines. Besides, they burn gas, and I generate my own electricity these days. Then hubs spied a dusty, warped box shoved clear in the back, on the ground. The guy pulled it out, the box had obviously been wet, the bottom of it had rotted completely away. He pulled open the lid, and everything was still in there, still neatly packed and wrapped in plastic. He said he didn’t know how long it had been there. He said I’d be doing him a favor if I was willing to take it for $20, but it had been wet, he wasn’t sure it would still work. I pointed out that it was a pressure washer – it’s designed to get wet. And I’d be happy to risk $20 on it.
Brought it home, unpacked it out in the driveway (no silverfish in the house!), and it looks fantastic. Connected it to the hosebib, plugged it in, and it works perfectly. Better than the old one, because it has a tip called a “turbo wash”. 2100 PSI blows through fossilized food scraps and parrot poop without even trying. And it has all standard fittings, so the handles, hoses, and spray tips from the old sprayer will work on this one. And it’s much quieter. Parrot owners – this is the pressure washer you want to clean your cages. It retails for $300, but if you’re lucky they’ll have one in an old soggy box, tucked in the back. Karcher K2100.
 

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ScottinSoCal

ScottinSoCal

Member
Sep 7, 2019
66
73
Ventura County, CA, USA
Parrots
Had a Blue Front Amazon. Now have an African Grey (CAG)
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I would just be careful or you will blast off the powder coat on the cage. Sadly, I speak of experience.:cry:
The turbo wash tip rotates a super thin stream of water in a circle, rapidly, making a cone of cleaning area. It reduces the force of the water, and spreads the cleaning area so I don't have to aim it perfectly on things like the bottom grate.

Honestly, since I switched to a pressure washer I'll never turn back. I can have the cage and all the perches immaculate in less than half an hour, another half hour for it to dry in the sun, and I can wheel it back in the house. And this cage has been pressure washed for 5+ years, and it's never been a problem.
 

LeeC

Well-known member
Jun 5, 2019
343
Media
3
397
Harrisburg, PA
Parrots
Timneh: Grady;
Senegal: Charlie;
Sun Conure: Peaches (deceased)
Senegal: Georgia
Peach-fronted Conure: Milton (foster)
Brown-throated Conure: Pumpkin (foster)
Senegal: Fletcher
Senegal: Ivy
The turbo wash tip rotates a super thin stream of water in a circle, rapidly, making a cone of cleaning area. It reduces the force of the water, and spreads the cleaning area so I don't have to aim it perfectly on things like the bottom grate.

Honestly, since I switched to a pressure washer I'll never turn back. I can have the cage and all the perches immaculate in less than half an hour, another half hour for it to dry in the sun, and I can wheel it back in the house. And this cage has been pressure washed for 5+ years, and it's never been a problem.
Does it blow the bark off (perches/branches) or just the "soiling"?!
 

LeeC

Well-known member
Jun 5, 2019
343
Media
3
397
Harrisburg, PA
Parrots
Timneh: Grady;
Senegal: Charlie;
Sun Conure: Peaches (deceased)
Senegal: Georgia
Peach-fronted Conure: Milton (foster)
Brown-throated Conure: Pumpkin (foster)
Senegal: Fletcher
Senegal: Ivy
I actually got this one quite recently, but I have not tried it yet.


I didn't pay retail, but I did not get the deal you did, @ScottinSoCal.
 

ravvlet

Well-known member
Jun 25, 2019
2,349
7,081
Seattle WA
Parrots
Kirby - OWA, 33yrs old (2019-)
Broccoli - Dusky Conure - 3?mo old (July 2023 -)
~~~
(Rehomed) Sammy - YNA, 45 yrs old (2022-2023)
(RIP) Cricket - Cockatiel (2019-2022)
Woah, that’s awesome. I’m so jealous; we wheel the cages out once a month for their deep clean (I wipe everything down daily) but I just have a hose… which means scrubbing. Certainly more than a half hour’s worth.

I didn’t know electric pressure washers were a thing to be honest. I’m going to look into that now!

Kirby’s cage unfortunately already has some issues with the powder coat so I think we are going to replace it.
 

LeeC

Well-known member
Jun 5, 2019
343
Media
3
397
Harrisburg, PA
Parrots
Timneh: Grady;
Senegal: Charlie;
Sun Conure: Peaches (deceased)
Senegal: Georgia
Peach-fronted Conure: Milton (foster)
Brown-throated Conure: Pumpkin (foster)
Senegal: Fletcher
Senegal: Ivy
Woah, that’s awesome. I’m so jealous; we wheel the cages out once a month for their deep clean (I wipe everything down daily) but I just have a hose… which means scrubbing. Certainly more than a half hour’s worth.

I didn’t know electric pressure washers were a thing to be honest. I’m going to look into that now!

Kirby’s cage unfortunately already has some issues with the powder coat so I think we are going to replace it.
You can get garden-hose sprayers that produce a thinner, higher-pressure stream. I've used them. They are somewhere between a regular hose sprayer and a pressure washer.

1669669181269.png
 

ravvlet

Well-known member
Jun 25, 2019
2,349
7,081
Seattle WA
Parrots
Kirby - OWA, 33yrs old (2019-)
Broccoli - Dusky Conure - 3?mo old (July 2023 -)
~~~
(Rehomed) Sammy - YNA, 45 yrs old (2022-2023)
(RIP) Cricket - Cockatiel (2019-2022)
Oh thanks! We had a nice one but the hose dry rotted and broke, and the replacement I got at the time is just meh. Neither cage gets too dirty thankfully so I bet I could get by with these and not need a high pressure thing!
 

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