disinfect new toys with ethanol 70% - is it enough?

[zana]

I want to buy these toys. Boiling for 5-10 min. will ruin them. Can I just spray them with ethanol 70% and let them dry?

Играчка за Папагал 30 х 10 см. - Nobby

Играчка за Папагал 30 х 10 см. - Nobby

zoozazo.com

Играчка за Птици "Звезда" 30 см. - Savic

Играчка за Птици "Звезда" 30 см. - Savic

zoozazo.com

Играчка за среден или голям Папагал, тропически водопад - Benelux

Играчка за среден или голям Папагал, тропически водопад - Benelux

zoozazo.com

Кокосова играчка за Папагал, топки с кокосови влакна - Benelux

Кокосова играчка за Папагал, топки с кокосови влакна - Benelux

zoozazo.com

If toys was wooden - boil and bake for 10min>done.

 

[abababa]

I'd be more worried the ethanol will soak into the toy or not fully dry and poison the bird - ethanol is alcohol, which is very dangerous for birds. Is there a reason you're worried these toys will be bacteria-ridden (are they second hand or something?).

If you want to treat them for bacteria, I'd use a standard non-toxic antibacterial cleanser, then rinse thoroughly, rather than spraying with ethanol. You risk doing more harm than good if you treat bird toys with alcohol or a super-potent toxic cleanser.

 

[zana]

If you want to treat them for bacteria, I'd use a standard non-toxic antibacterial cleanser

Would you recommend some good cleanser?
Most ppl recommend vinegaer, baking soda, but I'm almost 100% sure, that ethanol is much better for desinfection.
I use it more than a year to clean food/water dishes and the cage. Spray>wait 10 min> wipe with toilet paper or wash with clean water. Why is dangerous? I'm not using it in the room where is my lovebird.

About toys - I never would buy used toys. I'm just not sure how to desinfect them. Ethanol maybe will ruin them

edit: I read that ethanol does not need to be washed, like bleach. After evaporation is completely safe.

 

[Skarila]

Would you recommend some good cleanser?
Most ppl recommend vinegaer, baking soda, but I'm almost 100% sure, that ethanol is much better for desinfection.
I use it more than a year to clean food/water dishes and the cage. Spray>wait 10 min> wipe with toilet paper or wash with clean water. Why is dangerous? I'm not using it in the room where is my lovebird.

About toys - I never would buy used toys. I'm just not sure how to desinfect them. Ethanol maybe will ruin them

edit: I read that ethanol does not need to be washed, like bleach. After evaporation is completely safe.

Ethanol should be fine as long you let it dry out. Alcohol evaporates fairly easily and quickly, so there wouldn't be much time for the wood to actually soak it up and keep it...

It is also worth mentioning that Ethanol is safe for consuption in humans, unlike methanol. Traces of ethanol (if any) will not harm the bird.

However it is worth mentioning that ethanol is good only against bacteria and viruses, but not fungi. There is a single disinfectant that was specially made for animals, including birds - called F10 SC. It is a wide spectrum disinfectant and 100% safe for birds. This would be your best and safest bet. seems pricy, but it can last you a looong time, since you must dilute it.

F10® SC Veterinary Disinfectant – Product Information – F10 Products

www.f10products.co.uk

 

[zana]

F10 SC

can't find it in my country

 

[SailBoat]

We have always used Dawn Original dish washing soap in hot, fresh water and used fresh cool water to rise them and placed them in direct Sun light to dry them remembering to turn them so that all faces are exposed to the Sun light.

 

[zana]

We have always used Dawn Original dish washing soap

I use dish washing soap too to wash and clean her cage. Before that I spray whole cage with ethanol 70%, waiingt 30 min. then wash thoroughly with 60°C water.
btw, some toys are sysal rope with paper, wood, plastic etc ...if ethanol evaporated completely, toy shouldn't be toxic or I'm wrong?
And rope perches with plastic screws...how to clean it? If I boil it, then plastic will be damaged or....plastic melt at 160°C, water boil - 100°C...so should be safe?

 

[vljenewein]

edit: I read that ethanol does not need to be washed, like bleach. After evaporation is completely safe.

Yes I worked as a Winemaker in the lab, and we had access to 95% Ethanol that we used for Port production. Higher % of EtOH aka Ethanol will completely evaporate. Vodka is around 40%, not high enough to evaporate as well. Everclear, grain alcohol is pretty good bet. IF you leave it out in air circulation for several hours there will be no alcohol residue left. It will kill bacteria and viruses. Also UV light works well as does Ozone with no harmful effects.

 

[vljenewein]

Don't over worry about the sterility of toys. In the wild they are exposed to everything that nature has. Just be clean and don't worry too much. You could put a bird in a completely sterilized cage and as soon as he/she is in there and shits, or a breeze comes along it is NO LONGER sterile. They don't need absolute sterile, just reasonably clean.