What sprays/cleaning products shouldn't be used in my home?

[Crayfish066]

Are there any sprays or cleaning products that are strictly off limits for use in my home?
I have mainly owned just dogs most of my life so I am surprised so many precautions are necessary when living with a bird.

I personally don't use anything that I believe could endanger my bird however my family seem to think I am worrying over nothing.

I've also read that scented candles are a big no no, are they okay if they are used downstairs and my parrot is upstairs?
If so how long should I leave it before taking my parrot into a room where they have been used?

 

[LordTriggs]

in short, almost all "traditional" cleaning supplies are bad. all I have in my house now is a hoover, steam cleaner and white vinegar (oh my god why did nobody tell me of it before I got into bird ownership!)

as for smells and stuff nothing beats having the window open when your bird is in the cage. Luckily my windows have a very special lock system letting them allow air in whilst not being possible for even the smartest of birds to get out. Out side of that a couple flowers from the safe list or boiling some orange peel works wonders.

Unfortunately birds have such a fragile respiratory system, it's the sole reason canaries became famous after all being sent into the mines to alert the minors to fumes

 

[Crayfish066]

in short, almost all "traditional" cleaning supplies are bad. all I have in my house now is a hoover, steam cleaner and white vinegar (oh my god why did nobody tell me of it before I got into bird ownership!)

as for smells and stuff nothing beats having the window open when your bird is in the cage. Luckily my windows have a very special lock system letting them allow air in whilst not being possible for even the smartest of birds to get out. Out side of that a couple flowers from the safe list or boiling some orange peel works wonders.

Unfortunately birds have such a fragile respiratory system, it's the sole reason canaries became famous after all being sent into the mines to alert the minors to fumes

Should he be okay as long as these products aren't used in the same room as him and are allowed to clear before allowing him in the rooms where it's been used?

I'm all for not using this stuff at all but convincing family members may prove difficult.

 

[Kiwibird]

Get a steam cleaner. They are one of he best cleaning things EVER. A steam cleaner, white vinegar and baking soda are all you need for 99.999% of household cleaning tasks. Add borax, washing soda and unscented Castile soap and you can make virtually anything you need to clean the house! I make all my cleaning supplies- all purpose cleaner, soft scrub, laundry soap, dryer sheets, disinfecting wipes, dish soap etc... The only store bought chemicals I have is barkeepers friend because occasionally baking soda just isn't enough for pans, but the powder has no odor and is not used near Kiwi and magic erasers (those things really are magic! but again, I do not use them near Kiwi even though they have no scent).

Scented candles are a no-no. Some people use natural soy or beeswax with natural scents, but I wouldn't even use those near birds airspace, but would probably say it would be safe to use a natural candle with a natural scent in another room. But you need to be 100% sure it is really using natural wax and scents. The really strong smelling ones you get from regular stores are just a big no. The wax is toxic when heated, the scents are toxic. I use essential oils for nice smells. I have a diffuser, which works really nicely and I just yesterday bought one of those plug in scent warmers. I put some coconut oil as a carrier oil and a blend of essential oils and spices (literally a teaspoon of pumpkin spice and cinnamon!) and it smelled just like a fall candle

 

[Kentuckienne]

I confess I do use some cleaners in the kitchen - Clorox clean-up, Clorox green all-purpose cleaner, windex. Mostly because I have big amounts of those, and once I use them up I may go back to home-made. Most commercial cleaners are just a mix of water, surfactants, alcohol and vinegar which aren't toxic unless you spray them where the bird might inhale the vapor. The most dangerous part is whatever they put in for scent, so look for unscientific or natural-ish versions. Avoid that stuff called "Simple Green" - I don't know what's in it but it irritates my respiratory tract something awful. I hate that stuff.

That's all just my opinion and other folks may feel differently. You have to pick your battles. There can be a risk in insisting other people in the house follow rules they don't understand. If they think you are overreacting, and see that it does no obvious harm to use a forbidden but relatively innocuous item, they could decide all the rules are wolf-cries and then do something truly dangerous. I agree fully that in an ideal world everything would be "pure".

Insist on this, at a minimum: no teflon to other non-stick cooking utensils in the house, period. That means non-stick skillets, cookie sheets, cake pans. No toaster ovens with non-stick coating inside. No candles on the bird's floor and none in the open space where he is, period - even an unscented candle creates nanoparticles of soot. All cleaners kept to the other side of the room. Take birdie out of the cage before using poop-off or cleaners on the cage. If you can pick up an inexpensive hand held steamer that's the best. No smoking in the house. Make sure there's a list of bird-toxic foods posted so guests don't unwittingly give him chocolate or avocado etc. No air freshener, Febreeze, any aerosol sprays of any kind. If somebody has to febreeze their shirt do they can wear it again, make them go in the bathroom with the fan on and then don't wear it around the bird until it fully dries. That kind of thing.

Good luck...thanks for keeping him safe. Maybe print a few pages of things explaining why the rules, and I'm sure everyone will get on board.

 

[Crayfish066]

The real problem that has arisen is other members of my family not being as willing to
adapt as I am. He is kept in my room upstairs but my parents regularly spray air fresheners
and light scented candles in the living room and non stick cooking items in the kitchen.
They don't seem likely to stop, going as far to say that I can get rid of the parrot if I don't like it.

Would he be okay with this going on on a different floor to him?

 

[Kiwibird]

If they like scented sprays, I make a bathroom spray that works really well. Essential oil sprays (in my experience) never work well in regular spray bottles not designed for oils. I use a "Misto" olive oil sprayer instead. Fill most of the way with water, add a couple tbsp of rubbing alcohol and then 20-30 drops of essential oils. Shake it up before you use it, but it is safer to use in non-bird rooms than the store bought stuff and smells just as strongly (don't use it in the same room as your bird as it does have the alcohol in it) Works just as well as any aerosolized spray:
https://www.amazon.com/Misto-Brushe...=1506091101&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=misto&psc=1

Use one of these in lieu of candles for scenting larger areas with pure essential oils (not in the same room as the bird). They do make more expensive/fancier looking diffusers, but I have a cheap one and it works just fine for making a room smell nice:
https://www.amazon.com/InnoGear-Aro...6091432&sr=1-4&keywords=aromatherapy+diffuser

If humidity is a concern, I just discovered these things existed and I am already in love! Use a natural carrier oil, like coconut oil, and essential oils and spices instead of the toxic wax cubes:
https://www.target.com/p/lattice-pl...peake-bay-candle-174/-/A-21443406#lnk=sametab

Do your parents know those sprays and strongly scented candles are starting to be linked to cancer and other health issues? I swear that smelly stuff will be the next cigarettes and it will come out they knew how dangerous these artificially scented products are and continued selling them anyways. Everybody's been convinced to use them all the time and it is all just a bunch of toxins you're inhaling. Bad not just for birds, but for humans as well! There are natural ways to make a home smell good that doesn't involve saturating indoor air with chemicals. The average US home has worse air quality indoors than out. Just because it doesn't smell as bad as car exhaust or cigarettes doesn't mean it's good to breathe in all the time!

 

[janquito]

Yup, as per others, white vinegar. Thankfully I've used that for most all of my cleaning for years as I'm allergic (both smelling and topical) to almost all cleaners. My dermatologist even recommended vinegar for my itching skin!


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[Kentuckienne]

The scents, sprays, candles, etc. are minor compared to overheated teflon. If a teflon pan gets accidentally left on a burner too long, or is heated without something in it, the PTFE breaks down and these vapors are almost instantly toxic to birds. Birds have a very efficient respiratory system designed to pull every bit of oxygen out of the air to support flight and it does the same with toxins. PTFE toxicity is very well documented - maybe a printout from a reputable vet or other reliable site would convince them? Maybe offer to do chores etc. to help pay for replacement pans? This kind of thing is part of the cost of parrot ownership. I'm cheering for you, good luck.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Wow!

I just tried something great.

The Rb's treasured chile peppers get a little stinky, especially when it's hot, even over the course of a day, and smell a little like reheated broccoli. I don't like it.

But we all know about the dangers of conventional air-fresheners.

I tried this tonight... skewered the peels of an orange, a lemon, and a lime, hung them in a mesh bag, and...

Heavenly!

And cheap, and easy, and pretty!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

 

[chris-md]

Where it comes to cleaning supplies, I still use traditional stuff.

However, I use vinegar/water on bird specific stuff, and will make sure not to use the chemical stuff in his proximity. You just have to use good judgement. A quick spray of windex on a glass table 7’ away? Honestly, not going to be an issue. Taking him into a bathroom you just used tilex in and your eyes are stinging just walking in? Bad idea.

 

[Aquila]

The only three things I use regularly are vinegar, blue dawn, and bleach.

I can pretty much clean anything with those three, and they're pretty safe for everyone. Other than that, I use a $30 steam cleaner off Amazon to clean almost anything.

I do have regular cleaners should I need them, but honestly anything with a sprayer I tend to avoid, so I use regular toilet cleaner and soft scrub if I need them, but don't generally use anything like Clorox spray or Lysol because of the particle size.

The only thing I can really suggest is to consider a door sweep on your bedroom door to help keep out the air if they're insistent on not changing their ways.