white distilled vinegar

[happycat]

My mom just bought some white distilled vinegar and sprayed it all over the house. I'm 90 percent sure its fine because a lot of you say you use it, but i've also read otherwise in some places. Just making sure. Thanks!

 

[getwozzy]

As long as you don't heat it up, it's fine... It's actually a great universal cleaner!

 

[Kiwibird]

Vinegar is a great non-toxic disinfectant and cleaner. It smells unpleasant, but it's not harmful to birds in the way other chemicals are.

 

[weco]

My mom just bought some white distilled vinegar and sprayed it all over the house. I'm 90 percent sure its fine because a lot of you say you use it, but i've also read otherwise in some places. Just making sure. Thanks!

Hi HC, saw your post about the distilled vinegar & wanted to make sure you saw this thread about the possibility of boiling vinegar being the cause of some companion bird deaths...like the others have said, just spraying the vinegar around is not a problem, but I'm not sure I'd leave my birds in a closed up room where the smell was pretty strong, but this other post, though there's no definitive proof that the boiling vinegar was the cause of the bird's deaths, the circumstances do suggest it:

http://www.parrotforums.com/bereavement/47968-lost-3-birds.html

 

[4dugnlee]

What about mixing vinegar with water to wash the walls with? I don't want to use bleach water or other cleaner to wash walls because of the birds. I, too, wanted to see if that would be okay, as long as the vinegar is not heated?

 

[Phlox]

I really don't think the vinegar caused that tragic story. Vinegar stinks, hot or cold, but it's not dangerous on its own even when boiled. I've canned several times and nothing has ever happened. I also know some folks who had zebra finches that lived IN their kitchen and their mom made the best pickles....

Bleach and vinegar mixed together are as dangerous as ammonia and bleach...I can't help but wonder if a kitchen cleaner used at the same time made a little bad gas (it makes chlorine gas)...and that caused this.

I don't keep bleach in my house. It's just too likely to cause a problem, but that is a serious problem combo.

 

[Timothy]

Make sure you never mix bleach and vinegar, or bleach and ammonia. both combinations create toxic deadly fumes, even for humans!

here is a list of combinations you should never make

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/16-common-product-combinations-you-should-never-mix#1dvqh5z

Vinegar is a great non-toxic disinfectant and cleaner. It smells unpleasant, but it's not harmful to birds in the way other chemicals are.

I think vinegar smells quite pleasant. like im living in a big salad

 

[Kalidasa]

Your mom did the right thing! Vinegar (unless heated to a steaming temp) is extremely safe and effective to use around our fids. As weco said, it's boiled vinegar that can cause problems...because when it's boiled or overly heated it produces carbon dioxide which can cause suffocation among other respiratory distress. Vinegar, and vinegar cut w/water is perfectly safe. I use a vinegar/water solution in my swiffer every day. plus it leaves a beautiful, non-chemical glow on my wood floors.

 

[weco]

Just posted a new thread with some updated information for those interested.....

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/47995-heated-vinegar-around-companion-birds.html