# disinfecting your loft ???



## realtalk72 (Nov 7, 2009)

quick question does anybody disinfect there loft? and what would you use? I know we must keep it clean at all times but my question is do we use anything like bleach or other products?? thanks


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I think lots of people use Nolvasan. Supposed to be very good. I use Tek-Trol It's a Disinfectant-Cleaner-Concentrate. It cleans and disinfects at the same time. And doesn't have a smell, so it won't bother the birds breathing. Some use bleach and water, but you have to be careful because of the fumes, and you have to wash first, as bleach won't disinfect dirt and crud. Have to remove that first, then do the bleach and water. I like Tek-Trol cause it's safe, I hear that Nolvasan is too.


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## 1981 (Aug 9, 2006)

If you use bleach, it is best to move the bird out for the time being. Otherwise you can buy Novalsan or Trek-trol as suggested by Jay3.


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## Reiki3 (Nov 2, 2009)

If you scrape and clean daily how offen do you need to disinfect?


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## realtalk72 (Nov 7, 2009)

thanks for your help !!


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

Virkon S is good

Reiki3, I do it once a week, but it is really up to you to keep birds healthy.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

realtalk72 said:


> quick question does anybody disinfect there loft? and what would you use? I know we must keep it clean at all times but my question is do we use anything like bleach or other products?? thanks


I use a germicide that has better results then bleach and is pet friendly and biodegradable. The fumes aren't bad-it smells good, though I am still careful to dry out the coop before allowing access, because any product that kills germs still has to have some toxicity.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Trees Gray said:


> I use a germicide that has better results then bleach and is pet friendly and biodegradable. The fumes aren't bad-it smells good, though I am still careful to dry out the coop before allowing access, because any product that kills germs still has to have some toxicity.


What is it you use?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I like the nolvassan as you do not have to worry about every one being out of the loft...it is a time saver, and the duel uses make it good to keep around as it is great to clean wounds with... I use it in the whole loft once a mouth, more in the summer as warm days grow bacteria faster, here it is freezing right now, so see no use in using it as I have poopsicles, scrapping is a real chore in the winter...lol..


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

spirit wings said:


> I like the nolvassan as you do not have to worry about every one being out of the loft...it is a time saver, and the duel uses make it good to keep around as it is great to clean wounds with... I use it in the whole loft once a mouth, more in the summer as warm days grow bacteria faster, here it is freezing right now, so see no use in using it as I have poopsicles, scrapping is a real chore in the winter...lol..


Yes, been thinking of trying it because of the other uses for it. My loft doesn't freeze, so no excuse for me.


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## benjajudy01 (Feb 18, 2007)

This is what I use in my Lofts:

Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide as Disinfectants 

You can make your kitchen a cleaner, safer place and fight bacteria, without exposing yourself and your family to toxic chemicals that also damage the environment. You can use a simple safe disinfecting spray that is more effective than any of the commercial cleaners in killing bacteria. As a bonus, it is inexpensive! 
Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, worked out the recipe for just such a sanitizing combo. All you need is three percent hydrogen peroxide, the same strength available at the drug store for gargling or disinfecting wounds, and plain white or apple cidar vinegar, and a pair of brand new clean sprayers, like the kind you use to dampen laundry before ironing. If you're cleaning vegetables or fruit, just spritz them well first with both the vinegar and the hydrogen peroxide, and then rinse them off under running water. 
It doesn't matter which you use first - you can spray with the vinegar then the hydrogen peroxide, or with the hydrogen peroxide followed by the vinegar. You won't get any lingering taste of vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, and neither is toxic to you if a small amount remains on the produce. As a bonus: The paired sprays work exceptionally well in sanitizing counters and other food preparation surfaces -- including wood cutting boards. In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces when used in this fashion, making this spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner. 
The best results came from using one mist right after the other - it is 10 times more effective than using either spray by itself and more effective than mixing the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in one sprayer. 
Reference note: Articles on Dr. Sumner's original research work appeared in the scientific news journal, "Science News," in the issues that were published on August 29, 1996, and on August 8, 1998. 
Author's note, added October 2006: The question I get asked most by readers is, "Can I mix the hydrogen peroxide and vinegar into one sprayer?" The short answer is: EEK - No! The longer answer is: never mix hydrogen peroxide and vinegar together. The resulting chemical, peracetic acid, can harm you in strong concentrations, and has entirely different characteristics and properties than either hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. Additionally, we don't know if peracetic acid kills the same group of pathogenic food-borne bacteria when used this way as a spray - it very well


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## doveone52 (Aug 3, 2009)

wow! Good info!


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## realtalk72 (Nov 7, 2009)

thanks this really helps !!!!


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## ZigZagMarquis (Aug 31, 2004)

Reiki3 said:


> If you scrape and clean daily how offen do you need to disinfect?


That's what I shoot for and then every other week, after a good scrape and sweep, I scrub down the perches and floor (cement) with water and bleech. About an inch or two of bleech in a 5 gal bucket of water. I don't move the birds out, but do the loft one half at a time. They hang out in the ohter half while I'm working on one half and then we trade. I rinse down what I've just worked on before moving on. Works for me and my birds.


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