How to disinfect safely

mayabear

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I did a search and did not see any posts addressing this. Sorry if I missed it.

How are you safely disinfecting everything through this coronavirus situation. I usually use natural products to clean but it’s really not going to cut it now. But I’m afraid of my cat getting sick from traditional cleaning supplies. She also has asthma so I don’t feel comfortable using products with strong odors.

I’m thinking just wipe stuff down with the Clorox wipes and keep her away from the surface until it dries, and keep the air purifiers on full blast to try to minimize the smell.

Anyone doing anything special?
 

candie

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I would just shut my cat in her room because afraid she would get seizure if the smell causes it. But I rather be safe because my cat counts on me
 

GoldyCat

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I've been using the chlorox wipes for years and never had any issues with the cats. I just keep them away from the area I cleaned until it's completely dry.
 

Cat Grrl

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Hi: Interesting you should mention it...I made a 1:9 bleach/water solution to clean. I accidentally left the rag I used with the spray bottle on the rug for a moment. Next thing I know my 16 1/2 yo kitty was rolling around on the rag and kicking it with her rear paws. She was acting like it was catnip! I know this is not good for her. Kinda weird though.
 

FeebysOwner

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As far as Feeby's litter box, in between thorough cleanings, I use Spic-n-Span Anti-bacterial spray cleaner. She always pees in the same area and against the side of the box. So, I scoop the litter, then tilt it all to one side, wipe down the area with a sprayed paper towel, and then dry with another paper towel.

Disinfecting the rest of the house as needed with mostly anti-bacterial soap or sprays.

Hi: Interesting you should mention it...I made a 1:9 bleach/water solution to clean. I accidentally left the rag I used with the spray bottle on the rug for a moment. Next thing I know my 16 1/2 yo kitty was rolling around on the rag and kicking it with her rear paws. She was acting like it was catnip! I know this is not good for her. Kinda weird though.
I use Soft Scrub with bleach in my bathrooms. It doesn't matter where Feeby is at, she knows it and comes running - I don't let her near it and she knows that, but she sure can spend some time as close to the area as possible in order to 's-n-i-f-f in' the fumes. She's done this for years. I have seen posts on here with other cats who seem to treat the smell of bleach as if it were some kind of cat nip!
 

molly92

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After you've let the cleaner sit, you can also go back over and wipe down with water to dilute the chemicals. I agree with keeping the cat out of the room until you're done cleaning.

With asthma, it's the products that become aerosolized that cause the most problems, so if you can avoid spraying and instead soak a paper towel with cleaner or use wipes like you do, it will reduce the amount of particles in the air. As a person with asthma, I don't really notice a huge difference in the type of chemical but rather the delivery. Bleach, ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide can all aggravate it, and even applied directly, they all still evaporate and release particles into the air, but the effect is less severe that way. Also, I've found a HEPA air filter to be amazingly helpful.
 

fionasmom

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treehugger.com which is an ultra save the environment/use only non toxic products/no single use plastics did say today that despite the fact that they do not advise the use of bleach, this might be the time to use it prudently.

I do not let my cats near any cleaning product when I am using it despite the fact that I try to use all green products and I have not ever had a problem.
 

susanm9006

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Hi: Interesting you should mention it...I made a 1:9 bleach/water solution to clean. I accidentally left the rag I used with the spray bottle on the rug for a moment. Next thing I know my 16 1/2 yo kitty was rolling around on the rag and kicking it with her rear paws. She was acting like it was catnip! I know this is not good for her. Kinda weird though.
Not so weird. There are quite a few cats, mine included, that just love the smell of bleach. If you do a search you will find a couple threads on the topic.
 

KarenKat

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Hi: Interesting you should mention it...I made a 1:9 bleach/water solution to clean. I accidentally left the rag I used with the spray bottle on the rug for a moment. Next thing I know my 16 1/2 yo kitty was rolling around on the rag and kicking it with her rear paws. She was acting like it was catnip! I know this is not good for her. Kinda weird though.
Oh wow, I thought just Gohan loved bleach. We use it so rarely, but we needed something heavy-duty for the bathroom shower once and he was super excited and rolled around the floor near the shower before we escorted him out. It was pretty crazy and we are extra careful now!
 

tabbytom

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The safest disinfecting regime is to use a steam cleaner. No chemicals and non toxic to your cats. And you can steam clean basically almost everything from your bed to the floor to the walls to the furniture and shoes and to the windows and sills to cat toys and so forth and so on without any worries or risk to your cat except that just as long as you don't use the steam cleaner on your cat.

The next thing is to use IPA wipes as alcohol is a very unstable substance, it evaporates very fast and does not leave residue and it kill germs. I always wipe down the scoops with a wet disposable that's being used for the litter box and use IPA to spray the scoops after clearing up the pee or poo.

As for any pet safe spray, it's still better to use with caution.
 

molly92

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The safest disinfecting regime is to use a steam cleaner. No chemicals and non toxic to your cats. And you can steam clean basically almost everything from your bed to the floor to the walls to the furniture and shoes and to the windows and sills to cat toys and so forth and so on without any worries or risk to your cat except that just as long as you don't use the steam cleaner on your cat.
I'd still keep the asthmatic cat out of the room with the steam cleaning, depending on how severe her asthma is. Asthma isn't a rational disease. It's an overreaction, and steam can be enough to trigger it, at least in humans. (This thread is really making me realize how many things trigger my asthma...my goodness it's annoying!)
 

tabbytom

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I'd still keep the asthmatic cat out of the room with the steam cleaning, depending on how severe her asthma is. Asthma isn't a rational disease. It's an overreaction, and steam can be enough to trigger it, at least in humans. (This thread is really making me realize how many things trigger my asthma...my goodness it's annoying!)
It's good to get the cat out of the way while doing all sorts of cleaning. The steam generated by steam cleaning appliances aren't as bad as taking a steam bath as the steam is directed to a certain area via hose or nozzle at a certain distance away from the user and does not fill up the room with steam unless one is really sensitive even to a little steam.

I'm asthmatic too but the steam does not bother me as it is pointed away from me.

disinfectants-safe-for-cats.html
 
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mentat

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What I sent my family and friends last Monday. List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 | US EPA
Some products aren't listed, but you can go to the product website, and almost all have addressed whether their product is virucidal for SARS-CoV-2 aka COVID19. For ex, the accelerated peroxide products most veterinary and animal laboratory ethical research housing use for over 3 yrs now isn't listed, but other, less potent, products are, so it definitely covers it. Rescue and Accel, the Virox products they use, are versatile and gentle, and non-carcinogenic. They even make some accelerated peroxide products for topical use in pets, that have helped control persistent skin disease resistant to other standard therapies and medicated baths.

Disinfectant choice in feline veterinary hospitals, shelters and cat households |
Over 800 products kill this beast. For our shelter cat rooms and confined condo areas, for my cat room (much smaller than theirs! Aerosolizing any surface cleaner, careful), and for my room, as I am asthmatic, we are using:
Diluted Bleach aka Hypochlorite. If you get "extra concentrated or extra strength" it's merely 50% stronger than regular bleach. We still dilute extra strength the same. CDC recommends 10% bleach aka 1:10 bleach:water. It's not 10% hypochlorite, as that is a whole different set of conversions we won't touch right now. So. We use 1:16 bleach for parvovirus, the toughest virus to remove from an environment and fomites, including fur and our own hair. They say 1:10 to ensure no one overdilutes to the point of inefficacy. Stronger bleach aka 1:5, is much too concentrated and an irritant to the eyes and nose when just in the air, let alone walking on it and ingesting any while grooming. Measure your volumes, use spray bottles with gauges on the side for ozs or mL, making 1:10 easy to follow.

Hi: Interesting you should mention it...I made a 1:9 bleach/water solution to clean. I accidentally left the rag I used with the spray bottle on the rug for a moment. Next thing I know my 16 1/2 yo kitty was rolling around on the rag and kicking it with her rear paws. She was acting like it was catnip! I know this is not good for her. Kinda weird though.
Cats do enjoy rubbing themselves into an antifungal self-application, man! Dilute bleach at these concentrations is not toxic to their skin, may actually clear up some comodomes or chin acne, and as long as they don't have enough to be wet (more than damp) to the touch, they won't ingest excess amounts of watered down bleach on their fur while grooming.
 

mentat

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I use hydrogen peroxide (just as good as bleach, but not stinky), vinegar, and baking soda. I seldom use chemicals because it aggravates my husband's asthma.
Great idea. 0.5% hydrogen peroxide and higher is Coronavirucidal. My aunt was always a pro-vinegar RN when counseling her chronic dz patients on self care and environmental controls for irritants. I used her half bath as a child and ran outta there yelling about saurkraut (which I detest, EXCEPT on a reuben now, go figure).

How does he handle diluted down Odoban or appropriately diluted bleach? My asthma resents prep of the solution, as the fumes from the gallon wafting up are hard to avoid. If I could get a gallon of H2O2 right now, you bet your last dollar I would ;] Hope y'all are well and safe.
 

lavishsqualor

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If I could get a gallon of H2O2 right now, you bet your last dollar I would.
Hey! You can order it from here: Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide

Something I'd like to share with you guys that my doctor told me, which, frankly, horrified me. SARS-CoV-2 has been found on floors. If someone in Target sneezes and doesn't cover their nose, the virus could drift to the floor. If you walked on that floor afterwards you could potentially get the virus on the bottom of your shoes. If you walk into your house without cleaning your shoes you could, theoretically, transfer the remnants of the virus onto your floors. Given that cats walk on our floors, they could transfer the virus from your floor to your bed or wherever they jump. Because of this, anyone coming into my house must remove their shoes outside the door. Once inside they can retrieve them and wipe them off with a disinfectant. If those shoes have shoelaces, don't neglect them! If you did, the next morning when you put your shoes on and tie them, you could possibly contaminate your hands through the laces.
 

mentat

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Thanks for the link! The viability and stability of this coronavirus is great, or it wouldn't have come this far. The Homeland Security "homework" report reviewing over 300 study/research sources from China and Europe, is eye-opening. Yet, so many don't believe it, in denial, putting themselves and others at risk. I've never posted so much on social media and friends in my life, as a luddite hermit in the woods ;] Harmony, sanctuary, self isolating for years. Until illness pushed me into family living again. Family I had to strive for over a week to convince to reduce their public outings greatly, stay home, slow the spread, save them, save me, and anyone they contacted. We are a stubborn lot, but usually, they ask for advice or heed warnings, as I am not a hyperbolic conspiracy loon. My mother works at amazon, slogging away, a senior who believes she's superwoman, and normally she is. The disinfecting annoyed them 3/15, but by 3/19 that begun to change, and I was reclusive, then by 3/22, all three are disinfecting so I don't do it all when they leave a space. Mom was using sanitizer and wipes, but stepped it up. Surgical scrub technique hand washing consantly, after any face contact, any public outing, between sanitizer use. All three smoke in their rooms or outdoors, and they're doing much less of that. They were considerate of the animals while spraying surfaces. It's better. Finally. Persistence pays off, once again!
 

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Apart from keeping your homes disinfected what other measures are you adopting to fight the spread of coronavirus. Are you staying secluded at home? Not receiving visitors? How do you obtain food and medecine, etc.?
 

mentat

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Very much so. With compromised, I personally have been isolated to my room, going out when family are in their BR, to use the common area. We will all be outside together as we have a large acreage, and take the dogs out for exercise and retrieval/K9 Nosework.

Isolating or "physically distancing" is the most important factor in the war on COVID19 folks. I cannot stress enough to stay home, keep staying home, as long as you can.
We'll get down to rice and beans, water, vitamin supplement to compensate, but we WILL. NOT. LEAVE. until the number of hospital admitted is less than the hospital released/deceased counts.

Keep your family members home as much as possible.

If venturing for emergency, absolutely essential supplies or needs, we take disinfectant spray and wipes, hand sanitizer, and gloves. Healthy, uncompromised family don't wear the gloves, they are mindful, however, to keep their hands clasped together while walking, or out, in a public enclosed area, like a pharmacy. They do not touch anything but what they need. Slid a card into a card reader, pressed buttons? Wipe the card down, replace in pocket or wallet, sanitize hands. I sprayed my cash down, as that was all I had at one point of shopping 2 weeks ago, prior to going out, let it dry, and handed it to the cashier, telling her this. The amount of contaminants for those service workers is insane. I don't how the chains of stores are training them, but I hope they sanitize between all patrons, and are allowed to wash thoroughly every 15 minutes in that high traffic setting.

Some pharmacies are delivering medications, or are using a certified courier service with a protocol. I still spray and wipe any Rx bottle coming into this house.

Continue washing hands, even in my disinfected house, to create the routine, of mindful NO FACE TOUCHING, and if we do, we wash right after. This way when I need, absolutely need, to go to a doctor for chronic disease care, I have all the habits in place already. A helpful article I posted in other threads, which my specialists say is essentially what they themselves do, but don't get to explain to every patient. The hand washing description is on freakin point.


We shopped strategically at farmer's stands, smaller grocers, and a clean Walmart with less traffic 2 weeks ago. Since then, we've used shelf stable dairy/nondairy milk, half n half and eggs I divided into ice trays and froze. The eggs are great for baking or scrambling. Some of us gotta have our half n half, to maintain normal quality of life in the little things.

Froze meat, large pasta dishes, multiple seafood options cheaply purchased as suppliers/stands/farmers were slashing prices to get rid of such consumables. We hit the non-large chain store options, froze it or disinfected/washed it, allowed to dry (in refrigerator if easily grows bacteria at room temp x10min), rinsed, and put back into fridge or cupboard.

Shoes at the door, sprayed down, so don't wear your favorites. No visitors. I had a firm, possible over-reaction, response when one sister wanted to have a friend come over for her birthday last week. She was upset, until the reality of contagion began to settle, and she was amazing at helping with the protocols, protecting us all.
 
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