Alternate Cleaner to Pinalin for Tree Frog Households?

[irThumper]

We used to use a lot of Pinalin (similar to Pinesol) but since reading that even the fumes from pine oil based cleaners can kill frogs I'm scared to even have it in the house! (apartment really). I still use it for laundry, but I won't use it for cleaning the linoleum floors or toilet and potty chairs (caregiver/senior folks/mom is a stroke survivor) anymore for fear my frogs will be harmed. We have a new WTF member of the family (will tell more about her in a diff post) and she is living near the kitchen in her QT tank, not in the same room with the Fab Four due to their still being medicated for cocci, and I'm concerned that the cleaning products I use for the dishes and floor not be something harmful to her or the others. I use Original Dawn liquid for the dishes, and have also used Mrs. Myers Clean Day liquid in lavender or lemon scent for dishes and wondering about using on the floors. I also use SimpleGreen for the laundry and have used it in the kitchen, but not lately.

Can anyone recommend some good, effective FROG SAFE botanical cleaners for the main household/kitchen/bathroom? (It's a small apartment). These would not be used to clean up frog enclosures or directly on/around the frog tanks or tables. I use a solution of water & either white vinegar, or lemon juice and salt, or hydrogen peroxide for wiping down my African violet table, which is what the Fab Fours tanks are sitting on. Martha's (the new WTF) tank is sitting on her own wire cart, which is where I also store her own misting bottle, squirt bottle, paper towels and separate nitrile gloves, etc.

[Strider18]

Oooooh new wtf I would stick with water and vinegar, my fam uses it to clean our carpets. Hope you have a big tank for those wtfs

0.0.1 PCf
Soon to come 0.0.4 Phyllobates bicolor

[irThumper]

Oooooh new wtf I would stick with water and vinegar, my fam uses it to clean our carpets. Hope you have a big tank for those wtfs

0.0.1 PCf
Soon to come 0.0.4 Phyllobates bicolor

Heh, since it's close to Christmas I'm pulling out the "Guess who's getting a BIG Exo-Terra" card once her QT is over How does white vinegar and water do on linoleum flooring? This thing gets surprisingly dirty within a short period of time. I'm also having to deal with people pee due to incontinence issues (not mine-- yet at any rate *coff) so need something that will really handle the tough stuff.

(The Fab Four have a 29 gal- 30"L x 18"T x 12 1/2" W for them later on, thinking of placing it in a 100 gal vert Reptarium for more height and using a fogger up top for more humidity).

[deranged chipmunk]

i'm not sure about the fumes being safe or not, and it's not cheap, but if you are cleaning where human waste is involved, look into a product called Spray 9. i get it at Home Depot. it kills darned near all bacteria, including Hiv, so it's good stuff. i have used it in the same room as my frogs a few times and had no ill effects, but i wasn't using it daily so there wasn't much of a chance for any fumes to build up.

[Strider18]

Ugh linoleum, we have it to and hate it. I would do as Bill suggested or maybe someone else will have a better idea...

0.0.1 PCf
Soon to come 0.0.4 Phyllobates bicolor

[irThumper]

Strider18, If you think the linoleum is bad you should see the carpet the landlords left in here... it's all from the 70's or something and is just gross! The only thing that would improve it any would be to rip it out and torch it. Ugh...

Thanks, Bill. I'll look for it at our Lowes (or Home Depot if Lowes doesn't have it)

[deranged chipmunk]

Ugh linoleum, we have it to and hate it. I would do as Bill suggested or maybe someone else will have a better idea...

0.0.1 PCf
Soon to come 0.0.4 Phyllobates bicolor

someone probably will, i can assure you that. Oh! you know who would know? Carlos,Lynn or Heather!! we gotta get them in here.

[Strider18]

Ouch that sucks. Or carpet is 5 years old, but looks 7 our 8. 7 people in a house will do that

0.0.1 PCf
Soon to come 0.0.4 Phyllobates bicolor

[irThumper]

So will a motorcycle parked in the living room by the former tenant! unfortunately... lol!

[deranged chipmunk]

(The Fab Four have a 29 gal- 30"L x 18"T x 12 1/2" W for them later on, thinking of placing it in a 100 gal vert Reptarium for more height and using a fogger up top for more humidity).

kinda tight for 4 white's there, eh??? though, i do like the idea of the reptarium, but you are going to burn up a bunch of foggers trying to keep humidity up. look into what those freakshow chameleon keepers do.. they use screen cages and have relatively high humidity for some species. i do believe they use some sort of drip system?

[Strider18]

Micro sprinklers are the way to go

0.0.1 PCf
Soon to come 0.0.4 Phyllobates bicolor

[irThumper]

Heh, yes indeed! I'm blessed to have the frogs in a plant room where the average room humidity itself is 50-ish% the majority of the time. Will likely need, if not a fogger, a whole room humidifier when the rare occasion happens that the whole humidity takes a nose dive. We've had some weird winter weather, for here, where it gets cold and dry and then humidity can crash. It's miserable for everyone, humans and frogs alike, when that happens If that set up doesn't work out I could always just keep them two to a viv and go with the Exo-Terras. I just wonder when these guys are going to start to grow... I'm starting to worry that they are midgets or something, lol. Of course it's only been a couple months, but still...

[BeckyM]

2 liter of coke cleans a toilet REALLY well. Same for shining up sinks. There are some all natural cleaners available for things too. I use them because of my allergies.

[Strider18]

Heh, yes indeed! I'm blessed to have the frogs in a plant room where the average room humidity itself is 50-ish% the majority of the time. Will likely need, if not a fogger, a whole room humidifier when the rare occasion happens that the whole humidity takes a nose dive. We've had some weird winter weather, for here, where it gets cold and dry and then humidity can crash. It's miserable for everyone, humans and frogs alike, when that happens If that set up doesn't work out I could always just keep them two to a viv and go with the Exo-Terras. I just wonder when these guys are going to start to grow... I'm starting to worry that they are midgets or something, lol. Of course it's only been a couple months, but still...

I'm gonna have to make a micro sprinkler misting system for my new 120 gallon aquarium Ya weird weather here to. We go from a drought to the whole state flooding

0.0.1 PCf
Soon to come 0.0.4 Phyllobates bicolor

[irThumper]

2 liter of coke cleans a toilet REALLY well. Same for shining up sinks. There are some all natural cleaners available for things too. I use them because of my allergies.

I wonder what it is in the Coke that cleans it though... the carbonation? The er, what do they have in that stuff (don't drink soda pop, diabetic) citric acid?? We also have a yearly sugar ant infestation every spring (this place really sucks, but oh well, lol) so Coke might not be workable for cleaning here Club soda maybe??

I hear you about the allergies! I have asthma so got some allergy testing done last year, omg that was horrible!!! And of course I'm allergic to a ton of stuff, including dust mites. This place is a dust bunny haven too...

[Strider18]

Same, allergies are terrible. I sometimes wake up in the middle up the night if I don't take zertec. Citric acid is probably what helps in cleaning

0.0.1 PCf
Soon to come 0.0.4 Phyllobates bicolor

[elly]

I always used a diluted spray bleach cleaner when I was taking care of my grandmother. (Edit: Also Lysol in the floorwash. Edit Edit: Those things probably give off more fumes than healthy though. I only used the bleach for spot cleaning.) However, we were lucky enough to have tile. Sorry, maybe do a search for eco cleaners?

yay, new frog.

[Mentat]

The only frog in kitchen is my ABF and never had a problem with it and fumes. Use Scrubbing Bubbles to disinfect surfaces and dawn dishwasher without issues. Clean floors with hot water and a bit of Mop & Glo with the range exhaust fan on. Darts are in my bedroom and only use vacuum (carpet) in there .

[BeckyM]

I wonder what it is in the Coke that cleans it though... the carbonation? The er, what do they have in that stuff (don't drink soda pop, diabetic) citric acid?? We also have a yearly sugar ant infestation every spring (this place really sucks, but oh well, lol) so Coke might not be workable for cleaning here Club soda maybe??

I hear you about the allergies! I have asthma so got some allergy testing done last year, omg that was horrible!!! And of course I'm allergic to a ton of stuff, including dust mites. This place is a dust bunny haven too...

It's highly acidic and just kind of EATS everything. If the stuff can dissolve a nail (like the kind you hammer with) in 2 days, then it can eat poopy residue off of a toilet, no prob.

If you've an ant problem, coke would still work in the toilet, just flush it a few times after. Any ant that goes for your toilet is going to die anyway.

I use many, many things from Seventh Generation, all natural stuff, I think Target carries it. Also, anything 'green works' brand, no harsh chemicals, no foul smells!

My allergies pertain mainly to food, but certain cleaners make me itchy and burn my poor nose.

[deranged chipmunk]

See? Told you other would have better ideas lol


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela