Parrot friendly
Non-Toxic Cleaner Recipes

Parrot Friendly Glass Cleaner
This is one of the best recipes - plain club soda as a window cleaner. Easy, inexpensive and effective. Costs about a penny an ounce.

Ingredients - Club soda (found in the soda section of the grocery store) and an 8 or 16-ounce spray bottle.

Fill the bottle with plain club soda (undiluted). Spray and wipe with a lint-free cloth. Use on any glass surface. For best results use two lint-free clothes. One for the first wet wipe and the other for the dry wipe.

Parrot Friendly Furniture Polish
This recipe is as effective as any store-bought product and only costs $.30 per bottle to make!

Ingredients - Olive oil (preferably the light kind), white distilled vinegar, pure essential lemon oil, water and a 16-ounce spray bottle.

Put 2 teaspoons of olive oil in the bottle. Add 20 drops or more of pure essential lemon oil. Add 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar. Fill the rest of the bottle with purified water. Shake well. Be sure to use pure essential lemon oil, not the chemical synthetics.

Spray this formula on your rag or directly onto the furniture. Wipe it dry immediately. It's great for weekly dusting and cleaning of wood. Use on cabinets, wood paneling and picture frames. You may also use this recipe on your dust mop to dust wood floors. Shake well before each use.

Parrot Friendly Antiseptic Soap Spray
This recipe takes advantage of the antiseptic power of Tea Tree Oil.

Ingredients - Liquid soap, purified water, Tea Tree Oil and a 16-ounch squirt or spray bottle.
Fill the bottle almost full with water and then add 3 tablespoons of liquid soap to prevent the bottle from sudsing up as you fill it. Because minerals inhibit the clean action of soap, it's best to use purified or distilled water for this recipe. Add 20-30 drops or more of Tea Tree oil for antiseptic power. Shake to mix.

Squirt this safe alternative on floors, laundry, doorknobs, bathtubs, toilet seats and more. Works really well on some of the tough stuff like urine, toilet bowl overflows, vomit, birdy "droppings" and other unmentionables.

Parrot Friendly Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Ingredients - Liquid soap or detergent, baking soda, white vinegar, Tea Tree oil, water and a 22-ounce squirt bottle.

Mix 1/2 cup liquid soap and 2 cups baking soda together. May use Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap for this recipe. Work out any lumps with a fork. Dilute with 1/4 cup of water and add 2 tablespoons vinegar to make it foam. Add 1/2 teaspoon Tea Tree oil (about 50 drops). When measuring oil, use a metal spoon, don't use plastic spoons. Mix and pour the final solution into a 22-ounce squirt bottle. Shake the bottle well before each use.

Squirt the cleaner inside the toilet, on and under the rim and on the seat. Use a high-quality brush for the inside and a sponge for the rim and seat. Rinse with vinegar if you like.

Parrot Friendly Drain Cleaner
This is an easy and entertaining way to keep your drains clear, clean and odor-free. It's only somewhat effective at clearing a clog, but it is truly great at preventing them.

Ingredients - Baking soda and white vinegar.

Pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain. Add a cup or more of white vinegar. The mixture will start to fizz. Cover the drain with a stopper or plunger for a couple of minutes until the fizzing stops. The bubbles will clean the drain. Rinse well with hot or boiling water. Repeat if necessary.

This recipe, if regularly used, will help prevent clogged drains and may work on only very mild clogs. Never use this recipe after you have used a commercial drain cleaner! You have an extremely dangerous chemical in your drain, and you need to call a plumber to handle it properly.

Parrot Friendly Carpet Cleaner
This recipe is for general carpet cleaning, an easy way to clean up the spots of food, juice, soda and things that your parrot may leave behind.

Ingredients - Liquid soap or detergent, a blender.
Put 1/4 cup of liquid soap or detergent in a blender with 1/3 club of water or more. Blend until foamy. Smear the mixture on the carpet spots and let it sit for a few minutes, or longer if dirtier. If you have a carpet brush, use it. Finish with a squirt of vinegar and clean up the excess with some old towels.

Parrot Friendly Kitchen and Bath Soft Cleanser

Ingredients - Baking soda, liquid soap, white distilled vinegar, water and a 16-ounce squeeze container with a flip-top cap. Only a few types of squirt tops will work for this recipe.

Mix 1 2/3 cups baking soda with 1/2 cup of liquid soap in a bowl. Use a liquid soap not a liquid detergent for this recipe. Dilute with 1/2 cup water. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar last. Stir only until the lumps are gone. If you can pour it into the container easily, then you have the right consistency. If it's too thick, add more water. Keep the top on because this mixture will dry out. Shake well before each use.

Squirt this very effective cleaner anywhere, especially the tub, sink and toilet bowl. It may be used on floors, garbage cans and any greasy or grimy job.

thanks karen, i am bookmarking this!

can GSE be used to clean anything, do you know? i was thinking about picking up some of that as well!

Great article Karen!

I use GSE for cages, toys, gyms...anything bird related. It's great for scrubbing poopy boings.

GSE can safely be used for just about anything.

GSE is made from certified organically grown grapefruit and is a natural antibiotic, anti-fungal, anti-protozoan, anti-viral and antiseptic disinfectant.

Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Kitchen Physician VII - Citricidal: Cure & Disinfectant For Parrots and Pet Birds

Grapefruit Seed Extract GSE for Health

Printed this one, thanks Karen!

wow, looks like it CAN clean just about anything! thanks for the articles karen, you are a source of endless information!

where do you get GSE.. thanks

Fantastic Recipe's Karen, I've printed it so I can put it in my "Birdie Book"! Thanks oodles!

Hug's
Judy