I am a new bird owner, so please excuse my ignorance. I want to clean my house but I am afraid to use any kind of cleaners. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what would be safe to use for cleaning the bathroom, mopping the floors, etc?? Is any of this harmful?? What about air freshners...does anyone know of a safe one that can be use, like an organic spray or something?? Also, I dye my hair (shhhhhh don't tell) and I know hair dye can be harmful, I am in another room and Kira is closed up in another room...can it still be harmful to her??? Any and all advice and suggestion are welcomed!

I would think all house hold cleaners are harmful. You should not have your fids around or in the same room as you while cleaning. I would think once the fumes are all gone it is safe for you bird to enter. As for air freshners I think all of these are hazarous as well. Even febreeze can kill your fids. But I'm no expert. . . I"m sure others will reply to you!

I use Simple Green for cleaning like that. You can also use Vinegar, Grapefruit Seed Extract or Oxyfresh Cleansing Gele safely.

This is a product that I plan to purchase, but I haven't tried it yet;

Enviroclens Concentrate
http://www.djfeathers.com/shop/index...roducts_id=159

ParrotChatter has a generous amount of information about chemicals to use and not to use in the health forum.
We use one cleaner here, Bleach and we rinse well.
No scented candles, air freshiners, even our air filteration systems are Bird Safe products.
Plants are another Major concern, again, the members of ParrotChatter have posted bad and safe plants in the health Forum.
It pays to do some searching and reading of the Forums, we are always here to help, but most questions asked have already been answered somewhere here on ParrotChatter.
The list of goods and bads are very extensive, to assit you better please do some searching here in the forums.
It may also be a good idea when finding the lists of safe and un-safe items Print them out for your future needs.
BW

Thanks for your reply Kris. I imagine they all are. I would definitely not have her in the same room I was cleaning. I would keep the door closed to the room she was in. I am just not sure if that is good enough. I know about the air freshner, scented candles, etc. I have stopped using all them. Wish I could come across something for the bathroom after it is used though....I miss my air freshner when it comes to that! LOL

Thanks for the reply Karen. I will have to stock up on Simple Green and Vinegar. Grapefruit See Extract??? Can I get that in any store. Oxyfresh Cleansing Gel?? That is safe too?? These are good options. Thanks for the link, I will check it out.

Thanks for the reply Arty. I do know about the scented candles,air freshners,etc. I did read about the plants, which is no worry to me...NO GREEN THUMB HERE...means no plants either! LOL I have read through the forum, I was looking for different SAFE ways to clean around the house, thought maybe I could get some additional ideas with some additional input, hence the reason for this post.

My other reason was hair dye...YES I do dye my hair and I was wondering if Kira was in one part of the house behind a closed door and I was in the other part using the hair dye, would it be safe for her?? I guess I could go out on my porch and do it during the nice weather, but would still have to come in to rinse and when the winter comes it would be kind of cold brrrrrrr!

You should be able to buy Grapefruit Seed Extract from any health food store. The Oxyfresh Cleansing Gel can be bought online, just Google the name and I'm sure it will bring up several sites for you to choose from.

If you have to color your hair at home... I would do it as far away from Kira as you can. Place a towel at the bottom of her closed door and at the bottom of the closed bathroom door once you're in there to do your hair. Open the windows and turn on the fan in the bathroom also.

I haven't checked into it, but there may be some natural hair coloring kits at a health food store that may be safer also.

Here's a recipe for an all natural air freshener;

All Natural Air Freshener
by Marilu Anderson
Bird Nutrition and Behavior Consultant
Your Parrot Place

If you like your house to smell nice, but don't want to use potentially toxic commercial air freshener sprays, here's a natural alternative that smells great & is totally bird safe. (Remember, scented candles, potpourri, incense & essential oils can all be potentially toxic to birds, as well).

Fill a small saucepan ½ full with water. Toss in a cinnamon stick, a Tb of cloves, tsp of rosemary, & slice of orange and/or lime (with peel).

Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for ½ hour or so. You can get creative by adding fresh grated ginger, fresh spearmint or peppermint leaves, or some nutmeg and allspice for variation. Your house will smell great & your birds will be safe! It's especially nice around the holidays. You can put it in a spray bottle & spritz the air, or leave the pan on the stove & add a little water, then re-simmer over the next few days to continue keeping your house sweet!

Thank you so much Karen!

N. - we have both at the store. We clean with the Oxyfresh too. We also sell the GSE. Bleach is always great, but is not always convenient. One part bleach to 30 parts water. Oh - and NEVER mix Oxyfresh with bleach. Very toxic.