Vinegar/Baking Soda Questions (cleaning & odor)

[joyfulselah]

I had some questions about using vinegar around ferrets. Specifically using it for:

1. Washing the cloth items in their cage, 1 cup vinegar in washing machine with nothing else.

2. Mixing with water and spraying into the air for odor control (not directly on ferrets).

3. Using it to wipe down the cage/litter/ferret items.

Baking Soda...:

1. Put on the carpet for odor control (does it then hurt their feet and need to be vacuumed up?)

[caitmonster]

Best to use an unscented detergent, in addition to the vinegar, for laundering, in order to remove the oil buildup. I've never used vinegar+water as a de facto room spray before--the most common recommendation is to leave it in a bowl (up out of reach!) where it can absorb odors. Wiping down the cage with it is a great way to clean!

You can leave the baking soda on the carpet but only while the ferrets are kept out of the room. The main concern is that they would inhale it. Otherwise it's a very nontoxic way to freshen carpets.

[unclejoe]

you might want to broom the baking soda into the carpet and vacuum it up after an hour or two or it will build up in the fibers.

[unclejoe]

you might want to broom the baking soda into the carpet and vacuum it up after an hour or two or it will build up in the fibers.

[Sherry]

I use 50/50 vinegar/water mix in a spray bottle to spot clean cages. And no, the baking soda cannot be left on the carpet with them running about on it. I agree with unclejoe- "sweep" the baking soda into the carpet, then vacuum thoroughly after about an hour.