As pet owners ourselves, we were constantly on the lookout for items that are natural and non-toxic. The same logic applies when we are trying to maintain a clean living environment for our furry pals. White vinegar has been a popular household cleaning agent and it can also be used to clean/disinfect/deodorise the hamster cages with minimum effort. As the smell of white vinegar can be rather pungent, we chose to add dried lavender buds to ‘mask’ the scent. In addition, lavender has antibacterial and deodorizing properties, further enhancing the effectiveness of this cleaning agent.
We purchased our natural white vinegar from Phoon Huat (S$6+ for 2 litres) and dried lavender buds from Chinese medical halls (less than S$5 for a big packet).
Steps to preparing the lavender vinegar:
1) Combine white vinegar and dried lavender buds in a glass bottle using the ratio of 4 : 1.
2) Place the glass bottle in a sunny spot for around 2 weeks.
3) Strain out the lavender vinegar and set it aside. You can continue to make another batch of lavender vinegar by adding dried lavender buds into the remaining soggy mixture in the glass bottle and top it up with white vinegar with the same ratio as stated in 1).
4) Dilute the lavender vinegar with water using the ratio of 1 : 3 and add the resulting mixture into a spray bottle.
5) Use to clean pee/ poo spots on hamster cages. Wipe the area with wet wipes to remove any remaining traces of the vinegar.
OR
For more stubborn stains, spray the mixture around the cage and leave it to soak for half an hour. Thereafter, rinse with water and wipe dry.
If your hamster tends to leave pee stains all over the cage and the pee odour does not go off even after numerous wipes, you may wish to give this diluted lavender vinegar soak a try. For more thorough cleaning, you can use the diluted lavender vinegar to soak and clean the cage. Any plastic portion of the cages would become sparkly clean.
The usage of this diluted lavender vinegar is not just limited to cleaning of hamster cages. You can also use it as a daily household cleaner. We have tried using it to clean our floor, remove irritating streak marks along the taps, clean the mirrors etc.
As for the wet wipes we use to clean the cages, we tend to look for those with natural ingredients. Currently, we get our supply from Qoo10 and it has been a satisfying experience so far. The Jeju wet wipes are moist, odourless and pocket friendly (800 pieces for S$20+). One piece of wet wipe is usually sufficient for us to wipe a hamster wheel and some pee spots around the cage.
