How do I wash hammocks/soft items

[Aalice]

Hello! I am due my first lot of Baby Ratties this weekend. I had lots as a Child and I have some very fond memories but I am struggling to remember the cleaning regime....

Lots of people have mentioned they wash their hammocks/blankets and things. What do you wash them in? I know rats are so sensitive and I don't want to upset them or cause any havock to their respiratory systems..

Would you also wash things like fabric ropes as well?

[[cub]]

Lots of people have mentioned they wash their hammocks/blankets and things. What do you wash them in? I know rats are so sensitive and I don't want to upset them or cause any havock to their respiratory systems..

Would you also wash things like fabric ropes as well?

I just use our normal washing powder. It's a mildly frangranced bio powder, nothing special. If I had a rat that seemed to react to it (e.g. they sneeze a lot in bed only), then obviously I would change, but realistically, whatever fragrance is in the washing powder is probably much less of an irritant than fermenting rat urine, which the hammocks would otherwise smell of. Doing an extra rinse cycle seems to remove much of the fragrance as well, and also helps produce cleaner hammocks.

I do also wash ropes, though I'm a bit more careful with those just because it's easy to overload the washing machine if you have a lot of ropes. Also if they have any metal attachments or anything like that, you might need to evaluate if they're safe in a washing machine (e.g. likelihood of cracking or snagging on something).

I recommend using a horse wash bag though; keeps the fluff and detritus inside the bag and stops it clogging up the machine. Even though I manually remove as much of it as I can before washing hammocks, there's always some left.

[Aalice]

Thankyou so much!

I don't suppose I could boggle your brain about cleaning the cage itself. I really want to stay as far away from harsh chemicals as I can.

I have seen a few things about white wine vinegar and water 1:1 ratio. Does that sound sufficient?

[[cub]]

I've also heard of people using vinegar but I've never tried it myself. I clean the bathroom mirror with vinegar and the bathroom always reeks of vinegar for a few hours afterwards; I wouldn't fancy dousing an entire cage in it. I use baby wipes; most of the time all you need is something damp with a bit of surfactant action. You could probably actually just use microfibre cloths and warm water, if you don't mind the extra laundry.

[cyber ratty]

I use fairy washing up liquid for the cage and accessories.

[Aalice]

I was considering this. I wasn't sure if it'd be too harsh. I guess if I rinse well it'll be fine..

[[cub]]

I use fairy washing up liquid for the cage and accessories.

Ah yeah, I use washing up liquid for cleaning toys and things. I figure if it can be used to wash dishes that human babies are going to lick, it's fine.