For most of my items (food bowls, water bottles, etc), I just use plain old dish soap and water. If it fits in the sink, it gets washed with a regular old scrubbie and soap and water. If it doesn't, it gets hosed outside with soap and water.
But what about when there's a film on something, or something that you want a little stronger cleaner for? I use simple green. If you don't know what that is, it's a non-bleach type general purpose cleaner that is non-toxic and biodegradable. You can find it just about anywhere, but Walmart does sell it as well...
...and I use it for EVERYTHING. If you've ever been around me when I'm cleaning, you'll notice I rarely use any type of bleach cleaner, and I can't stand the smell of lysol, it actually will make me gag. Simple green has a clean, simple (non-overpowering) smell, and doesn't bother me the way these other cleaners do. So, I use it for my kitchen counters, stove, tile floor spills, etc... multipurpose! About the only thing I have a different cleaner for (in the upstairs) is my wood surfaces, and of course, for some things I do use a bleach cleaner. But for the average things that need to be wiped own with a little more than soap or water, this is what I use.
For the caked on grime that seems to be in the favorite-peeing-corners of the cage, I also use white vinegar. Take this pan for example... It doesn't look all that bad, but you can see the white build up in the corners and somewhat on the bottom, and the entire lackluster look.
Then add water, splash in some white vinegar... let it sit for maybe 10-15 minutes. I come back, scrub those problem areas, let it sit some more... then scrub some more and rinse. Usually after the second scrubbing (unless you REALLY have some caked on gunk), it's good to go. And here is the finished / cleaned pan...
Tell me that doesn't look practically brand new. It shines!
Now, for a double dose of cleaning power, I use both all at once. I always buy the economy size ($5.96 -- https://www.walmart.com/ip/Simple-Green-All-Purpose-Cleaner-Refill/22301217 -- 2 liters) or the gallon size ($12.99 -- https://www.walmart.com/ip/Simple-Green-All-Purpose-Cleaner-Concentrate-1-Gal/23569739 -- 1 gallon) and a cheap spray bottle. I fill the spray bottle about 1/8 with the simple green concentrate, 1/8 with white vinegar, and the rest with water. Shake it up a bit (but watch, it foams up!), and you're good to go! Now, when you spray it on something, it cleans even better!
About the only things I use bleach type cleaners like chlorox clean up on, are if I actually need to completely sterilize something. I do this for the metal J-feeders and the metal dust boxes on my holding cage. This is done every time they are washed, to ensure that these items are sterilized for the new chins. The feeders and dusters are washed normally and set aside. Then they are lined up in the sink and sprayed down with chlorox clean up. They sit for 15 minutes with the bleach solution on them, and then after that time, they get rinsed off well, and set off to the side to dry.
Hope this helps some of you!
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