At 10:33 PM 3/10/00 +0000, Julian and Jackie wrote:
>Elizabeth Heckert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>
> >Heh I know I've asked this before and I really should write the answer
> >down... but what's the proper concentration of bleach I should use when
> >scrubbing down gerbie cages? Also, is it safe to use this stuff on
> >plastic or will it seep into the plastic? (May be a dumb question, but
> >you can never be TOO safe.)
> >
> >Elizabeth
>
>Most rodent species are sensitive to bleach. Ammonia vapours can hang
>around for weeks even when the concentrations are too low for humans to
>sense. Because of this it is probably not a good idea to use bleach at
>all. It isn't really necessary anyway except in certain circumstance
>(see below).
Bleach =/= Ammonia. Bleach is chlorine Cl-, & ammonia is NH3. Ammonia is an
acid, & bleach is a base. That's why you're not supposed to mix them: they
react & produce poisonous chlorine gas.
It's a lot easier to find bleach without scents and other cleaning agents
and surfectants than it is to find ammonia without perfumes, so I use
bleach to clean & sterilize fish & gerbil things. I make sure everything is
dry before I add the inhabitants back into their home, too.
Rebecca...
