When we bring pets to our homes, we must take care of them for their well-being and sustainable health. Unlike dogs and cats, some pets require a cage for their shelter such as reptiles, rodents, and birds. If you have such type of pet at your home, you must place a clean carpet on the cage bottom to avoid direct falling of their fecal material and excretions on the floor surface. These carpets act as an alternative flooring of sand, leaves, or dirt that reptiles usually face in their wildlife.
Furthermore, these carpets with soft and absorbent surfaces provide comfort to the belly of your reptiles. Over time, these carpets get dirt and accumulate dirt, debris, and other excretion, hence, requiring cleaning. In this informative article, PVC Vinyl Flooring has come up with a complete procedure to clean a reptile carpet. Considering this fruitful guide, you can easily clean your reptile cage carpet with minimal effort and time.
Cleaning Of A Reptile Carpet | A DIY Approach
Before cleaning, you must know about the reptile carpet, a specific carpet that is usually placed in the tank or cage of reptiles. Most commonly, these carpets are crafted with natural, non-toxic, and health-friendly materials such as wood chips, and high-density fibers of pine and cedar.
To keep the reptile bedding surface clean and germs-resistant, you must remove uneaten food residues, wastes, shredded skin, and other types of evacuations from the surface. In addition, the presence of these types of materials on a Sisal carpet will be harmful and unhygienic for your pet.
Stuff Required For Cleaning
Here’s what you’ll need to begin the cleaning process:
- Scraper/ Putty Knife
- Water Bucket
- Disinfectant
- Dry Cloth/ Towel
- Clean Water
- Household Detergent
- Toothbrush
- Safety Gloves
- Mask & Haircap
1- Equip Yourself For Safety
Before starting this DIY project, you must equip yourself with safety apparatus such as latex gloves, mask, and hair cap. Because the waste material from reptiles contains antibiotic-resistant pathogens such as Salmonella or E.coli that can cause infections. Never make direct contact with reptile feces, excretions, and other waste materials until you have taken all the safety measures.
2- Remove Waste Material
At first, you should remove your reptile pet from the cage and shift it to a suitable health-friendly place. Now remove the carpet from the cage carefully without letting the waste material slip from its surface. If the carpet has dry waste material, use a scraper to remove it gently from the surface. Moreover, for fecal material or other stainings, you will utilize the putty knife.
3- Spot Clean The Carpet
Pet owners should adopt spot-cleaning practices on a daily basis to keep cage interiors clean. When you refill the food items in their pots, you must check the condition of the cage. If you find any stain or spot on the carpet, promptly remove it with a clean wet cloth. Apply disinfectant on the cloth and rub it on the staining area to ensure complete carpet disinfection. Otherwise, different types of bacteria grow there and enhance the chances of toxicity and infections.
4- Carpet Deep Cleaning
To deep clean the carpet, you should check whether the carpet is machine washable or not. If the carpet is machine washable, it will be easy for you to clean in less time. Otherwise, you need to utilize different accessories to clean the surface.
1- Handwashing
- For handwashing, prepare a solution of water and household detergent in the clean water bucket.
- Sprinkle the prepared solution on the carpet surface and rub the toothbrush over it to remove stains and other materials.
- Moreover, you can also dip the carpet directly into the water bucket if you find no staining on the carpet.
- Soak the carpet in solution for at least 10-15 minutes. After the allocated time, rinse with clean water to wipe all detergent residues.
- Air dry the reptile bedding completely to remove moisture content, otherwise moisture allows the germs and mold to grow.
- It would be best if you place the carpet in direct sunlight for air drying (Considering the fiber type to prevent discoloration).
2- Machine Washing
- For machine washable reptile beddings, you need to prepare the same detergent solution with warm water in a specific amount in the machine tub.
- Add the carpet to the machine tub and set the rotation. If you use liner along with carpet, you must remove it before placing it in the machine.
- After 3-4 minutes, remove the carpet from the machine and rinse with clean water.
- For drying, follow the same procedure as we have mentioned for handwashing.
5- Disinfecting The Reptile Carpet
After complete washing, now it’s time to disinfect the carpet with a heavy-duty disinfection process. You can use household materials for disinfection such as diluted bleach or alcohol solution. It must be ensured that you will use a specific amount of disinfectant otherwise it can also damage your pet and cause suffocation in the cage. After completing the disinfection process, reassemble the carpet again in the reptile enclosure.
Additional Maintenance Tips For Reptile Carpet
Every pet owner must follow these tips to keep their reptile living surface clean and environment-friendly.
- Craft a regular carpet cleaning schedule to avoid the accumulation of food residues, feces, and other excretory substances.
- Include spot-cleaning practice in your daily schedule to prevent further staining or damage on the rest of the carpet surface.
- Being a pet handler, you should also monitor your reptile’s health, a diseased reptile often secretes more substances like saliva, urine, and feces.
Final Words!
To sum up this article, we can say that cleaning reptile carpets is somewhat of a challenging DIY task. It requires proper guidance to clean reptile bedding thoroughly to prevent pets from severe infections. PVC Vinyl Flooring has demonstrated an essential guide with effective tips to assist you in DIY cleaning. By following this guide step by step, you can provide a safe, comfortable, and hygiene-friendly environment for your pet. Moreover, we have also enlisted some essential maintenance tips to keep your pet carpet clean and stain-free. Hope, this detailed guide with effective tips will help you throughout the cleaning process, and achieve professional-looking carpet cleaning outcomes.
