# How am I supposed to clean a CN in an apartment without using the bathtub?



## Patches (Dec 22, 2013)

So my boyfriend and I are moving into an apartment towards the end of April. Currently I wash the pans in a utility sink every week to get all the urine off. Well I told my boyfriend I would have to use the tub to wash them now and he got really freaked out by the idea of that. He said no way I will just have to figure out something else because he doesn't want rat urine in a place that is supposed to make him clean. He said even if I thoroughly clean the tub afterwards he will still have a mental block against it. 

So what now? How do I get the pans clean without being able to use the tub?


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

If you live somewhere it doesn't freeze, a hose can work. 

I don't understand why not the shower though. He does understand that all the filth of his body "washes" through the tub? I use a detachable shower head to spray mine down in the tub and then I spray bleach shower cleaner and leave it sit until the next shower.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Another back-breaking alternative is to buy a spray bottle and some steel wool an spray with a vinegar solution and scrub. Deeper cleans can be accomplished by using natures miracle deep cleaning spray. It takes forever and requires a ton of effort but works.


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

I use the tub all the time. Maybe get a new boyfriend?


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## Patches (Dec 22, 2013)

Haha I don't think the new boyfriend part is an option.

I guess I will have to use the vinegar and steel wool idea. It's something to start I suppose.


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## DustyRat (Jul 9, 2012)

So glad I live alone. (except for my girls)


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

Or do what I do, use the tub to clean it when he is not home  he will never know...lol


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Tell him you will clean it with bleach? Honestly that just kills everything, do I don't see the problem. I bleach and clean our tub after cleaning rat stuff and washing the dogs...it's cleaner after I'm done than before I started.It's your home as well just tell him you need to use it. Blah, not having a tub can make it super tedious and a long job.


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## Simons mum (Dec 19, 2013)

Seriously, the tub can be cleaned well enough after the cage has been cleaned. It's the only practical way in an apartment, and the easiest. Your boyfriend needs to get over it, or you'll have to do it behind his back and tell him you used the neighbours tub.


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## Gannyaan (Dec 7, 2012)

How big are the pans and how big is your bathroom/ laundry sink...? I don't use my bathtub , I use the bathroom sink and a bottle to pour water down the shelves... Well... I spray them down w natures miracle or whatever , let it sit, and then rinse off in the sink (fill up cup/ bottle and pour down pan or shelf) 

Hard to explain, but I hope you get the idea! I can send you a pic this week when I do it hahaha 


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## Crezzard (Jul 20, 2013)

Just don't tell him
You've cleaned them in the tub! Do it when he's out 


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## MimiSkye (Feb 3, 2014)

I would let the pans soak in the sink, and for my cage I usually just use the natures miracle wipes on the bars to get all the stuck on urine off, then spray them with the natures miracle spray, let it sit, then use the bar & grate cleaner here:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/normal/p-82842-FS67405K.jpg
I scrub between the bars. Then I take the pans out of the sink and spray them with natures miracle and wipe em down.


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## Patches (Dec 22, 2013)

Well since he is paying for the apartment while I am a full time student I would feel a bit guilty disrespecting his wishes. But thank you everyone for the ideas! I will have to figure something out. I think it is because he is starting to think he is severely allergic to them. He got a 1 bedroom apartment with a den specifically so the rats can go in the den while he avoids them like the plague. Probably should have added that part to my original post... He claims its because he thinks rat urine in his tub is gross but I know he is just nervous about having to have allergies in his bathroom.


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

My girlfriend is allergic to their urine and I wash everything in our tub. She hasnt broken out in hives on her feet yet!

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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

My wife is really allergic to them as well. I will say if they are in the den he is going to be exposed to them even if he dislikes it since you will have to go through that area daily. When I had a rabbit (that my wife was horribly allergic to) we had a two bedroom apartment, so she could have a room and not be in the main household rooms (insure if that was an option you two would have done it though). I'm jut saying he is going to be exposed to it a lot with them in that close a proximity.Cleaning for people with allergies can be hard but doable. All of my clothes I wear around the rats and their bedding is washed often of course. The washer also goes through a cycle to clean out and I clean the dryer often. I'm always spot cleaning, but I also clean the carpet daily in their room ect. When I wash rat things in the bathroom there is extreme bleach cleaning after. The only time my wife has gotten sick actually is going around their cage when the pans have not been tub scrubbed. They just didn't get as clean.I'm not advocating doing it behind his back, but I would encourage talking with him again. Explaining the measures you will take to keep the bathroom sanitary ect.Lol my rat are even used to having their paws wiped and fur cleaned a little when needed to avoid tracking urine.


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## LeStan82 (Dec 31, 2013)

You could do it outside with a hose or pitchers of water.


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

I would do it when he isn't home and he wont even be bthered by it, as long as you wash down the tub, there wouldn't be anything to tell you cleaned them there.


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## Leraine (Feb 21, 2014)

Does the apartment building have a laundry room? I have lived apartments that have had giant sinks in the laundry room. They are usually about half the size of a tub, and very deep. Sometimes the faucet will be on a hose so you can pull it and more conveniently rinse your items from different directions. 

It might also help to ask him what exactly the problem is with using the tub, then having you wash it afterwards. Is he afraid that there will be residual urine? If that's the case, you can maybe purchase a cheap blacklight which you can use to detect urine, and use it to show him that you have cleaned the tub completely.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Light-Flashlight-Urine-Detector/dp/B00CW5QQ72 
Here's one for less than $20

It's not entirely reasonable for him to think that there would still be urine left in the tub. If it's a cleanliness issue, as somebody else mentioned - all the filth of your body, including any residual waste left on your skin from going to the bathroom - has to be washed off... and all that goes right into the same bathtub! Not to mention, after you touch your rats and then shower, where do all those rat molecules go? Into the same tub. 

If it truly is allergens, he will be subject to it on your clothing anyway, if you handle your rats without washing all exposed skin AND changing your clothes immediately afterwards. And being that he is your boyfriend and you share furniture, he will probably encounter way more urine molecules touching you, your clothes, or the furniture you share... compared to if he touched the tub after you cleaned it. 

If you do your laundry together, well, guess what, some of those allergens will likely end up on his clothing too, even with very new washing machines. 

If he still thinks it's icky to stand in the tub, maybe you could get an elevated bath mat. 
http://www.amazon.com/b?node=85963011
You can remove the bath mat to wash the cage, then put the bath mat back for him so he can stand on it without touching the bottom.

Or he can get flip flops to shower in. This may sound odd, but people do that in gyms and in dorms to avoid touching the bottom of the shared showers so they don't contract athletes foot or other fungal infections from the shared wet floor. 

I understand that you want to be considerate, especially since he is paying the rent, but at the same time, he should also be reasonable to you. If you cannot reasonably wash the cage outside with a hose, how can you keep the cage clean? If you can't keep the cage clean, his allergies WILL get worse. Perhaps bringing up this point will help him to see that there must be some compromise, that can benefit both of you. 

Ultimately, though, I think that the best solution would be to speak to him about it. You can bring it up to him in a considerate way that will not seem like nagging. Maybe mention that you are grateful that he offered to pay the rent and let you and your pets live with you, and that you are concerned about his allergies, so you would like to find a way to keep the rat cage as clean as possible. If you clearly explain to him that being able to remove the allergens from the environment can benefit him by reducing his symptoms, he may feel less like you are nagging him about the rat-urine-in-tub issue again. The reality is that not being able to clean the cage properly is an issue that will affect you, your rats, AND his allergies. When he understands this, he may be more open minded to measures that you suggest, and then you can go about bringing up some of the methods suggested in this thread. 

Best of luck. I hope things work out well.


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## cautionblondewithbrain (Jun 17, 2012)

This is just a side note for your boyfriend, but depending on how bad his allergies are you guys might want to consider getting an air filter for the apartment not only for him but also it greatly improves the quality of the air for him and for your ratties. Also allergy shots can be considered if at all possible but a daily does of Claritin D might be helpful not only for rats in the apt. but also for daily living. And if he has asthma, a dose of Singulair might be helpful as well. A man who loves you, should love your pets and you for loving your pets no matter what. I think talking to him about the above mentioned and also supplementing his regime with a dose of allergy meds would greatly improve your boyfriends quality of life and ease any tension relating to rats, which Im sure would make you both happier.


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## kjgannon09 (Oct 16, 2013)

My roommate isn't okay with me washing my DFN pans in the tub either. I pick up the droppings every day, but for deep cleaning once a week I spray it well with Nature's Miracle and let it sit for a good half hour. Then you can literally just wipe it with baby wipes and it's clean and smells good. If there's a puddle of urine in between cleanings I just use a baby wipe to clean it up.


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## flamegurl (Apr 30, 2013)

I clean mine in a tight space too (Dont have a CN cage though, just a 3 story ferret cage) but i use a sponge and baby wipes and the cage cleaning spray. Then wipe everything down with washcloths.


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## silverfox (Aug 29, 2013)

I'm a lazy person. I load up the stink cage into my truck and drive it to a self wash. I spray it with vinegar and then use the power wash setting a few times. It usually gets things sparkly.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

silverfox said:


> I'm a lazy person. I load up the stink cage into my truck and drive it to a self wash. I spray it with vinegar and then use the power wash setting a few times. It usually gets things sparkly.


That is not a bad idea and I may do that once it gets warmer.


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