Zero waste cleaning for
cats and chickens 

and all sorts of pets

Left: Apple Right: Amber's baby chicks (6 weeks old?) Middle: Me carrying Spy to pick apples

Do you have pets?

All pets require cleaning up after. I have cats and chickens that I clean up after every day. Instead of it being drudgery like it used to be, I have turned it into a mini workout routine, which gets me out of the house every day at dawn. I love being outside at dawn and now I have something that gets me doing something I love every day, even if it does involves poop.

Too many deep cleaning house tasks involve a lot of garbage. One time use sponges and wipes, single use plastic bottles, paper towels, plastic bag litter box liners, etc. This is just a fraction of the waste that result from our chosen cleaning products and cleaning methods. 

This article takes the mundane pet poop cleaning tasks, and turns them into mini workout routines, using as close to zero waste methods as possible.

Love your cats and chickens

dogs and other pets too

Mornings are all about cleaning.

The cats and chickens in my family, need to go out at first light, or as close to that as possible, and their poop needs to be cleaned up. I take care of all of these things before I eat breakfast. You would think we were farmers instead of taking care of our home and pets. We like this routine. It definitely clears my head and gets me ready for the rest of the day.

In Summer, I add weeding and removing slugs from my potato garden bed and watering greenhouse plants at the end of my poop cleaning tasks. In Winter, dumping the compost is an added task.

Chicken Coop Cleaning

Eggs in the lower next box.

Upper and lower nest boxes. Lots of nooks and crannies. The lower next box has since been removed from the coop.

Chicks on the porch. This photo was taken before we decided it's a good idea to make a big chicken run for them to free range in, where they are out of reach of the neighborhood dogs.

The chicken coop is easy to clean daily with Waterless Hand Soap, a no rinse hand soap. This way my chickens can happily and comfortably lay eggs during the day in a clean nest box, and roost in a clean coop at night.  

Click here to read about my easy chicken coop cleaning method

Get out of bed at dawn

Roosters are funny birds. They crow at almost any light, anything different, and anything they deem dangerous. If there's a bright full moon, Peridot might crow in the middle of the night. As soon as the sky hints at sunrise, he's crowing. It's time to get up and greet the day. 

These are 2 of my roosters. Archie, the "dad" in back and Peridot, his "son" in front. Archie is a Gold Lace Wing Wyandot. Peridot's egg was laid by Turquoise, an Easter Egger.

Since the chickens put themselves to bed in the coop each evening at dusk, and we make sure the cats are inside, everyone is ready to go out at first light. 

As the sun comes up, Andy brings the chickens fresh water, opens up their door (the coop also has a people door), and he plays with them over their breakfast treats.  The roosters are usually out first so they can inspect the new day for predators before letting the girls out. It's invigorating and a terrific happiness trigger. Who knew that cleaning up poop first thing every day would make us all happy.

Cleaning up after your geriatric cats

Bisou

How to clean a cat litter box

Cleaning a cat's litter box in the modern conventional way, involves a lot of plastic garbage.

Here's a technique using zero waste methods and a cleaner litter box. Say no to filling up land fills and polluting the water supply with toxic perfumes and soap like products made out of petroleum industry oil by products. Use all natural hand soap instead for a cleaner life style for you and your pets.

Click here for instructions for how to clean a cat litter box and what to clean a cat litter box with..

Dilute at home. Support a plastic free journey.

Refill your 8 oz. Waterless Hand Soap. Place 1/2 oz. Liquid Soap Refill noodles in empty bottle and fill with with water. Gently shake and wait 5 minutes and you have a zero waste refill with a reused bottle

Cats and chickens go together 

If I have to scrub the floor from a cat mess, while I'm outside cleaning the chicken coop and other cleaning tasks, the floor dries.

By the time I bring the cleaned litter box back in the basement, the floor is dry, and I put it back in its place. Then I wash my rubber gloved hands with the bar soap and water, hang the gloves to dry, and wash my actual hands with soap and water. 

Cleaning with Ithaca Soap Instant Liquid Soap refill is anti bacterial, so there's no need to microwave anything to kill germs. The soap does it for you. If you are using a soap like product that recommends that you microwave your sponges and other cleaning tools to kill bacteria, this soap like product doesn't work at killing or cleaning anything invisible to the naked eye. I would recommend using real soap that does kill bacteria and other pathogens and getting rid of your false soap product immediately.

Instant Liquid Soap is the perfect stovetop cleaner. It's gentle on your hands while being tough on built up, caked on grease. Click here to read How to Clean your Greasy Stovetop using zero waste natural soap methods

1. Tear open pouch at notch
2. Fill pouch with water to top of label. Gently stir.
3. Pour into a reused plastic bottle. Use.

The future starts now as you end single use plastic bottles. Click here

Hairballs - the subject nobody talks about

Cleaning up a hairball using the zero waste method.

I have a specific medium weight linen rag specifically for this task. It's rugged and does this job well. 

Tools: Rubber gloves, my handy linen rag, Waterless Hand Soap

Zero Waste hairball cleaning method:

1. Put on your rubber gloves
2. Wet the rag and squeeze out all excess water.
3. Scoop up the hairball with the wet rag. Dump it in your toilet and flush.
4. In your utility sink, rinse out the rag, and wash it with liquid soap and water. Rinse it well. Wash the sink with soap and water.
5. Squirt some Waterless Hand soap on the rag and wash the floor, carpet, furniture, windowsill.
6. You know how it is. Cats just throw up the hairball wherever they are and then go to a clean place, leaving it there for you.
7. Rinse and wash the rag again using the same method as in step 4. Wash in your washing machine with other rags, etc.

A broody hen journey. click here

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Chicken coop drama here

Instant 
Liquid Soap Refill

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Waterless Hand Soap here

How much soap money does a shower cost you?

Let's say you spend $6.00 on a bar of soap and it lasts for 7 days of showers. That's $.84 per shower. 

For your next bar of soap, you spend $8.50. That seems like a lot of money, except it lasts for 8 weeks or 56 showers. That's $.15 cents per shower. F.Y.I.: One bar lasts me and Andy 6 weeks of daily showers - 84 showers.

Good soap is cost effective. More

Make Liquid Soap at home. Save your hands from harmful dish washing soaps and liquids. Get some here.

Visit The Ithaca Farmers Market. Booth 6

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THINK

How much soap money does a shower cost you?

Let's say you spend $6.00 on a bar of soap and it lasts for 7 days of showers. That's $.84 per shower. 

For your next bar of soap, you spend $8.50. That seems like a lot of money, except it lasts for 8 weeks or 56 showers. That's $.15 cents per shower. F.Y.I.: One bar lasts me and Andy 6 weeks of daily showers - 84 showers.

Good soap is cost effective. More

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