Cleaning feeders and drinkers

[farmgrl7]

So possibly a dumb question but I was wondering if anyone has ever washed their plastic feeders and drinkers in their dishwashers? I'd like to give them a good deep cleaning. Normally I soak them in vinegar and some dawn and scrub them well. But I'd like to give them a good sanitizing. Just a quick wash with vinegar and water only. I have the regular plastic feeders/drinkers you find at TS.

 

[Brooks_]

I don't know if that type of plastic would hold up in the high heat of a dishwasher. I just use vinegar and water.

 

[3KillerBs]

Unless they're exceedingly poopy, I just scrub the waterers out under the hose bib with a stiff brush and refill.

I occasionally wash chick feeders when they get poopy, but the adults never soil their feeders so I just keep refilling.

 

[svh]

My routine is the same as @3KillerBs ..... I have used a weak bleach solution on the waterers 3 or 4 times in the last 2 years, but they were exceptionally green and poopy.

I've actually cleaned the feeders once or twice as well, because of mouse poop in them, but have since taken care of the rodent problem .....

 

[kerbotx]

Like others have mentioned, I would worry that the heat of the dishwasher would be too much - the plastic will eventually become brittle enough to break, even when they're always in the shade, the dishwasher would probably hasten that process considerably. You might consider disinfecting with chlorhexidine - it comes as a concentrate, mixes up a tablespoon to a 1/2 gallon of water, will also come in handy if you ever have to do bumblefoot surgery.

 

[MountainWoman73]

So possibly a dumb question but I was wondering if anyone has ever washed their plastic feeders and drinkers in their dishwashers? I'd like to give them a good deep cleaning. Normally I soak them in vinegar and some dawn and scrub them well. But I'd like to give them a good sanitizing. Just a quick wash with vinegar and water only. I have the regular plastic feeders/drinkers you find at TS.

I do this with my chick feeder and waterers all the time. My big chicken waterers wouldn't fit in the dishwasher and/or have electric bases, so I bleach those once in a while when necessary. On a regular basis I just swish them out with hose water.

 

[Tiggertwo]

I

I don't know if that type of plastic would hold up in the high heat of a dishwasher. I just use vinegar and water.

Put mine in the dishwasher after I wash with dawn and vinegar and rinse very well. Holds up very well with no melting.