Note: This installment in the boot camp series, rather than tackle a behavior topic, we feature a tip learned from cleaning all those litterboxes!
Plain white vinegar is one of the most effective cleaners for bunny litterboxes and cages. Over time, most bunny people find a crusty build-up forms on anything their bunny regularly urinates on. However, these items can be restored to a like-new condition by simply applying vinegar.
In our main foster home, we use a spray bottle to apply vinegar. It's handy and uses less vinegar per application than when it's poured out of a bottle. In most cases, build-up can be removed by spraying it with vinegar and wiping it with a paper towel 10 to 30 seconds later. You'll notice the cleaning action as soon as the vinegar touches the build up – it will fizz up a bit, which means it's working!
If you have a significant amount of build-up, it may be necessary to allow the vinegar to sit for up to 10 minutes. You can also repeat the process, if necessary. Once you've removed the buildup, reapplying vinegar once a month or so will keep the litterbox or cage nice and clean.
How does it work? Susan Smith, Wisconsin HRS Educator-Fosterer, explained that the "build-up" is actually calcium salts (calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate) that have precipitated out of bunny's urine. Sue says, "In order for calcium salts to stay dissolved in a liquid, that liquid needs to be acidic, and bunny urine is the opposite – basic. Since vinegar is a weak acid, ideal for dissolving calcium salts, they dissociate into free calcium ions (charged), free carbonate ions (the fizz as CO2), and free phosphate ions. Voila! Clean litter pan."
For the non-chemists among us, she added this description: "Think of the calcium salts as clumsy dancers; when partnered, they fall down on the dance floor. If single, they dance well and don't fall down. A basic environment makes them partner and fall down; An acidic environment (like vinegar) makes them separate and keep dancing." Vinegar also works to loosen the buildup the sometimes accumulates at the tip of water bottle spouts, and for removing "hard water" stains on glass. Amazingly enough, adding a little to cake batter also results in a moister cake! It's true – read about many more amazing ways to use vinegar in Vim and Vinegar by Melodie Moore (Perennial Currents, 1997)