Safety & First Aid

• First Aid Pamphlet/Quick Reference
• Safe & Toxic Plants and Trees

Fatal Toxic Fume Hazard with Over-Heated Vinegar

A family that took to using 1/2 cup of white vinegar to clean their electric dishwasher tragically lost 3 out of 4 birds in their flock due to what they think were the fumes created when the vinegar was super-heated by the heating element in the dishwasher.  It is not known if it was the heated vinegar alone, or a combination of the heated vinegar against the type of metal of the element or the heated vinegar reacting with the built up material in the machine.

To be safe, be very careful when heating vinegar with your birds in the immediate vicinity.  Make sure to keep the area well ventilated, or better yet, remove the birds as far away as possible, or even out of the house if you need to use potentially toxic cleaning items/methods.