All Natural Coop Disinfectant

If you keep chickens, you’re going to get familiar with poop. Chickens poop….like a lot. Not only while they are running around, but they continue to let it loose as they sleep. All this manure in your coop is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and flies in the warmer months. Yuck. Every time you clean the coop and change their bedding, you should be disinfecting. But don’t think you need to turn to harmful chemicals and toxic cleaners to get the job done. Use my favorite home made natural disinfectant instead.

ORANGE AND VINEGAR NATURAL DISINFECTANT

Making your own non toxic and natural disinfectant is so easy and so inexpensive. I’m sure you’ve seen this orange and vinegar spray floating around Pinterest. All you need is:

• an empty quart container (I like a mason jar)
• the peels of 3-5 oranges
• enough plain distilled white vinegar to fill the jar (less than 2 quarts after the oranges are added)

Just peel your oranges, and place the peels in your jar. (You can go ahead and snack on the peeled oranges while you work 😉 ) Then fill the jar with vinegar to the top. Cover, and let sit for one month.

Literally that’s it!

I’ve let mine marinate for up to four months, and I think the longer it stews the better. The oils from the oranges mixed with the vinegar are a powerful disinfectant! The citrus also helps deter insects and pests – double win! I pour mine into a spray bottle and keep it in our shed by the coop for easy access.

Next Level Awesome

Okay, so that mix is pretty good as is, but why not take it to the next level, like the boss that you are. Just two more ingredients turns this mix from good, to aaaaamazing.

• cinnamon sticks
• vanilla beans

Sooooo good. Cinnamon kills mosquito larvae, and vanilla repels flies and other insects. As an added bonus, these two ingredients make your orange solution – and therefore your chicken coop – smell amazing! I don’t even mind cleaning the coop anymore!

Whip up a batch now, and it will be ready for you as soon as the starts to warm up….perfect!

Beyond the Coop

I call it coop cleaner, but really it’s everything cleaner! You can use your mix in your entire house to disinfect naturally. I spray it on my counter tops, in my bathroom, to freshen up and disinfect my dishwasher, seriously, anywhere!

What fun natural ingredients have you used to up your farm cleaning game?

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Amber Spray Bottle

I love these amber spray bottles to keep my homemade cleaner in. They make me feel classy 😉

Vinegar

Vanilla Bean

Cinnamon Stick