# Cleaning after raw food



## Indy1204 (Jul 14, 2011)

Hey everyone. I've got a 7.5 month old Malamute and after reading these forums the last few weeks I'm 100% committed to switching to PMR. We're moving the beginning of August so I'm waiting til then. In the meantime I'm researching sources so I can stock up. (Anyone know any good sources in Windsor, ON, Canada?)

My main question is clean up. I've seen pics with people feeding on the kitchen floor, on towels, etc. I'm guessing they just get washed or mopped after each meal? If there anything specific you guys do? The places we're moving to has an attached garage with a plastic flooring and a drain in the middle. I'm thinking of just letting him eat in there and then a quick mop and rinse. Sound about right?

Thanks everyone.

P.S. I've been going over the Raw Pictures sticky and it's awesome seeing them all chowing down. Are there any threads that show pics of just the meat and which parts are ok for them? Specifically bones and such. It would be really helpful for noobs like myself. For example, I've read that you should start them on chicken backs or chicken quarters. I know you can buy then in 40# boxes, so are they ok as is, or does anything need to be removed? Can an entire chicken quarter be given right out of the box? I understand you should strip the skin and fat to start.

Thanks


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

I just let Wallaby clean up after himself. If it's a bone-in meal he's typically outside with it. Boneless, sometimes a little blood drips on the floor but he licks that right up. I mop once a week. If he eats a bone-in meal indoors, he either has it in the bathtub and I just spray it down, or he has it on his bed and I throw his bed out in the sun when he's done/the next day. 

Other than excess fat/skin, no you don't need to remove anything.


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## Love my lab (Dec 9, 2010)

Some will say strip everything, some will say strip nothing.....in the beginning taking the fat or skin should be done to prevent loose stool and then slowly add it into the diet.....but like I said some have left it on and their dogs had no issues at all. Also some say you should pull the attached organs off the backs, some will say they didn't......in the beginning the organs could cause loose stool because they are very rich and usually added a bit later, but you probably knew that if you read rawfeddogs and danemama's links. I pretty much stripped fat off and organs in the first initial weeks of my dogs transition....then slowly left it on, however I did not feed the full amount of organs until I was done doing all the protien adds. If you take things slow you will learn by watching your dog what works and doesn't. If you start to add the fat and you get loose poops then you will know exactly what caused it....so you cut back a little. That should be your guide for each step in this process 

For the cleaning part of it....really there is no mess left. The dog cleans up very well after they are done....well at least my dog does. I do spray the floor w/ white vinegar though just because I like too, but she never leaves nothing behind for me to actually pick up. Some use towels and wash them once a week, some feed in crates.....and really how you feed is what you are comfortable with. My dog has a bowl but she always pulls the bone part of her meal out and it hits the floor anyways......so why bother I guess..lol....other then the fact when I feed I always add water to her meal because as you will find out the water bowl will most likely become a ghost bowl. There is so much water in what they consume that the desire to drink is not the same as it was when eating kibble. So for us I find adding water w/ her food and what ever juices is left in her bag of food I took out from freezer and feed ice for treats (seriously she loves it and thinks it is the best thing ever~strange I know, but it works...haha) is how I compensate the lack of drinking from the water bowl. I spend more time washing the water bowl and adding fresh water so it can sit there until the next day when I change it to give fresh. Plus, of course I add the boneless to her bowl.(food bowl of course ) I feed 2x a day because that is what works best for my dog. If she doesn't eat evry 12 hrs or so she get the hunger pukes(yellow foamy bile) so now that I have her figured out (well I think I do ..lol) I just feed twice. It is not a problem for me to feed 2x a day, but some just do once a day....and again I think what works best for your dog is going to be different then the next guy. But at least coming here helps because there is always someone here to help, answer and guide you. Great place for info...glad your here and starting this journey w/ your pup. Enjoy!!!! Because I know your dog will


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

My dogs eat in crates or outside because we have so many. I mop every other day and when packaging meat I just clean like I would for cooking my own meat - I use peroxide and water or alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Wash hands and move on. I rarely clean their crates or where they eat because they clean so well! I would start with backs if you can get them and add quarters right after then mix it up. My guys do pretty well so I left all the fat on but if you know you have a dog with a sensitive tummy I would take some off at first. We have a lot of dogs to feed so I don't ever look for extra work:redface: Turkey would be my next protein choice so if you place a bullk order you might want to think turkey something.We like necks and hearts but hearts only would be too rich to start.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I usually just let Shade clean up that floor after Chelsy eats. I do have a container of Clorox wipes and if there's anything left on the floor I just use a wipe on that spot. 

I started with chicken quarters and just pulled off the extra fat and skin at first. I let them have the tiny little organ pieces that are stuck on a quarter because it's so tiny and my dogs are so big that it never bothered them. Now I let them have all the fat and skin on the chicken quarters and don't remove anything. We use primarily quarters because I can get them for $.47 a pound and they seem to be just the right amount of bone and meat for my dogs.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

We have all tile floors, so I just mop the spot where there was food. And yes, chicken backs are the best way to start, then move to quarters. Its best to pull off the skin at the beginning as well until your dog has become adjusted to raw.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

If the weather is bad, i let them eat on rugs in the living rooms - throw rugs are easier for me than plastic, because i can throw them in the washer.

But in good weather, it's all outside. 

i left everything on - skin, organs, whatever was there. I will say frankly that i am lazy, and i don't want to be skinning any chickens or picking those little pieces of organ out if it's not necessary. Of course, neither of my dogs are prone to diarrhea at the drop of a hat like some are, so I got away with it pretty easily.


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## FL Cracker (May 4, 2011)

We have porcelain tile floors, and feed the dog's on their respective "mat's". If they drag it off the mat...onto the floor...they do a pretty good job cleaning it up after. Regardless...the floor's get mopped with a 10% bleach and soap solution routinely...so overall it get's cleaned up...one way or the other. The mat's get hosed off outside once a week...and in the Florida sun...are dried out within an hour.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

i don't feed raw but why can't you put it in a bowl?? 
actually my dog does get a raw chicken back
sometimes and he gets a 4oz ground beef pattie
added to his kibble as a topping occassionally (sp).


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I don't know about everyone (I think some dogs do eat bones out of a bowl) but mine is looking for a place to lay down and eat properly - since eating bones sometimes takes feet etc. to hold it down. I don't want him wandering around the house dripping a bone looking for a quiet corner, so I put him down first, and bring the bone to him.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

doggiedad said:


> i don't feed raw but why can't you put it in a bowl??
> actually my dog does get a raw chicken back
> sometimes and he gets a 4oz ground beef pattie
> added to his kibble as a topping occassionally (sp).


Mine start out in a bowl just so I can conveniently hold it up high while waiting for the pup to contain his excitement without getting blood everywhere. They always, without fail, drag it out into the grass to eat.

Anyways, mine always eat out back. We have a patch of concrete where they start out, but end up taking the last bits into the grass. We just hose of the patio when we start seeing flies. The crows pick up anything left behind every morning, but on average, we spray the patio down about two to three times a week. They never get to eat indoors. Not even chicken feet.


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## RaisingWolves (Mar 19, 2011)

I often serve raw food in a bowl, but that is really a waste of time. They pull it out of the bowl and eat it on the floor.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Having won the Worst Housekeeper Award from my friends (great friends, huh?). I've been told that I'm the perfect "test subject" for whether or not you can get a "disease" from feeding raw because of my "lack of cleaning skills". So now to gross everyone out, except for the "prep area" unless it leaves a "mark" I don't worry about it. Here comes the really gross part, the dogs eat where ever they want (except the bedrooms) and they are usually inside. Now I do pick up any "bits and pieces, wipe up any "drippings" with clorox wipes, and wash any "bloodied" surfaces, but if it's not visible I don't worry about it.
Oh, before (ahh, might be too late for that) everyone thinks my house looks like a hoarder's home or a "disaster area", I don't have piles of stuff or "trash" every where. I do have dusty "knickknacks" and hard to reach areas, dog hair and feathers on my floors, and on busy weeks my stove is "splattered". To give you an idea of my "cleaning skills", I think it's perfectly acceptable to vaccuum my kitchen. Gah, maybe I should take a picture of my house to prove it's not a pig stye. :0) You would never believe that I was once a "Susie Homemaker"


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Celt, I'm messy too. Italian greyhounds must cause it. 

I just wash the prep area when I am chopping/cutting meat after, and I don't do cleanup after they eat. They usually eat outside or in their kennel when it's cold.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Celt said:


> Having won the Worst Housekeeper Award from my friends (great friends, huh?). I've been told that I'm the perfect "test subject" for whether or not you can get a "disease" from feeding raw because of my "lack of cleaning skills". So now to gross everyone out, except for the "prep area" unless it leaves a "mark" I don't worry about it. Here comes the really gross part, the dogs eat where ever they want (except the bedrooms) and they are usually inside. Now I do pick up any "bits and pieces, wipe up any "drippings" with clorox wipes, and wash any "bloodied" surfaces, but if it's not visible I don't worry about it.
> Oh, before (ahh, might be too late for that) everyone thinks my house looks like a hoarder's home or a "disaster area", I don't have piles of stuff or "trash" every where. I do have dusty "knickknacks" and hard to reach areas, dog hair and feathers on my floors, and on busy weeks my stove is "splattered". To give you an idea of my "cleaning skills", I think it's perfectly acceptable to vaccuum my kitchen. Gah, maybe I should take a picture of my house to prove it's not a pig stye. :0) You would never believe that I was once a "Susie Homemaker"


I think I love you  - I would not dare show a photo of the inside of my house. I am not exactly hoarder material, either, but my hubby and I were trying to remember when we mopped the kitchen floor last, and we couldn't.

Where in West Texas? I am from Alpine.

Edited to add: If salmonella was as big a problem as they say, we would have gotten it 100 times by now. I DO try to CLorox the cutting board, honest I do, and wash my hands right away, but dang, it just doesn't always happen.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

bishopthesheltie--I can't say it's my Iggies. I was like this before I got them. One of the reasons for getting them was the lack of hair.:embarassed: Sadly, my lot aren't "confined" to an area. They "drag" their meal where ever (kitchen, gameroom, livingroom) and most of my house is carpeted:faint: lol Like I said perfect "test subject".

xellil-I'm in El Paso, as far as you can get and still stay in Texas. Ooo, I remeber when we mopped the floor. It was 2 weeks ago. Although, it was a "lick and a promise" kind of mopping. Just used the clorox swiffer "mop" and didn't move anything. Huh, Just realized that most of my cleaning is of the "lick and a promise" type.


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## RaisingWolves (Mar 19, 2011)

xellil said:


> Edited to add: If salmonella was as big a problem as they say, we would have gotten it 100 times by now.


I agree. I was just telling my son the other day, as I was elbow deep into a box of bloody lamb hearts....I think I'm healthier and have strengthened my immune system because I'm exposed to the bacteria in raw food everyday. I truly believe we weaken our immune system by trying to be too sterile. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.:biggrin1:


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## OnyxDog (Jun 15, 2011)

RaisingWolves said:


> I agree. I was just telling my son the other day, as I was elbow deep into a box of bloody lamb hearts....I think I'm healthier and have strengthened my immune system because I'm exposed to the bacteria in raw food everyday. I truly believe we weaken our immune system by trying to be too sterile. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.:biggrin1:


You know... now that I think about it, I haven't been seriously sick since I started feeding raw two years ago. I used to get sick all the time! I wonder if it actually IS the raw feeding that suddenly made me healthier? :tongue:


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Its a thought!!

I don't trim anything off their goodies at all and I pretty much let them clean up themselves. They eat in their crates or outside on their tie-outs. Sometimes Lily gets a goodie on the kitchen floor. If she leaves anything I hit it with some Seventh Generation free & clear spray cleaner and wipe it, but mostly there is nothing to clean up. I do use their bowls sometimes because the path to the crates is carpeted and I'm a klutz. :smile:


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I do believe there really IS something to developing immunities to things you are exposed to naturally. I never got sick before i started feeding raw - I'm not unsanitary (I am right on top of any accidental pee/poop) but I'm not a great housekeeper, and if I wash off my kitchen counter with water and a paper towel I'm not too worried about any lurking bacteria.

I don't use those wipes when i get a grocery cart, either. And I never use antibacterial soap - I think it makes the germs more resistant to our bodies natural ability to fight them off. My only real concession to all the antibacterial rage is my purse - I no longer set it on the kitchen counter.


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## hamblekg (Feb 1, 2011)

I have 2 small pugs and they eat in the kitchen and livingroom (my bad <G>) For cleaning try: "Hydrogen peroxide is generally anti-bacterial and anti-viral, so it makes sense to use it as a household cleaner. However, it does take time to work, so the short amount of contact time in cleaning counters and windows probably won't kill all the tiny pathogens in your house. On the other hand, it's a step in that direction, and if you want to really sanitize something, you can leave the hydrogen peroxide for a longer time." 
Its natural where most other cleaners are not; not to mention better priced. Although ground meats go in their bowls rmb's just don't cut it in the bowls. Everybody has their own levels of comfort with raw feeding. Do what feels best to you. ttfn


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Yes, well, I'd like to think I was a Martha bloody Stewart, but I'm deluded, thats for sure. 
Dog just eats where ever, sometimes on her mat, most of the time not. If I spot some dried blood on the tile floor glinting in the sunlight, its just wiped off with a wet papertowel. 
I just figure that I've got dogs, cats and people tramping throughout the house all the time. Most people in shoes that have been outside and harbouring goodness knows what, so a bit of blood is a piece of pxss considering. 
I don't use antibacterial anything in my place, just don't agree with it at all, never have.
Cutting board just goes in the dishwasher, benchtop cleaned with whatever is closest, normally Windex. 
Life is too good to be worrying about housework!


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## Mollygirl (May 14, 2011)

Well, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that lets their dogs eat anywhere. The have the run of the house, only put in their kennel when we have to leave and that is only because the puppies like to chew and I don't want to come home to stuff all chewed up. I like the post about feather and such all over. I have dog hair everywhere, and then stuffing from toys they chew up. How does a short hair English Bulldog shed so much, I would think she is bald by as much hair I vacuum up. I would have to vacuum everyday to keep all that hair up, in fact every hour. The pups don't shed that much, just Molly and it's little white hairs everywhere. As for the feeding, I have dog bowls everywhere, huge elevated one bought for Molly because I read it would help in her digestion when she was fed kibble and was throwing up. And 2 smaller ones. They are not hardly ever used anymore unless I pour blood in it or throw extra small leftover pieces of meat in it. I just give each their piece and they run to their own little spot. Pinky always runs to the carpet in the other room (because she is so afraid someone is going to take her food), Ginger goes eat by the outside door in the kitchen and Molly stands in the middle of the kitchen. If she drops it I have to pick it up because she is spoiled and just looks at it on the floor. I think the bowls don't work because they have to hold it in their paws to chew on them, except Molly who crunches down and has to keep it in her mouth to eat it. When they are done they come back to look at me for their next bite. I have to watch Molly's because Pinky will grab it if she drops it and runs off with it and Molly don't even care. She would starve. As for cleaning, they usually clean up pretty good, if not the best thing I have is a swifter moper, takes about 5 secs to wipe it up.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

My cleaning regime is....well Brody!:tongue1:

I have a Piggie, OOPS, I mean Puggie, there is no reason to clean up after the doggies in my home!:lol:

Other wise we have tile/hard wood in the kitchen and living room which I mop once per week...and the carpet in the bedroom(which Leo eats off of via his mat when Im at work) get shampooed about 2x per month!:smile: And Rhett and Brody are fed in their crates on the days I work, Brody NEVER has ANYTHING left in his crate..NEVER a fly in there!LOL And each day when we get home we leave Rhett's crate open for Brody to go and clean!HAHA


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## KC23 (Nov 17, 2010)

I started out worrying about germs on the floor. I used a sheet for a couple days and would put a gate up--I pretty much gave up on all of that LOL. I do sanitize my counters and food scale, and toss the cutting boards/utensils in the dishwasher. I do wash/sanitize my hands a lot. 

I removed some of the fat off of really fatty pieces of chicken when I first started out, but I don't anymore. I left the organs attached to the chicken backs too--never had any problems.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I think we should all just visit each others houses and not have any other company come over! I'm sure people on this board would never comment on the white fluffballs all over my house (why isn't Rocky bald!), the splatters on the stove, the dog beds everywhere, and the miscellaneous stains on the carpet (we don't even try to guess what they are from!). 

I must have mopped the kitchen floor at least once this year (I think?)


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

chowder said:


> I think we should all just visit each others houses and not have any other company come over! I'm sure people on this board would never comment on the white fluffballs all over my house (why isn't Rocky bald!), the splatters on the stove, the dog beds everywhere, and the miscellaneous stains on the carpet (we don't even try to guess what they are from!).
> *
> I must have mopped the kitchen floor at least once this year (I think?)*


I *should* state that the reason that I DO mop once per week is because on Saturdays when I prep their week's food Brody will NOT leave the floor alone all day Sunday unless I mop!LOL


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

doggiedad said:


> i don't feed raw but why can't you put it in a bowl??
> actually my dog does get a raw chicken back
> sometimes and he gets a 4oz ground beef pattie
> added to his kibble as a topping occassionally (sp).


I put ours in bowls when they have boneless meals, but bone in meals are not so they can lay down and really chew with the back teeth.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Well, I'll be honest: I'm somewhat of a neat freak. In my house, everything has a place. I do NOT do trinkets and little nick nacks, at all. On my coffee table sits whatever book I'm reading at the time, and that's it. I dust my house every single day, and mop my floors every single day. (I have all hardwood upstairs except for bedrooms)
My lawn gets mowed twice per week, and I do one or two loads of laundry every day. I also clean my bathrooms twice a week, and my kitchen.... uh... every day. Stove splatters drive me nuts, I clean up before I sit down to eat dinner. 

That being said.... I do not sanitize anything with chemicals, unless it's a serious disaster. (like Timber getting into Science diet and spraying poo all over the wall by her crate.... which called for busting out the HDQ) My dogs eat on the floor inside, or in the back yard... or in the garage.. or in crates. I don't bother cleaning up after every meal, they do a good enough job. If I can SEE it, I clean it. If I can't see it, I don't. I almost always wash my hands after touching the meat, does that count?! I keep my house very very "picked up" and for having 7 dogs and no hairballs on the floor, I think I do a decent job. But germs? Sanitizing? Bleach? Heh, like I said... if I can't see 'em......


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## blueasajewel (Sep 12, 2011)

Berkley lay on an old crate mat and I handed him his chicken quarter - once finished, he would lick the mat, wipe his face in it and walk away. The mat is easy to pick up and throw in the wash...


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## angelbears (Jun 9, 2011)

I never worry about their food getting my floor dirty but I do worry about my floor getting their food dirty:twitch:


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I may have replied to this already, but here goes:

My boys eat out back. The only time they get anything inside is if it is bite sized and is going right down. We have a concrete patio that we confine Dude to because he won't eat it if there is even a little bit of dirt on it. Buck has free roam of the yard because he likes to lay down on the grass to eat.

After prep, we just clean the kitchen like we would if we were handling raw meat for human consumption. I like Clorox wipes for the counters since blood tends to accidentally drip on it, but just dish soap for the cutting board. When prepping big orders for freezing, I clean the kitchen all over afterwards. 

For the back patio, we hose it off when we start seeing flies. We generally hose it down 2-4 times per week. Pretty much every day or two. I just feel it is more sanitary. 

For the dogs themselves, we have a smooth collie (tight lips and upright ears) and a bluetick coonhound (floppy lips and long ears that touch the ground when he eats) we clean them with baby wipes. Dude only gets his front feet wiped but Buck gets the works (lips, ears, and front feet).


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## JoeynZoey (Apr 25, 2011)

This also came across as something I have been wondering about lately. When I first began with the raw diet, I would feed her meat and bones to her on old rugs and simply wash those in the washing machines every few days. Now however, I prefer and have been feeding her meat and bones outside on my backyard concrete. I do hose down my concrete every now and then, but have been wondering if bacteria can accumulate faster if you don't wash the patio down more often. I think I will feel much more sanitary regardless to wash it down at least twice a week. 

All preparation areas, which is usually just my kitchen counters/sink, I simply wipe away any spilled blood or such with the Clorox disinfecting wipes. I also wash her bowl with regular dish soap and warm water, especially when I mix in organ meat and gizzards.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

I don't clean it up, i wait and see how much blood staining it takes before my gf freaks out :lol:

but in all seriousness if it's because you're afraid your going to get sick okay, i can maybe understand that... but as far as the dogs getting sick... they'd have to be immunodeficient to really have anything bother them imo. :mullet:


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

even when we feed on the concrete patio...i use a towel. concrete is porous...and it's not the unsanitary i care about, it's the porous nature of the concrete soaking up the fats and bloods....

over time, i don't know that i could clean the patio enough to keep away the flies...

we use towels....works out well because we wash them when they get gross....


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

magicre said:


> even when we feed on the concrete patio...i use a towel. concrete is porous...and it's not the unsanitary i care about, it's the porous nature of the concrete soaking up the fats and bloods....
> 
> over time, i don't know that i could clean the patio enough to keep away the flies...
> 
> we use towels....works out well because we wash them when they get gross....


After having had about 800 sf of concrete patio, bleach will clean up most anything that has absorbed.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

tem_sat said:


> After having had about 800 sf of concrete patio, bleach will clean up most anything that has absorbed.


thanks, but the smell of bleach makes me nauseous.....can't stand the smell of most household cleaners...hence, the towels


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