I am sure you are familiar with the following say : « Birds of a feather flock together. » This might be true for many things. However, when it comes to sanitation in kennels & catteries, that might not always be the case.
Quick demonstration : what would you use to clean your oven ? Ok, these days when I ask this question many people tell me they just use the auto-clean function of the device. True, that makes it way easier but not so long ago many people were using baking soda. Any idea why ? Simple : in an oven, you will usually find organic wastes, remnants of the previous meals you cooked. Organic wastes are acid. What to do to scratch them out of your oven ? Use something like baking soda, which has an opposite pH. Something which is basic.
How does that apply to a kennel or a cattery ? Animal wastes (urine, faces, skin debris, …) are acid : therefore to perform a proper cleaning ( and I mean cleaning, not disinfecting – if you have doubts read the difference here) you will need to use a product which is basic.
On the other hand, what would you use vinegar for in a kitchen ? Well, I should add for cleaning purpose because very often when I ask the question this way, the answer I get is : « for the salad » ! Vinegar can indeed be used for cleaning and typically to clean mineral deposits, like calcium deposits we find on our glasses. Those mineral deposits are basic. Vinegar is so good to get rid of them because it is acid.
Practical application of this concept in a kennel or a cattery : it is often recommended to use a cleaner with a basic pH 6 days per week (in order to get rid of most of the organic matter produced by the dogs & cats), and on the last day to use something acid to get rid of the mineral wastes that could be present in the environment.
DR. EMMANUEL FONTAINE 