Cleaning snails' stuff

[PennyFarthing]

What do you use to clean your snail's tanks, dishes, etc.? So far, I've only used hot and cold water and a pressure washer in an attempt to remove slime and dirt. It works, but not brilliantly.

Recently, someone suggested using reptile tank cleaner, but I don't know how safe that would be for snails. Are they any more sensitive than geckos?

Any advice would be great!

[shaydeesnail]

I just use plain hot water, I've used surface cleaner once just to get some really stuck mud off, I rinsed everything very thoroughly and there was no problem, I usually use the shower head to clean everything.

[PennyFarthing]

My bath is the sort that's going to scratch very easily - it's also brand new. I use bowls of boiled water, the hose and a pressure washer. It's a long job!

I suppose I could invest in some kind of tank cleaner, to help things along. I was just worried about how much harm it could do.

[pinkunicorn]

I've found plain Marseille soap works the best. It rinses out better than other stuff I've tried. I used to use just hot water and a sponge but needed something to remove poop residue. So I lather up a sponge with the soap bar and scrub everything. Comes out squeaky clean with rinsing and no residue left. It's good enough for my face so why not my snails.

I imagine any vegetable oil traditional soap will do, does not need to be Marseille soap.

[PennyFarthing]

Brilliant! Thanks for the tip.

[tsrebel]

A little vinegar in the water may help remove any calcium recidue

[PennyFarthing]

That's what I use on limescale in the bathroom! It's funny how, with all the different "miracle cleaners" out there, it's still household things like vinegar that do the business, isn't it?

I take it that the vinegar will have to be diluted and rinsed with a great deal of extra care, but that's no problem.