# Cleaning old wire cages?



## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

I have wire cages for my angoras that are old, 5 plus years.
They are still perfectly good!
The problem is build up of that calcium like hard coating on the wire you get from the urine.

I know oven cleaners get it off. I know sand blasting does.
I dont have a sand blaster, anymore.
I do not want to use anything toxic as I am cleaning the cages in my yard.

CLR gets it off but thats horrible toxic too.

Vinegar doesnt dissolve the old hard buildup enough to get it off. Its like concrete coating just like bad hard water build up.

Is there anything that may work that isn't toxic?
I know the odds are against me here, but you never know till you ask. 

Also for areas that are beginning to get rusty on the floor, where the wire is to narrow for the buns to chew it, can rustoleum spray paint be used? I'd like to stop and prevent rust before it ruins the cages.

I have been buying new cages but some of the old ones are in darn good shape, to good to toss. I'd like to get them cleaned up enough so they look as good as possible. Most of the probs are in limited floor areas. The majority of the floors is still fine. So replacing the floors I dont want to do. I get new 30x36 cages for 30 bucks. Easier than buying the proper gauge wire, cutting that stuff and dismantling the old floor thats 3/4ths good. The labor isnt worth it for just ugly hard buildup spots on the flooring. But if I can get those bad areas looking nice again, sweet!


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Just an idea... and I don't know if it will work. Vinegar should dissolve that build-up, if you can keep the vinegar on it for awhile. Perhaps covering the area with a piece of old towel that is saturated in vinegar and leaving it for a few hours might soften it enough for a stiff wire brush to get it off. See if you can get the stronger pickling vinegar. Here, that kind is 7% instead of 5%.


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## CustomDesign (Jan 9, 2009)

what about using a kids' swimming pool or some other plastic container big enough for setting the cages in, and setting the cage down in the vinegar to soak in the container? It may take a gallon or so of the vinegar, but I think if you do several cages, you may get your $$ worth, out of it.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Great Ideas! I didnt think of any way to soak them, but I do have an unused plastic kiddy pool I used for water for ducks last year. I dont have ducks anymore and the pool I tossed in the shed! 
Vinegar I use all the time too for a lot of cleaning.

I have been searching the net and from what I have read you can use rustoleum rust stop paint on rabbit cages. Just the curing info varies from 2 days to 2 weeks. I found 5 qts of it in the basement. 
Using paint with a brush on wire will suck, but I have it so may as well use it. 
Better than just letting the rust just eat the cages away. Its surface rust right now. Time to bite it in the butt. 
The weather will be perfect all this week for sitting back and cleaning/painting. 

It will be nice to get these cages looking all pleasant again.
They look sad next to the row of new cages.


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

I read somewhere that using a little foam roller works better than a paint brush.

I've found that if I soak the heavy deposits with water, let it sit a while and then hit it with a power washer spray works well.

Otherwise, soak the deposits, brush with brass/bronze bristle brush. Think barbecue cleaning brush. Also, the refrigerator coil cleaning brush (Walmart) long round bottle brush, works well between power washes.

Have a good day!


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## pfaubush (Aug 17, 2009)

The soaking idea is what I would recommend. I also just found the joys of using a pressure washer...sweet!

My one contributing suggestion is Rustoleum's galvanizing spray paint. I have used it in small patches on the floors without any problems, and also on some of the edges of the wire after I've cut it. Seems to do a pretty good job.


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## Firefly (Dec 7, 2005)

When I need to clean my oven (always way past the time I _should_ clean it), I cover the oven floor with baking soda, saturate it with ammonia, close the door, and leave it overnight. The next day I just wipe it all out, works like a charm. If the vinegar doesn't work you might try that.


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