Quick Glass Cleaning Question

[Ryan.M]

I've bought some silk plants and branches from a local craft store, and I'm about to get a little creative with my ghost setup, but before I do I need to clean it, including changing the substrate and cleaning the glass to remove hard mineral buildup from where I've been misting.

I have used vinegar before in reptile terrariums as I know it dissolves solid mineral buildup, but I'm not sure if I should be using it for mantids. I went to the petstore and I saw a small spray bottle of commercial terrarium glass cleaner but it was 17 bucks. Hells no. I even heard lemon juice can be used.

I'm looking for something that won't leave visible streaks either. My main concern however is something that wont harm my mantids. So is vinegar OK? Or too acidic? What do you guys use?

Thanks

 

[lancaster1313]

I don't think that vinegar will be harmful as people use it in fruit fly medium and mantids eat the flies. I have used vinegar and water to wash out my scorpion's terrarium with no ill effects. I always rinse everything off with water anyway.

My mantids containers are all plastic and if they are really dirty, I wash them with Dawn, like the rest of the dishes.

 

[Ryan.M]

Ok, another quicky, i bought some silk plants, I wanted to wash them first to make sure they didn't seep any color, but sure enough as i washed them red dye was coming off the autumn colored plants and a little bit of green was coming off the others. I'm gonna soak them for an hour or so, until dye stops coming off them.

Is it safe to use do you think?

 

[lancaster1313]

Ok, another quicky, i bought some silk plants, I wanted to wash them first to make sure they didn't seep any color, but sure enough as i washed them red dye was coming off the autumn colored plants and a little bit of green was coming off the others. I'm gonna soak them for an hour or so, until dye stops coming off them.

Is it safe to use do you think?

I can't be sure about the safety of your plants. I have used different types of false plants after a good soak and rinse, and nothing bad has happened yet. I like to let them get completely dry, preferrably in the sun, before their first use. I don't know if that sanitizes or kills anything bad, but it makes me feel better about using them for some reason. :mellow:

I usually mean to soak them for an hour or so, then I forget and they soak for a day. :lol:

 

[Ryan.M]

I can't be sure about the safety of your plants. I have used different types of false plants after a good soak and rinse, and nothing bad has happened yet. I like to let them get completely dry, preferrably in the sun, before their first use. I don't know if that sanitizes or kills anything bad, but it makes me feel better about using them for some reason. :mellow:

I usually mean to soak them for an hour or so, then I forget and they soak for a day. :lol:

hahah, thanks!

Edit: Cleaned with vinegar, removed the hard water stains, and wiped with water. Ghosts are alive and kickin =)