I have struggled with trying to clean a foam incubator.
I thought getting the bottom clean and new looking was impossible. Between hatching debris and hard iron water. I thought they were destined to look terrible forever.
This is going to be a real short hint on how to clean them. It does not take hours of scrubbing and believe me I have tried that. All that happens is I get frustrated and the Styrofoam gets a hacked up look. A couple weeks ago I was trying to clean the incubator. Having just come from my NPIP school I had changed some things.
I disinfect every eggs twice now before it goes into the incubator. They told us why would you but a dirty egg into a sterile incubator. I looked at my foam ones (which I only use as a hatcher now as I incubate in the Sportsmans.) But nothing looked sterile in my Little giant or farm Innovators.
As I clean them one of the challenges was the soapy water just runs out the air vents in the bottom. Then it dawned on me, and I admit I am slow.
I said " Self, plug the darn holes". So I went on a mission to figure out how to plug them. The answer was easy. Q-tip type swabs! They fit right into the vent holes and block 99.9% of the leakage or more. I could simply mix 2 ounces of bleach into water and fill the incubators to the top! Now I suggest you do this either outside or on a hard surface as the foam does not have much structural strength. I left them sit for an hour, they are shiny clean like new again!
Here is a picture I just took this morning of a new poult, look past the poult to the bottom of the incubator! This is my oldest one 4 years old and was all rust filled a month ago!
I hope this helps some one else..
Thanks for reading.
I thought getting the bottom clean and new looking was impossible. Between hatching debris and hard iron water. I thought they were destined to look terrible forever.
This is going to be a real short hint on how to clean them. It does not take hours of scrubbing and believe me I have tried that. All that happens is I get frustrated and the Styrofoam gets a hacked up look. A couple weeks ago I was trying to clean the incubator. Having just come from my NPIP school I had changed some things.
I disinfect every eggs twice now before it goes into the incubator. They told us why would you but a dirty egg into a sterile incubator. I looked at my foam ones (which I only use as a hatcher now as I incubate in the Sportsmans.) But nothing looked sterile in my Little giant or farm Innovators.
As I clean them one of the challenges was the soapy water just runs out the air vents in the bottom. Then it dawned on me, and I admit I am slow.
I said " Self, plug the darn holes". So I went on a mission to figure out how to plug them. The answer was easy. Q-tip type swabs! They fit right into the vent holes and block 99.9% of the leakage or more. I could simply mix 2 ounces of bleach into water and fill the incubators to the top! Now I suggest you do this either outside or on a hard surface as the foam does not have much structural strength. I left them sit for an hour, they are shiny clean like new again!
Here is a picture I just took this morning of a new poult, look past the poult to the bottom of the incubator! This is my oldest one 4 years old and was all rust filled a month ago!
I hope this helps some one else..
Thanks for reading.
