Star San and Pets

[Salanis]

In short, is Star San toxic to dogs or cats? I know iodifer is bad for dogs due to the iodine.

In more detail, SWMBO took the new kitten to the vet for gastrointestinal exuberance. Turns out the new kitten has giardia. She (the cat) will go on 5 weeks of medication, and we have to sterilize stuff the cat poops or drinks from to prevent re-infection, or spreading the infection to the dog.

SWMBO is currently using a solution of bleach and water to disinfect. I was thinking Star San might be a superior alternative because it will kill things faster and does not need to be rinsed for human consumption. Not sure if it has the same safety for pets.

 

[rcrabb22]

The only way to know for sure is to contact 5-Star directly. You will receive 16 differing opinions here, albeit well meaning

 

[broadbill]

Nothing beats bleach for disinfection. Not even Star-san. Star-san is popular not because it is a superior sanitizing agent, its popular because it works and is no-rinse.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Nothing beats bleach for disinfection. Not even Star-san. Star-san is popular not because it is a superior sanitizing agent, its popular because it works and is no-rinse.

I think you answered why it's better
What's the point of using bleach, just to have to rinse with water and risk re contamination. Doesn't make much sense to me. Kind of counterproductive.
Star san also is not harmful is swallowed and is good for the yeast.

 

[bull8042]

Nothing beats bleach for disinfection. Not even Star-san. Star-san is popular not because it is a superior sanitizing agent, its popular because it works and is no-rinse.

At the risk of starting a debate.... Actually, Starsan is "popular" because:
1) It won't ruin your beer if improperly/incompletely rinsed. It is not supposed to be rinsed at all.
2) Any left behind will break down into nutrients for the yeast
3) It won't corrode stainless steel like chlorine-based chemicals (bleach)
4) Doesn't stink up the whole place while in use

 

[Catt22]

I'm sure StarSan, properly diluted, will be harmless to pets. Bleach will certainly do a good job of disinfecting, but you don't want to be spraying a bleach solution everywhere. StarSan in a spray bottle would be my choice for supplemental sanitizing. I wouldn't think that properly diluted Iodophor would be a hazard either, although it will stain many surfaces it comes into contact with, so spraying it all over everything is not something I would do.

 

[NoNothing]

Just test it on your neighbors cat first IMO

If you dont see the cat in a few days, stick to bleach.

 

[Beerrific]

StarSan is rated for sanitation. Bleach solutions, when properly made, are capable and rated for disinfection. Does it really make a difference in this case? Probably not.

I think the biggest issue would be making sure the stuff is very clean. Soap, hot water, and scrubbing. Then you can use your pick of sanitation/disinfection techniques. I would probably lightly rinse the Star San though. It is considered "no rinse" for brewing b/c you are diluting surface-clinging residue into a larger volume. If the are going to be eating out of it directly, I would rinse.

 

[bull8042]

StarSan is rated for sanitation. Bleach solutions, when properly made, are capable and rated for disinfection. Does it really make a difference in this case? Probably not.

I think the biggest issue would be making sure the stuff is very clean. Soap, hot water, and scrubbing. Then you can use your pick of sanitation/disinfection techniques. I would probably lightly rinse the Star San though. It is considered "no rinse" for brewing b/c you are diluting surface-clinging residue into a larger volume. If the are going to be eating out of it directly, I would rinse.

Nope. The chemist who developed it has drank it on occasion to prove it's safe. It does not rely on dilution for its safety.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Star San is safe because it's base is Phosphoric Acid. The same stuff used to keep you precious cola's from fermenting on the shelf. It does contain wetting agents, or surfactants, to break surface tensions and allow the acid to work it's way into whatever but,

it is NOT a substitute for proper cleaning.

Bleach is a sanitizer yes but, IIRC, must be acidulated and mixede at a proper ratio to be a no-rinse form of sanitizer on food surfaces.

As to why Star San is superior to bleach for brewing, chloro-phenols. Nuff said. Why risk it?

So, you wanna sanitize something without the worry of chemical residues? Boil it! Done!

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

so, you wanna sanitize something without the worry of chemical residues? Boil it! Done!

+1

 

[broadbill]

Did you guys even read the OP? He's not asking about bleach vs. Star-san for brewing, he asking about it for sanitizing his cat's litter-box and food bowl to prevent the spread of Giardia to his dog.

Yes, Star-san is superior to bleach as a no-rinse sanitizer in home brewing application.

Is Star-san safe for pets? Probably...since its safe for food its probably safe for pets.

Will it kill Giardia? Who knows....I'm willing to bet 5-star doesn't know the answer to this as they probably never tested it against Giardia. Giardia isn't something that typically comes up in food safety situations.

The OP should use bleach as his vet recommends.

 

[samc]

If you are unable to avoid using or drinking water that might be contaminated, then you can make the water safer to drink by doing one of the following:

* Heat the water to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute (at altitudes greater than 6,562 feet [>2,000 meters], boil water for 3 minutes).
OR
* Use a filter that has an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller, or one that has been NSF rated for "cyst removal." For information on choosing a water filter, see CDC's Fact Sheet A Guide to Water Filters.
* If you cannot heat the water to a rolling boil or use a recommended filter, then try chemically treating the water by chlorination or iodination. Using chemicals may be less effective than boiling or filtering because the amount of chemical required to make the water safe is highly dependent on the temperature, pH, and cloudiness of the water.

 

[Salanis]

Did you guys even read the OP? He's not asking about bleach vs. Star-san for brewing, he asking about it for sanitizing his cat's litter-box and food bowl to prevent the spread of Giardia to his dog.

Yes, Star-san is superior to bleach as a no-rinse sanitizer in home brewing application.

Is Star-san safe for pets? Probably...since its safe for food its probably safe for pets.

Will it kill Giardia? Who knows....I'm willing to bet 5-star doesn't know the answer to this as they probably never tested it against Giardia. Giardia isn't something that typically comes up in food safety situations.

The OP should use bleach as his vet recommends.

We're just sticking to bleach for now. We know that works and what we should and should not do with it.

From the 5-Star website, I know we should not sanitize with both Star San and bleach, since that will release the chlorine from the bleach. The 5 Star site also says that Star San is an all-purpose bactericide and fungicide.

I know that some things that are safe for humans can be very bad for pets. Iodine is fine (necessary even) for us, but can kill a dog.

I think bleach on the litter box (where we need to sanitize most, since giardia is in the fecal matter) won't be a problem. I was just thinking Star San for food and water dishes might be a bit safer. I mean, I'm worried that Star San might be bad for pets, but I know that bleach is. Stands to reason that if you take the same precautions, it would be fine. Of course, it's harder to tell if you've rinsed thoroughly rinsed Star San away since it doesn't have a distinctive odor.

 

[SumnerH]

Giardia is a protozoan and not a bacteria, so I wouldn't trust StarSan as much against it as bleach.

The comment above that "Nothing beats bleach for disinfection" is wrong; different sanitizers have different levels of effectiveness against different microorganisms.

Acid-anionics (like Starsan) generally have a higher oxidation potential than bleach and are more effective against bacteria (gram + and -) and viruses than bleach, but less effective against yeasts, molds, and parasites.

Quaternaries are generally better than bleach against yeasts, molds, and gram-positive bacteria (bleach is better vs. gram-negatives).