All Natural Teat Wipes: for goats and cows
I’m no stranger to milking a goat ( if you count all those times I won ribbons milking La Manchas at the country fairs growing up). I will say I have never owned a goat previous to getting my sweet loves I have now, nor have I ever milked such a small breed goat. Even at the country fairs they wiped the udders and teats down before the kids got on the stool and started the race - of course back then I wasn’t paying attention or actually cared what was in the udder wipes. Today obviously is a very different story milking for my family and keeping for consumption but this isn’t an article about milking a goat. This is an article about the health and safety of the animal we are milking and the products used to disinfect.
I was absolutely mortified to read multiple articles on Pinterest outlining that they use a “simple mixture of warm water and bleach” or warm water and soap or even baby wipes. So, if your a small batch heard owner selling your product or just a simple animal husbandry participator, stick around and rest assured there is a simpler, healthier option that disinfects naturally without chemicals or toxins that harm in the long run.
THE PROBLEM WITH CONVENTIONAL STORE BOUGHT WIPES
Lets go through the list of options we have if you’re faced with purchasing from a feed store or online.
They do make wipes ready to use but, just like with baby wipes they are laden with harsh chemicals. They most definitely disinfect and do their job, however the way I tend to think is: “would I use this on my child or myself? Do I want to run the risk of any of these ingredients ending up in the milk my family and I drink?”
If your answer is no, don’t buy them.
Baby Wipes. Even Huggies natural has 2-3 chemicals that many health practitioners warn against using on the skin. Some are endocrine disruptors others are just plain harsh. A few of these are :
Polypropylene - the cloth is not a cloth. Its a blend of polyesters and polypropylene, which is essentially plastic.
Viscose is derived from wood pulp. The processing of wood pulp into a fiber can involve a lot of harsh chemicals. None of them seem to be good enough to rub against the skin.
All of them consist of hidden ingredients.
Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives as ingredients of baby wipes
Unfortunately, if you are trying to avoid formaldehyde, (which believe it or not is in your baby wipes) one of the hidden ingredients, you won’t find it listed as an ingredient. Instead, look for these:
Diazolidinyl Urea
DMDM Hydantoin
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Quaternium-15
Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol (Bronopol)
Polyoxymethylene Urea
5-Bromo-5-Nitro-1,3 Dioxane
Methenamine
Glyoxal
Yes you can find organic, cotton baby wipes but let’s get down to the point here. Are you going to spend that much money on multiple packs for your goats? Sure if you can squeeze it in financially and it works for you, perfect! Do that. A 10 pack of the organics runs about $44.99. If that’s not ideal, keep reading. Also, many people read articles like mine here and think- This is a load of crap, I’ve been using store bought for years and me and my family are fine. Unfortunately, you or your family may not suffer the effects of chemicals + endocrine disruptors for many years or you already suffer symptoms and have chalked it up to allergies, stomach sensitivity, sensitive skin, hormones and a massive list of other things, not to mention the health of your animal directly impacts you and your family’s health.
ALL NATURAL + AFORDABLE ALTERNATIVES
The government might try to sway you or scare you from using more natural sources but, if you’re here looking around on my site than you’re here for a reason. Many plants are known for their antifungal, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and have been used around the world long before chemicals were invented in labs. It’s becoming increasingly more popular amongst those seeking to live more toxin free but, vinegar is also a strong disinfectant and when infused with other disinfecting agents like pine needles, it can be a useful, natural tool in your animal keeping journey. I have vinegar that I let sit in pine needles foraged from the national forest up the road from my parents home. I typically keep a gallon or two of vinegar steeping with the needles for months and then collect out of that large gallon to place into spray bottles that I then dilute with filtered water + essential oils.
List of disinfectant / antibacterial essential oils :
Tea Tree Oil
Lemon Oil
Peppermint Oil
Eucalyptus Oil
Tea Tree Oil
cinnamon
thyme
oregano
Clove essential oil is an effective antibacterial agent. It is between 80 and 95% eugenol, a phenol that interacts with the bacterial cell membrane killing it. Clove essential oil is known to be effective against Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Disclosure : SOME OF THESE OILS ARE NOT TO BE USED ON CATS OR DOGS
Cats lick and dogs chew, some of these oils ingested by domesticated animals is not recommended. If you are thinking about trying to create a spray for flea and tick, use cedarwood oil diluted with waters and never add to where the animal can ingest it.
HOW TO MAKE AT HOME ORGANIC + DISINFECTING TEAT WIPES
If you had the time to make prior to getting animals or have already created an all natural cleaner with what I mentioned above, or even if you have castile soaps, you can apply directly / spray / soak into to a cotton fabric or absorbent fabric of choice.
You can typically find bulk non dyed cotton rags for a decent price online. I try to make sure it’s fair trade.
I use warm water (typically left over hot water from my tea pot’s for my pour over’s)
Step 1: I pour into a stainless-steel bowl, add my oils of choice (I use lemon + eucalyptus) along with a laundry detergent sized cup of vinegar (if you don’t have pre steeped /made). Set your cloth inside, squishing and lightly ringing until it has absorbed everything. Make sure the water isn’t too hot.
Thats it.
Yes it is ridiculously easy and safe.
I wipe the entire udder in circular motions, a bit like a massage. I then stroke up ward pushing any hair out of the way with wetness while I milk. Charolette is a very particular woman. She has never like to be touched and some how has learned to tolerate me so I haven’t gotten around to shaving her belly but, if you can do it with your girls it’s best for keeping hair out of your milk.
So that’s it guys.
Let me know if you need any help, if you found this useful or if you yourself have any secrets of the trade when it comes to natural animal care.
Feel free to comment / start a conversation in the comments or you can message me direct.
