MMB Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 So I havent used my slip in a while and after search for any empty bucket and finding a dead mouse in one of my scrap buckets I decided, reluctantly, to check my slip. Theyre lidded but have a pour spout...well two more mice found their way into my slip. KNowing that this doesnt ruin anything but I still dont want to handle clay thats had dead animals in it for Im not sure how long. Can I pour a couple caps of bleach in the mix and mix it in to sanitize it? I saw that someone sprays bleach on their paper clay and it doesnt hurt and I couldnt see it affecting stoneware or earthenware clays. Im so disgusted at the fact they got in when I have caps for the pour spouts just never put them on. Im hoping that there is one that sank to the bottom. Ugh! bleh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 So I havent used my slip in a while and after search for any empty bucket and finding a dead mouse in one of my scrap buckets I decided, reluctantly, to check my slip. Theyre lidded but have a pour spout...well two more mice found their way into my slip. KNowing that this doesnt ruin anything but I still dont want to handle clay thats had dead animals in it for Im not sure how long. Can I pour a couple caps of bleach in the mix and mix it in to sanitize it? I saw that someone sprays bleach on their paper clay and it doesnt hurt and I couldnt see it affecting stoneware or earthenware clays. Im so disgusted at the fact they got in when I have caps for the pour spouts just never put them on. Im hoping that there is one that sank to the bottom. Ugh! bleh! I wouldn't want to take a chance on the bleach killing all of the diseases that mice can carry, especially the hantavirus, I think remaking the slip would be cheaper than a visit to the doctors office. Denice (Wichita, KS) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMB Posted February 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 Theyre field mice that are not city mice used to dumpsters etc. Same disease? I mean these guys are exposed to farm land and thats about it besides our typical trash hut. I feel primitive saying so but its the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMB Posted February 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 That was late last night where I wasnt in the correct state of mind so to speak;) But now that it is morning and I have taken a look at what that virus is....I want nothing to do with it. Sad to see 5 gallons of slip go to waste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minspargal Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 That was late last night where I wasnt in the correct state of mind so to speak;) But now that it is morning and I have taken a look at what that virus is....I want nothing to do with it. Sad to see 5 gallons of slip go to waste Rather that 5 gallons of slip go to waste than spending $$$$ in medical costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bciskepottery Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Humans are exposed to hantavirus by breathing dust from rodent droppings that are disturbed. It is respiratory. Hantavirus June 2010 What is hantavirus? Hantaviruses are a group of viruses that are carried by rodents. One of them, Sin Nombre virus, is found in deer mice in North America. Sin Nombre virus is the cause of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in people. How are people exposed? Deer mice excrete the virus in their urine, saliva, and droppings. A person may be exposed to hantavirus by breathing contaminated dust after disturbing or cleaning rodent droppings or nests, or by living or working in rodent-infested settings. Pets, snakes, and predators don’t become infected and can’t spread hantavirus infection to people or other animals. In North America, there is no evidence that the disease spreads from one person to another. What are the symptoms of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome? Symptoms begin one to six weeks after inhaling the virus and typically start with 3-5 days of "flu-like" illness including fever, sore muscles, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. As the disease gets worse, it causes shortness of breath due to fluid filled lungs. Hospital care is usually required. It is serious disease and about one out of three people diagnosed with HPS have died. Where is hantavirus found and how common is it? The deer mouse ( Peromyscus maniculatus ) is the main carrier of hantavirus in the western United States; however, all wild rodents should be avoided. Deer mice live in all parts of Washington, but mainly in rural areas. Deer mice pass the virus to each other and some of the population is usually infected, but deer mice do not get sick or have any symptoms. In Washington, about 14% of over 1,100 tested deer mice have been infected with Sin Nombre virus. Since infected deer mice live throughout the state, human cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome can occur in any part of Washington. Typically one to five cases are reported each year. What does the deer mouse look like? The deer mouse is about six inches long from the nose to the tip of its tail. It is grayish to light brown on top, with large ears, a white belly, and a furry tail that is white on the underside. There are many other types of mice in Washington that don’t have those features. How long does hantavirus remain infectious in the environment? The length of time hantaviruses can remain infectious in the environment is variable and depends on environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, whether the virus is indoors or outdoors or exposed to the sun, and even on the mouse’s diet (which would affect the chemistry of its urine). The bottom line is that you can’t tell how old a dropping is, so all rodent droppings should be handled as if they are infectious. Areas with ongoing rodent infestation are particularly risky and the recommendations for prevention should be followed. How do I prevent Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome? Keep rodents out of your home and workplace. Always take precautions when cleaning, sealing and trapping rodent-infested areas. Seal up cracks and gaps in buildings that are larger than 1/4 inch including window and door sills, under sinks around the pipes, in foundations, attics and any rodent entry hole. Trap indoor rats and mice with snap traps. Remove rodent food sources. Keep food (including pet food) in rodent proof containers. Clean up rodent infested areas: Wear rubber, latex, vinyl or nitrile gloves. Do not stir up dust by vacuuming, sweeping, or any other means. Thoroughly wet contaminated areas including trapped mice, droppings, and nests with a 10% hypochlorite (bleach) solution: Mix 1½ cups of household bleach in 1 gallon of water (or 1 part bleach to 9 parts water). Once everything is soaked for 10 minutes, remove all of the nest material, mice or droppings with damp towel and then mop or sponge the area with bleach solution. Steam clean or shampoo upholstered furniture and carpets with evidence of rodent exposure. Spray dead rodents with disinfectant and then double-bag along with all cleaning materials. Bury, burn, or throw out rodent in appropriate waste disposal system. Disinfect gloves with disinfectant or soap and water before taking them off. After taking off the clean gloves, thoroughly wash hands with soap and water (or use a waterless alcohol-based hand rub when soap is not available). For more details see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations at: http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/cleaning/index.html . What precautions should I use working, hiking, or camping outdoors? Avoid coming into contact with rodents and rodent burrows or disturbing dens (such as pack rat nests). Air out cabins and shelters, then check for signs of rodent infestation. Do not sweep out infested cabins. Instead, use the guidelines above for disinfecting cabins or shelters before sleeping in them. Do not pitch tents or place sleeping bags near rodent droppings or burrows. If possible, do not sleep on the bare ground. Use tents with floors or a ground cloth. Keep food in rodent-proof containers! Handle trash according to site restrictions and keep it in rodent proof containers until disposed of. Do not handle or feed wild rodents. What should I do if I think I have been exposed to mouse droppings? If you have been exposed to rodents or rodent infested buildings and have symptoms of fever, muscle aches, and severe shortness of breath, see your health care provider immediately. Inform your health care provider of possible rodent exposure so that he/she is alerted to the possibility of rodent-borne diseases, such as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMB Posted February 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Yeah I read up on it the other day. Yes its respiratory but if it resides in my clay then it would of been very easy for it to become air born the minute I start sanding etc. Its all good now. Dumped the bucket in my fire pit and torched it before the rain comes to make it a part of my property. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whimsysodafire Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 So I havent used my slip in a while and after search for any empty bucket and finding a dead mouse in one of my scrap buckets I decided, reluctantly, to check my slip. Theyre lidded but have a pour spout...well two more mice found their way into my slip. KNowing that this doesnt ruin anything but I still dont want to handle clay thats had dead animals in it for Im not sure how long. Can I pour a couple caps of bleach in the mix and mix it in to sanitize it? I saw that someone sprays bleach on their paper clay and it doesnt hurt and I couldnt see it affecting stoneware or earthenware clays. Im so disgusted at the fact they got in when I have caps for the pour spouts just never put them on. Im hoping that there is one that sank to the bottom. Ugh! bleh! personally i would not pour bleach in there due to the fact that it may change the chemical makeup of the clay. you may have some structual problems with the clay or force the clay to melt at a lower point. if it is such a big problem i would just throw away the slip and start fresh. maybe get a large garbage bucket and start reclaimeing your own clay. i reclaim my own clay and i put a metal screen (aprox like a 10 mesh maybe larger) over it so that way i can just pour my slop in there after i throw let it settle and skim of the top of the water. field mice should not be able to get through that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madison Mitchell Posted March 4, 2011 Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 Wow, that's interesting. I've always used bleach in my slip, and a lot of other people I know do,too. I wonder how much bleach it would take to change the clay or the melting point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted March 4, 2011 Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 Wow, that's interesting. I've always used bleach in my slip, and a lot of other people I know do,too. I wonder how much bleach it would take to change the clay or the melting point? Hummmmmmmm........... chlorine (bleach) might affect the growth or organics in the slip (exactly why it is being added here), but it shouldn't change the properties of the chemical compounds in the fired state. SO the rheology of the slip MIGHT be affected a bit. But even if it changed something to a chloride/chlorate (not sure what it would)... that chloride would be converted back to an oxide in the kiln when the slip was fired. And it is the proportional relationship of the various oxides that affects the fired charactreristics. And every time I see the thread title here on this..... for some bizzare and perverse reason........ I hear the music to John Denver's "Sunshine on my sholders" in my head........... "Dead field mice in my slip make me unhappy." best, ........................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffCenter Posted March 4, 2011 Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 What a bunch of nonsense! Just remove mice and use the slip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whimsysodafire Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 i feel like it might change the chemical make up. due to the fact that Sodium chloride is a flux so i do not understand why Sodium hypochlorite( bleach) would not be a flux. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMB Posted March 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Well the slip is good and gone now. Was sad to throw it all away but in all reality it was free. WHen I bought my kiln they had boxes of stuff which included a ton of greenware all wrapped up so i just reclaimed it all. If I found them alive I wouldnt of cared but they were dead for an unknown amount of time and I really wouldnt want to mess with any of the bacteria that could of riddled itself into my slip. No worries. I just found all my caps to my pour spouts and secured them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 I really don't like mice in the studio nor in the house. I would agree with the long description on hanta virus. It was prevalent in Montana. The advise there was to spray diluted bleach on dusty areas with mouse turds and proceed to clean out the debris. In a slip, I have added diluted bleach to rid paper slip and porcelain slip of stinky black slip. It works and hasn't caused any problems. I have been using my scrap for slip and experimenting with transfer images by pouring the slip on top of the image created on a plaster bat. No problem from the bleach. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panamax Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 I really don't like mice in the studio nor in the house. I would agree with the long description on hanta virus. It was prevalent in Montana. The advise there was to spray diluted bleach on dusty areas with mouse turds and proceed to clean out the debris. In a slip, I have added diluted bleach to rid paper slip and porcelain slip of stinky black slip. It works and hasn't caused any problems. I have been using my scrap for slip and experimenting with transfer images by pouring the slip on top of the image created on a plaster bat. No problem from the bleach. Marcia How about for a smelly glaze? I have a glaze that has bone ash in it and it stinks..the kids and other students take a smell of that and are disgusted..If I pour diluted bleach, like for the paper slip, will it affect the glaze? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 i feel like it might change the chemical make up. due to the fact that Sodium chloride is a flux so i do not understand why Sodium hypochlorite( bleach) would not be a flux. Sorry, I was reacting to the "change the chemical makeup of the clay" phrasing you used there in your original posting. Actually the bleach is adding some soluble sodium compounds...... but in such small molecular equivalents (moles) that likely it will not do much to change things in the fired characterics of a slip. And sodium chloride actually is not a flux... it is a raw material source of sodium that when changed to sodium oxide by the action of the fire becomes a flux on silica. Na2O is a flux on silica. And this darn forum typing editor is doing some weird stuff here......... I can't get rid of the bold and italics . best, .......................john Edit... I got rid of the bold and itallics on the whole posting now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 I have been adding a diluted solution to my 5 gallon buckets of stinky paper clay porcelain. I have only fired a few small pieces but no significant effects from additional fluxes. But one should keep in mind that paper pulp added to a body should be fired to one cone hotter. Maybe that is making up the difference. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I really don't like mice in the studio nor in the house. I would agree with the long description on hanta virus. It was prevalent in Montana. The advise there was to spray diluted bleach on dusty areas with mouse turds and proceed to clean out the debris. In a slip, I have added diluted bleach to rid paper slip and porcelain slip of stinky black slip. It works and hasn't caused any problems. I have been using my scrap for slip and experimenting with transfer images by pouring the slip on top of the image created on a plaster bat. No problem from the bleach. Marcia How about for a smelly glaze? I have a glaze that has bone ash in it and it stinks..the kids and other students take a smell of that and are disgusted..If I pour diluted bleach, like for the paper slip, will it affect the glaze? I guess you should try it and see it the bleach adds enough sodium to change the glaze. See John Baymore's explanation below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.