Disinfection Procedure

The following are steps to cleaning and disinfecting non-varnished wood and non-porous surfaced stalls. These same procedures can be used for non-porous aisle ways and horse trailers.

1. 1.Remove all buckets, feed tubs, and bedding from the stall.
2. 2.Sweep the walls and floor of the stall to remove as much organic matter as possible.
3. 3.Using a hose and garden spray nozzle, wash down all surfaces using a detergent, such as Tide or with a phenolic disinfectant solution, which contains a detergent (Lysol). For stubborn stains, keep the surface wet for 10-20 minutes, and then scrub by hand. Rinse by starting at the top of the stall, then working from the edges of the stall to wherever the draining area is. If dirty areas remain (pay attention to corners and drains), these may need a second cleaning.
4. 4.After all surfaces are cleaned and rinsed, remove as much excess water as possible, especially from the floors, by using a broom. Since the disinfectant will be diluted according to label instructions, you don’t want the disinfectant further diluted by spraying it on standing water.
5. 5.Put on protective clothing, gloves, and goggles before working with the disinfectant. Follow label instructions and dilute the disinfectant into an applicator such as a garden sprayer. Spray the disinfectant to the walls (begin at the top) and floors and allow to dry. DO NOT RINSE.
6. 6.If an outbreak of infectious disease is ongoing, repeat the spraying and drying of the disinfectant.
7. 7.Scrub all buckets, feed tubs, and other feeding equipment with a detergent, then rinse. Spray on the diluted disinfectant, allow to stand for 10 minutes, and then thoroughly rinse with potable (drinkable) water. Anything that the horse will eat out of needs to be completely rinsed of disinfectant. Dry these containers and return them to the disinfected stall.
8. 8.All equipment such as pitchforks, shovels, and grooming tools should be cleaned, rinsed and then soaked in disinfectant solution for 10 minutes. Natural bristle brushes should be rinsed and other equipment can be allowed to dry. Any disinfectant will be tough on leather brush handles, so these should be protected.
9. 9.Towels, contaminated clothing, and other machine washable materials should be rinsed of gross filth, soaked for 10 minutes in disinfectant solution, then washed with laundry detergent.