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c h r o n o f h o r s e . c o m w i n t e r 2 014 29 >> Benefect Botanical Disinfectant Most people don't give much thought to disinfectant in the barn setting, but many diseases are transferrable from animal to human or animal to animal, so a good, natural disinfectant can be a horseman's best friend. Benefect Botanical Disinfectant is marketed as being able to kill 99.99 percent of germs in five minutes. If you have small children (Benefect's inventors were inspired to create the product when their first son was born with a severe immune disorder), a boarding barn, or just like to eat off the center aisle, this can do the trick. It's both a deodorizer and a decontaminant, operating with a natural active ingredient called thymol. It does not contain any dyes, fake fragrances or bleach. It's important to note that previous cleaning is needed prior to this product's use; Benefect is used purely to disinfect. I'm regrettably lazy, so I didn't like having to clean the aisle twice, but I do keep in mind that Benefect doesn't require rinsing, so it's techni- cally not that much work. Overall, I'd give it an A+ in terms of disinfectant and germ-killing abilities. This product is sold through distribu- tors, which you can locate on benefect.com. Wal-Mart also carries the gallon version of this product for about $53. >> Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds This product may be the king of all natural cleaners. The bottle says it all: This nearly clear liquid is biodegrad- able and cruelty free, and it contains no preservatives or added color. Sal Suds is so mild that you can even wash your dishes with this mixture. If a surface is water-safe, then you can clean it with this substance, period. After mixing the concentrate with water, per the label, I was astonished by the amount of suds it created. The area felt clean after washing, reminding me almost of a shampoo effect. The scent was very pleasing as well, probably attributed to the fir pine oil. A little bit goes a long way. I was able to wash my center aisle and still have plenty left over for pretty much anything else I'd like to clean (though the label states Sal Suds aren't a body wash, so I should draw the line there). Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this cleaner. It made tons of bubbles, lathered the aisle well, and left a clean, non-headache inducing scent that seemed to last long after I finished. I felt like I could get a tremen- dous amount scrubbed with just one bottle of this product. But I didn't feel that this cleaner was as strong as others. However, I believe once I got most of the built- up grime under control, Sal Suds would be the one I utilized as a regular maintenance product to keep my aisle in good condition. Sal Suds are available from drbronner.com for $44.99 per gallon. >> Simple Green Oxy Dog Stain & Odor Oxidizer Yes, it says dog. But like their canine counterparts, horses can make giant messes in highly inconvenient areas. This product boasts oral non-toxicity and only four ingredients, one of which is water. Also containing cosmetic-grade peroxide, a surfactant derived from plants, and fra- grance, Simple Green succeeds in using the minimum to create optimum results. This particular cleaner is not for the entire aisle, but instead, is a spot treatment for stains. Safe on brick and concrete, this cleaner need only be sprayed onto the affected area, left on for about five minutes, and then removed. I found that it worked very well on manure stains, however, it was a bit less effective on bird droppings. This cleaner would be exceptional for getting a messy aisle into tip-top shape, and then it could be a routine maintenance for the areas that don't respond to the all-purpose cleaners. Gallons retail for around $20, and you can find retailers at simplegreen.com.

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