Zero dust, durability and less waste are Airlite bedding’s strongest selling points.
To maximize these characteristics, follow these simple steps for bedding and cleaning your horse’s stall.
Initial Bedding
Start with a dust-free space…
When adding Airlite to your program, take the time to thoroughly dust and disinfect the stall first. Remove all the old bedding and the tiny particles left behind. Remove dust from window frames, sills and ledges to every extent possible. Clear the rafters of cobwebs if you can.
This is an ideal time to disinfect these surfaces, too. Thymox botanical disinfectant is a great companion to Airlite because it kills up to 99% of disease-causing viruses and bacteria (and mold!) without adding toxins.
- Spread Airlite bedding throughout the stall at a depth of your choice. Three 35-pound bags of standard Airlite bedding create a cushy, comfy surface for a 12′ x 12’ enclosure. Four bags creates more cushion. Either way, you won’t waste bedding because Airlite is 5X as absorbent as traditional wood shavings. Plus, it doesn’t stick to solid waste, so you’re not throwing the product out with the poop.
- You can leave the edges of the stall floor, and underneath the waterer, free of bedding. Or you can bank the bedding at the walls and corners, but be prepared to replace very little if you are accustomed to what’s normal with traditional bedding materials.
Daily Stall Cleaning
- You might need to hunt for pee spots if your horse isn’t kind enough to urinate in the same place regularly. Bedded at a few inches’ depth, Airlite pieces convey fluids to the base layer almost immediately. The top layer stays dry for your horse, while the urine accumulates in clumped segments below that.
- Take a moment to inhale and enjoy the absence of ammonia odors. The cardboard absorbs and neutralizes the harmful urine byproduct called “urea.” This is what causes ammonia smells that are accepted as a “normal” stable odor. However, when we can smell ammonia, these off-gases are already at levels that can irritate and harm eyes, noses and respiratory tracts – for horses and humans.
- With an 8” rake or pitchfork, push aside the dry top layer of Airlite. Then remove any saturated patches of bedding below that. If the bedding is merely damp, spread it out and let it dry. You only need to remove it when it’s saturated. Some of our customers use a safely installed fan to dry damp bedding.
- Spray the spot with Thymox to kill any bacteria and cover the spot with the dry Airlite bedding you pushed aside.
- Pitchfork out the manure pieces. They’re easy to extract on their own because Airlite does not stick to them like shavings do.
- Airlite begins as a dust-free product and, over time, it stays that way by maintaining its loft and structure. It does not break down to dust like shavings. No need to replace Airlite until it has done its duty mopping up and retaining urine and other fluids.
- Pat yourself on the back for choosing clean, healthy bedding for your horse. Its long life and minimal waste make it an economical choice. Plus, Airlite is great compost material when it’s done in the barn.