How to Clean a Bird House

If you want to keep attracting birds back to your bird houses year after year and make sure that they raise healthy, successful broods, you'll have to keep your bird houses nice and clean. Bird houses (also called nest boxes) should be cleaned at least once a year. Choose a sunny morning in late autumn, after the last fledglings have left the nest.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber gloves
• Bleach
• Hot water
• Brush, scrub or sponge

Instructions

1. Make sure that the bird house is not currently occupied. Approach it from the side and gently tap it. If there are bird noises, leave them be and check back again in a few weeks. If you only hear a scratching or skittering, you probably have mice living in there, and they should be evicted. (Don't worry, they'll probably find a new home without much difficulty.)

2. Most bird houses should have a hinged wall or ceiling for easy cleaning. Wearing gloves, open it up and remove the old nest. Bird nests can harbor disease or parasites, and many birds prefer to build fresh nests each year. Do not save the old nest for craft projects or home decor—there is no real way to make it sanitary enough to bring into your home.

3. Dilute bleach to a 10 percent solution (1 part bleach, 9 parts hot water).

4. Thoroughly wipe down the inside and outside of the nest box with the diluted bleach solution using a brush, scrub or sponge. Make sure to get every crevice and corner.

5. Allow the bird house to sit disassembled in the sun for the rest of the day to dry and to allow the bleach to dissipate.

6. You can then put the nest box into storage for the winter, or you can leave it up outside. Birds or small rodents might use it throughout the winter to take shelter from the weather.

7. Check the bird house again in early spring, before the nesting season. If mice have set up residence, you must clean out the bird house and wash it again with a diluted bleach solution before birds can use it.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish