How to Clean Birdhouses, Birdbaths and Bird Feeders

Once you decide to put up amenities like birdbaths, birdhouses and bird feeders for your feathered backyard friends, you become responsible for keeping them clean and welcoming all year-round. Bird feeders not only need to be refilled, but also cleaned out; birdhouses must be sanitized and birdbaths should be algae-free. Here are the steps for cleaning your birds houses, baths and feeders.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vinegar and water
• Old toothbrush or brush with stiff bristles
• Mild bleach solution (1 part bleach, 10 parts water)

1. Know that a birdbath holding stale water is an ideal habitat for molds, algae, mosquito larvae and harmful bacteria. A birdhouse is a haven for feather mites, fleas, lice and various parasites. A bird feeder and its contents get wet in the rain or moist and moldy in the humid air. Molds, algae, bacteria and parasitic creatures are never good for the birds.

2. Clean the birdbath weekly. Throw out all the old and dirty water. Use a stiff brush to clean the surface of the bath. If molds and algae have accumulated and formed a slimy coating or green patches on the surface of the birdbath, scrub it down with a mild bleach solution and rinse well with fresh water. Leave the birdbath empty to dry in the sun before filling it again with clean water.

3. Clean the bird feeders every 2 weeks. Before refilling the feeders, clean them out to remove moldy seeds, cobwebs and other debris. Scrub the feeder with a stiff brush and a mild bleach solution to dislodge and eliminate mold spores and harmful bacteria. Rinse with clean water and air-dry before filling with birdseed.

4. Clean birdhouses when they are empty, which is usually in the wintertime. Use an old toothbrush or a stiff bottlebrush to get into the tight corners of the birdhouse. If possible, wash the birdhouse in a mild bleach solution and rinse well. Air-dry in the sun.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of a mild bleach solution (which is harmless to the birds only if properly rinsed off), use a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water.
• Painted wooden birdhouses and feeders might be discolored by bleach. Consider using vinegar and water instead.
• Birds are most enthusiastic about birdbaths in the warm months; therefore, be diligent in cleaning the baths weekly during summer.

Resources

• Bird Bath and Beyond
• Bird Bath Supply.com

[karileighk]

on 6/27/2009 A lot of ppl don't know how to do this. *5