How to Keep Bird Baths Clean
A bird bath can attract a wide variety of birds to your yard. If you want them to keep coming back, you will need to keep your bird bath free of insects, algae and bacteria. Ideally, bird baths should be cleaned every two weeks. But they might need to be cleaned once a week if large numbers of birds use them frequently. Here are some simple ways you can make your bird bath a clean and inviting destination for your feathered friends.
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Things You'll Need
- White vinegar
- Bleach
- Natural enzyme cleaner
- Scrub brush
- 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
Instructions
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1
Empty the bird bath and pour a cup of white vinegar into it. Add a quart of water to the vinegar. Let the mixture sit for approximately 30 minutes. Empty the bath, rinse it thoroughly with a garden hose and refill it with fresh water.
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2
Add a quarter cup of bleach and a quart of water to the bird bath once you have emptied the old water. Allow the bleach solution to sit for approximately 30 minutes, dump out the bleach solution, hose down and refill with fresh water.
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3
Pour a natural enzyme cleaner into a clean bird bath. The enzyme will keep the water cleaner longer and free of bacterial buildup. The water can then be dumped after about a month and the bath refilled with fresh water. The enzyme can then be added again, until the next change is needed.
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4
Remove the dirty water from the bird bath. Mix a quarter cup 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to 1 quart water, and pour it into the birdbath. Let the hydrogen peroxide solution sit in the bird bath for about a half-hour, and then rinse and refill with fresh water.
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5
Scrub the bird bath with a scrub brush if it is extremely dirty. You can do this immediately following the vinegar or bleach procedure. Rinse thoroughly and refill with fresh water.
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Tips & Warnings
A bird bath that is placed directly in the sun will need to be changed more often than one that rests in the shade. Bird baths also need to be cleaned more during the heat of summer.
Birds need water in the winter just as much as they do in the summer. You will also need to clean your bird bath during the winter season, too.
Never use any type of soap or detergent to clean a bird bath. Soaps and detergents can leave a residue on the bath that many birds do not like.
