How to Clean Bird Bath Properly with Vinegar, Baking soda & Bleach

How to Clean bird bath

A bird bath fountain does two things at once; one is an outdoor fountain, and the other is a bird bath. Birds bathe and drink water like humans. Birdbaths should be full of clean water and always clean to provide a safe and welcoming environment for birds to stay. But if you get a lot of birds and the bath is dirty, you may need to clean it more. Clean and freshen the bird bath using one of several methods. How to clean a bird bath will be discussed in detail below.

You can use common household products to clean that ugly bird bath so it’s fresh for the birds to enjoy. But you have to be careful that what you wash with it doesn’t harm the birds. Any chemicals left in the birdbath after cleaning can cause bird injury or death. So if some rules are followed, the bird bath will be well cleaned, and the birds will not harm.

How To Clean Bird Bath With Vinegar

How to Clean bird bath

Vinegar is most effective for cleaning birdbaths. It contains no chemical ingredients. Apple cider vinegar works best for cleaning bird baths. But using vinegar does not work well in cleaning old accumulated dirt. If you want to clean with vinegar, you should clean the bird bath every few days. The National Audubon Society advises that birdbaths should be cleaned with white vinegar. It is a simple and safe method without minimal risk of harm to birds or wild animals. The recommended mixture is 9: 1 water: diluted white vinegar. So, some people prefer using water and distilled white vinegar in a 1: 1 ratio.

Needed Supplies

  • Equipment / Tools: Scrub brush, Rubber gloves, Bottle/Bowl, Pressure attachment hose (optional).
  • Materials: Water, Vinegar.

Instructions

  1. Before cleaning the bird bath, fill the basin with some clean water and discard it.
  2. Take clean water in a bowl and mix it with vinegar in a ratio of 9:1.
  3. Pour vinegar mixed with water into the bird bath.
  4. Leave it for a while to soften the dirt.
  5. Keep scrubbing with the basin brush until the dirt is clean.
  6. Pour the vinegar into the bird bath (It works very well to kill algae).
  7. Rinse with clean water using a bucket.
  8. Wash the scrub brush.
  9. Use a scrub brush on the bird bath to ensure the removal of all dirt.
  10. Wash the brush and bird bath with fresh water.
  11. Dry the bird bath and then fill the bowl with clean water.
  12. Hold the scrub brush and use it only to clean the bird bath.

How To Clean Bird Bath With Baking soda

How to Clean bird bath

You can use other innocuous ingredients to remove stubborn stains from your Hummingbird bath. Ordinary baking soda can make dark and ugly spots, and it will not harm the birds.

Needed Supplies

  • Equipment / Tools: Scrub brush, rubber gloves, Pressure attachment hose (optional).
  • Materials: Water, Baking soda.

Instructions

  1. First, pour the old water out of the bird bath.
  2. Then rinse the pot with clean water.
  3. Throw away the dirty water from the pot again.
  4. Sprinkle baking soda around the bird bath.
  5. Sprinkle some water on the baking soda to soften the dirt in the pot.
  6. Use a scrub brush and work in a circular motion.
  7. Scrub the full basin.
  8. Wash the birdbath with a brush.
  9. Discard the soda mixed with water.
  10. Clean the birdbath again.
  11. Clean the container and drain the water so no baking soda is left in the container.
  12. Clean again with water if necessary.
  13. Replenish the bird bath with clean water.

How To Clean Bird Bath With Bleach

How to Clean bird bath

You can use other innocuous ingredients to remove stubborn stains from your Hummingbird bath. Ordinary baking soda can make dark and ugly spots, and it will not harm the birds.

Needed Supplies

  • Equipment / Tools: Scrub brush, Heavy Rubber gloves, Water bucket, Pressure attachment hose (optional).
  • Materials: Water, Chlorine bleach.

Instructions

  1. Before cleaning the bird bath, fill the basin with some clean water and discard it.
  2. Take clean water in a bowl and mix it with vinegar in a ratio of 9:1.
  3. Pour vinegar mixed with water into the bird bath.
  4. Leave it for a while to soften the dirt.
  5. Keep scrubbing with the basin brush until the dirt is clean.
  6. Pour the vinegar into the bird bath (It works very well to kill algae).
  7. Rinse with clean water using a bucket.
  8. Wash the scrub brush.
  9. Use a scrub brush on the bird bath to ensure the removal of all dirt.
  10. Wash the brush and bird bath with fresh water.
  11. Dry the bird bath and then fill the bowl with clean water.
  12. Hold the scrub brush and use it only to clean the bird bath.

What to Avoid When Cleaning a Bird Bath

Birds are unique creations of nature. If you look deeply, you will understand that it is impossible to enjoy nature’s beauty without birds. So be careful with birds. And that’s why the bird bath needs to be taken care of at all times so that there is no harm to the birds. So always cleaning with a brush with water mixed with vinegar does not harm the birds.

Using any chemicals (bleach, baking soda) besides vinegar can harm the birds. Many experts believe that using these ingredients can damage the plasma. But the dirt will become more if you do not use it long. Then you can use chemicals to remove this hard dirt. All these should be used with caution. For that, all the rules given above must be followed.

Tips for Cleaning a Bird Bath

The bird bath should be cleaned regularly. But using some tips, you can keep the bird bath dirt free for a long time. Below are some tips.

  1. When choosing a bird bath, choose a location that gets sunlight and shade over the bird bath. This will keep the water warm and won’t last long if you forget to add new water. The sun’s heat will not allow algae to accumulate in the water.
  2. Always add old water before adding new water. Otherwise, it can mix with the previous water and become dirty within a few days. It is best to clean it with dirty water and dry it in the sun.
  3. Keep bird feeders away from birdbaths. Otherwise, the birds wear down while feeding and may waste water later in the water.
  4. Some zinc coins can be placed in the bird bath. These zinc coins do not allow dirt to accumulate inside the basin. Moreover, it attracts birds from afar.
  5. Keep bird baths away from tree leaves. Leaves are highly decomposable, due to which water is wasted quickly. Water from rotting leaves is very harmful to birds.
  6. You can use wildlife-safe enzymes to keep the bird bath free of algae. This will not harm the bird.

 

Birds Bath FAQ

Q. Is putting a heater in place of a bird bath likely to harm or kill the bird?

  • Ans. Temperatures in winter are usually below freezing. Then the water in the bird bath turns to ice. Due to this, the birds find it difficult to bathe or drink water. If you use a heater, it will be much better for the birds. This will not harm the birds. Remember that the water should not be too hot.

Q. Birds enjoy bathing at night and what can be done about it?

  • Ans. Birds like to bathe at night, around bird nest fountains, or in your garden. If you want to attract birds to bathe at night, you can install a fountain with LED lights in the bird bath.

Q. If there is too much water in the bird bath, can the birds get stuck in the water?

  • Ans. This is not the case with all birds. Because some birds’ bodies are much heavier than their wings, they cannot fly when their wings get wet. But the birds that come to your garden are too small to bathe. Moreover, birds know very well what the water will be like. So many times, you will see some birds sitting next to the fountain and drinking water.

Related Articles