A Bird Bath Cleaning Guide

The sound of chirping birds and cool water splashing against your patio will make for an unforgettable experience as you sit down to enjoy a nice cup of coffee in the morning. We all know that caring for a bird bath is important. It's not enough to just top it off with water when the level gets low - there are other things you can do too!

To help you with that, check our step-by-step bird bath cleaning guide here!

Prepare the cleaning materials

• A stiff cleaning brush
• Clean water
• White vinegar
• Water hose (a bucket will do)
• Spray bottle
• Working gloves
• Plastic cover

Cleaning process

Step 1: Remove any existing water and debris

Before anything else, wear your gloves to ensure your safety. 

Drain existing water in the bird bath and remove any trash like leaves, twigs, and feathers. Set aside the recently removed water in the bird bath, you can use that in watering your garden beds. Make sure to use it within a day to avoid it being a hatching place for mosquitoes. 

Step 2: Prepare your vinegar solution

For your cleaning agent, mix 9 parts of water to 1 part of white vinegar in a bucket or spray bottle. Avoid using any detergent or potent cleaning products as it might cause damage to the bird bath and the present chemicals might be hard to remove. It may harm birds and other wildlife visiting the bird bath. 

Step 3: Clean your bird bath correctly

With the use of the cleaning brush and the prepared vinegar solution, you can easily scrub off the surface of your bird bath. Spray the vinegar solution into the surface where there are algae, animal feces and stains. Leave for around 3 minutes before scrubbing the area. Do not leave the your bird bath in the soaking process or you can cover it, birds might visit the area and accidentally consume your solution.  

Step 4: Rinse your bird bath

Using your hose, rinse the bird bath thoroughly. Note the smell of your solution, and when you can still detect vinegary smell, rinse the bird bath again. Make sure to remove any smell as it might stick to the surface of the bird bath. 

Step 5: Leave your bird bath to dry fully

Leaving your bird bath to dry is an important step in the cleaning process. Let it dry completely under the heat of the sun. While waiting, spend time cleaning the area or watering your garden using the removed old water from the bird bath (note step 1).

Step 6: Refill the bird bath

In the refilling process, make sure to use clean water. Birds loves to preen in shallow waters, experts advise filling a birdbath no higher than 2 inches deep.

Bird Bath Maintenance Tips

You can't go wrong with a beautiful bird bath. The best way to keep it looking its pristine state? Keep these five tips in mind!

1. Choose a shady spot for your bird bath so that the water will stay cool and bacteria-free. The best location is not too far from where you'll be sitting or standing, but it can't get sun exposure since this might cause evaporation to increase rapidly leaving behind stagnant circles of wetland soil in which fungus grows readily among other things!
2. To keep your bath clean, place it away from bird feeders. If you have an outdoor space that allows for this placement then be sure to position the bath in a location where fallen leaves and other plant matter won't accumulate within its basin.
3. To prevent the spread of bacteria and mold, always dispose old dirty water before refilling it.
4. To avoid concentrating pollutants in smaller amounts of water, it is best to keep bird baths full.
5. Keep your bath clean and algae-free with this simple tip! Put a copper source in the water to inhibit algae growth.

FAQ’s

How often should you clean a bird bath?

Cleaning a bird bath is easy and requires no special tools or cleaners, but it does need to be cleaned regularly in order for you keep the water clean so that birds love to visit and stay in your area.

Bird baths are designed to hold water for days, but you need to change the water every 4 days. Refilling them requires disposing of water and wiping down the surface before adding water; if you notice any suspicious stains on your after-refill rags then it's time for you to clean it thoroughly.

Can you use any chemical-based cleaner in cleaning your bird bath?

When it comes to caring for your bird bath, you should take the same care with cleaning that has been taken in maintaining any other part of home's outdoor ecosystem. Simply rinse off all dirt and scrub away at algae or droppings before giving them a mild solution made from diluted vinegar which will kill bacteria while leaving behind natural chemicals essential to keeping mosquitoes away.