IT'S EASY THIS WAY!!!
Safe and Natural Methods for Cleaning Your Bird Bath
We wouldn't want to take a bath in a gunky tub, so we clean it regularly. And while birds may not be quite as picky as humans when it comes to bathing, that doesn't mean a clean bird bath isn't essential for their health and well-being. Knowing how to clean a Bird Bath and what cleaners to use helps keep birds Safe and Healthy and prevents the spread of disease.
Easy Ways to Clean a Bird Bath
Whether you've got a concrete Bird Bath or any other common type, the methods we're discussing should do the trick. First, dump out any water that's in the bath. Take a moment to look over how dirty it is. If it's just a bit mucky, a quick clean with a natural cleaner like vinegar or Baking Soda may be all you need. But if you see some hardcore stains, it's time to bring out stronger cleaners.
Clean It Naturally With Water
You don't need a cleanser for the majority of bird bath cleanings, as long as you keep it relatively clean and well-maintained. According to The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), you can clean a bird bath with water and a stiff-bristle brush.
Another option is to use a power washer with water and a jet nozzle, which is a fast, safe cleaning process with some serious pressure to get rid of the ick. The NWF also recommends changing the water regularly to prevent it from becoming stagnant, as this creates conditions for bacteria and algae to grow in your bird bath.
The National Audubon Society warns against using detergents to clean a bird bath. Detergent can strip the bird's natural oils excreted from the preen gland (uropygial gland). The oils from this gland coat the feathers to give them protection from bacteria, ectoparasites, and fungi. This oil also waterproofs the feathers. When the oil is stripped from the feathers, the bird becomes vulnerable to tons of germs, and disease can set in.
Clean the Bird Bath With Vinegar
The National Audubon Society suggests using distilled white vinegar to clean a bird bath safely. This is a simple and safe method that won't harm birds or other wildlife. The recommended mix is 9:1 of water: distilled white vinegar. However, some birding organizations, like the Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre, say cleaning a bird bath with vinegar works best when using a 1:1 ratio of water and distilled white vinegar.
Supplies Needed:
Clean water via garden hose or water bucket
Distilled white vinegar
Bottle or bowl
Stiff-bristle scrub brush
Instructions:
Pour out any water in the bird bath.
Mix nine parts of water to one part distilled white vinegar in a bottle or bowl.
Pour mixed water and vinegar into the bird bath.
Scrub the bird bath with the brush until all debris is loosened.
Pour out the vinegar (works great as a weed killer).
Rinse with clean water using a garden hose or water bucket.
Rinse the scrub brush.
Scrub the brush over bird bath to ensure all dirt is removed.
Rinse the bird bath and brush.
Allow the bird bath to dry and then fill it with fresh, clean water.
Keep the scrub brush handy and only use it for cleaning the bird bath.
Remove Stains With Baking Soda
You can use another harmless ingredient to remove stubborn stains from your bird bath. Common baking soda can lift the darkest and ugliest stains, and it won't hurt the birds. Here is what you'll need to clean a bird bath the baking soda way.
Supplies Needed:
Stiff-bristle scrub brush
Baking soda
Clean water from a garden hose or bucket
Instructions:
Empty the current water in the bird bath.
Rinse with a garden hose or bucket of clean water.
Empty rinse water.
Sprinkle baking soda over the bird bath basin.
Sprinkle a little water over the baking soda, enough to form a paste.
Use the scrub brush and work in circular motions.
Scrub the entire basin.
Rinse the bird bath and scrub brush.
Empty the water and baking soda solution.
Rinse the bird bath a second time.
Empty the water and check to make sure all the baking soda is gone.
Rinse again if necessary.
Refill the bird bath with clean water.
Fight Stains With Hydrogen Peroxide
You can also use hydrogen peroxide to clean your bird bath. Use a 1:1 ratio of water and hydrogen peroxide. Once you have the mixture ready, follow the same instructions as the vinegar method, using the proper scrubbing technique and making sure you rinse it well. To get rid of any rough-looking stains, let the peroxide mixture sit in the bird bath before scrubbing and rinsing. Be very careful with Hydrogen Peroxide.
It Is Not Safe to Use Bleach to Clean a Bird Bath
You can use bleach safely in laundry, so what about a bird bath? According to the National Audubon Society, you don't need to use bleach to clean a bird bath since options like distilled white vinegar will do the job. Rinsing all chemical residue requires multiple rinses, and you can still leave harmful bleach behind.
Some people report finding a dead bird or two after using bleach to clean their bird baths, and we definitely don't want that. Using bleach isn't worth the risk when you can clean a bird bath with distilled white vinegar without harming or potentially killing birds and other wildlife. Any of the methods above are suitable alternatives for cleaning a bird bath without bleach.
Other Cleaners to Never Use!
There are a bunch of cleaners that should never get close to your bird bath. Not only could they hurt the beautiful birds that come to visit, but they can harm the environment surrounding it, too. Cleaners to steer clear of include:
Ammonia: It's toxic to birds and can be harmful if inhaled.
Essential oils: Essential oils can strip the natural oils from the birds' feathers. Others, like pine oil, are toxic.
Petroleum-based solvents: Acetone, paint thinners, and other petroleum-based solvents can be harmful to wildlife.
Cleansers that contain phenols: These are toxic.
Maintain the Clean With Maintenance and Algae Control
You can create less work for yourself by incorporating regular bird bath maintenance. If you don't find a remedy for the circumstances responsible for algae, scum, or bugs, you'll have to repeat your deep cleaning efforts more often. Here are some helpful tips for how to keep algae out of your bird bath and maintain its cleanliness for your feathered friends.
Most types of algae tend to grow faster in the sun. Keep your bird bath in a shady area for better algae control and to keep it from turning green.
Add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar per 1 gallon of water in your bird bath. This creates a more acidic environment that makes it harder for algae and bacteria to thrive, while still being safe to birds.
Keep the bird bath water clean by changing it at least once a week. This will reduce the risk of disease, algae, and mosquitoes from taking over the bird bath. If your bird bath attracts a lot of birds, you may need to empty out old water and replace it with clean fresh water every two to three days.
Make sure you pay special attention to your bird bath's cleaning schedule during the warm time of year when birds are most likely to use it.
Consistently scrub away bird droppings to prevent buildup in your bird bath. Seeds and bird droppings can carry various bird diseases that can be transmitted to other birds.
How to Clean a Bird Bath Easily
Choose a method for cleaning a dirty bird bath that best fits your preferences. You only need a brush and water for regular cleanings to prevent the dirt and scum buildup from returning, so you can tackle this outdoor cleaning chore with ease. Natural methods are best when cleaning your bird bath. But with proper technique and effective rinsing, you can use any of these methods safely. You'll love observing the different birds as they visit your bird bath, and they'll be grateful for a clean place to freshen up and cool down.
Article Source HERE
The Secret World Of Bird Baths
Bird baths are a familiar sight in Australian gardens but surprisingly little is known about the precise role they play in the lives of birds.
In a dry continent such as Australia, bird baths may be vital to supporting an otherwise stressed bird population. We wanted to find out more, so we enlisted the help of thousands of citizen scientists across Australia to gather as much data as we could on how birds use bird baths.
And so the Bathing Birds Study was born. Started by researchers at Deakin University and Griffith University in 2014, this study involved collecting data online from 2,500 citizen scientists on bathing birds all over Australia.
The study has revealed so far that bird baths are much more than just ornamental splash pools for feathered visitors. They’re also a site where animals socialise and intense rivalries play out. Human choices – such as the design of the bird bath, where it is located and how often it is cleaned – can have a big impact on birds.
Different baths for different birds
The majority of participants in the Bathing Birds Study monitored the traditional pedestal or elevated bath type, as shown in the image below:
Baths should be situated near plants so smaller birds can have refuge if they are disturbed. Stones or rocks in the centre of the bath can give smaller birds a place to perch while bathing.
Birds need to groom their feathers daily, so don’t assume they’re only visiting bird baths on hot summer days. Birds need baths in winter too. We even had reports from some of our citizen scientists of birds trying to break ice in baths to access the water.
A clean bath is a good bath
Like all bathrooms, the garden bird bath needs regular cleaning. A dirty bath can spread disease and birds can be susceptible to infection where many species and individuals are congregated at communal watering stations.
Another risk is that birds will, in time, grow too dependent on bird baths or feeding stations. How might they cope if the food and water is withdrawn during certain periods or not adjusted to reflect the prevailing need of birds?
The Bathing Birds Study also showed that many people refilled their bird baths more frequently in summer than in winter and regularly clean the baths.
Is feeding birds good or bad? Let’s find out!
Many people enjoy providing food for birds as well as water. At this stage, we do not know whether this has a positive or negative effect on birds.
It is important to understand the ecological and behavioural effects of feeding in Australia as almost all information from other countries regarding bird feeding simply does not apply here.
Feeding of wild birds is an important activity for large numbers of people. For many, it is a significant way of connecting with nature.
We hope to one day develop guidelines for people who feed and/or provide water for birds so they can do so with minimum risk to the birds.
Article Source HERE
The world needs more bird baths
While bird feeders are increasingly common, bird baths have yet to fully make their mark, which is such a missed opportunity as bird baths are an excellent way of enticing more birds to your garden.
Aside from what you get out of it, bird baths provide birds with clean water
for both drinking and bathing, essential in all seasons, be it in the summer when rising temperatures can seriously endanger a bird’s ability to survive heat stress, or in the winter when natural sources may be frozen.
Birds lose water through respiration and defecation, and need to drink at the very least two times a day, but water also helps them keep their feathers clean and free of parasites, loosening dirt and helping them preen, also enabling air to become trapped between the layers, providing insulation.
Studies have found that clean birds are also more streamlined, meaning they can get away from predators faster.
You can make your own bird bath from ample objects about the house. Old frying, pancake or omelet pans, a trash can lid, any saucer (minus the cup), a baking tray, the receptacles that many large plant pots come with to catch excess watering; all of these have things in common – they are shallow, provide a good surface area, and have a thin lip around the edge.
Think about the baths that birds use in nature – a shallow puddle, a dip in the sodden earth, a calm harbored bend in a stream with a gently sloping beach; an area of respite.
- You can have ground-sited bird baths, ones on a pedestal, or ones suspended from branches above. Providing all three will cater across the species.
- Placing different sized stones in the water can help birds get a good grip or get in and out of the water if they need to.
- Place the bath somewhere that affords plenty of visibility but also provides some cover.
A good bird bath will be light enough to make it easy to refill, clean, and easy to position, and it needs to be a simple, sturdy construction.
Remember that siting the bath is just as important as what it is made from; you may need to try out a few places to see if the birds are happy with it, and they will let you know – water is essential to all living things, and birds will come to it if you provide it.
Article Source HERE
Dawns First Embrace - Birdsong with Light Orchestral Music from the MUSIC Page
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Janet, I thought I left a comment. Let me correct that now. There is so much helpful advice in this post. I came back to read it again while I have some free time. Happy to say I tried the carb soda and had some good results. I rinsed it really well so the birds don't taste it. They certainly did appreciate it. Their birdbath looks new. Thanks for your interest in nature, everyone's into work and tech around here but we were brought up with nature. Wish my sister lived closer but I go for walks in a park, would not be without them. It's Autumn atlast and Summer is over - how I do enjoy Autumn and Spring. They're the best and my birds are happy!