I change the water in our birdbath every 3-4 days. To keep moss from building up in the bowl, I brush the bowl good and then tip it up and slosh the dirty water out. Using the hose, I spray the remaining dirty water out and fill it with fresh water. To have the brush handy, I keep it on top of the hose reel.
We've had this birdbath for about 10 years and this is my first year keeping it clean with the brush and it is working very well.
By littergitter from NC
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What do you use to clean a bird bath? This is a bare concrete, shallow bird bath with a 12 inch circle of rust colored, slimy gook on it.
Baking soda? Salt? Vinegar? I just want to make sure it will rinse all the way off and not have any danger of hurting the wild critters.
Thank you!
By Jane
Elbow grease will be your best tool. Soak the red stuff a bit in plain water if the bath has dried, then use a good strong scrub brush to scrub it loose. (It is a form of algae.) Rinse well, and scrub again, if necessary.
I clean mine with clorox and a scrub brush and rinse it well with the hose.
I soak my birdbath in a 10% bleach solution for an hour or 2 then scrub with a stiff brush and rinse thoroughly. I also spray it to refill and clean it out whenever I have the hose out to water my plants.
I had my husband drill two holes in the bottom of my cement bowl (to let rain water drain out) and picked up a glass bowl at Salvation ArmyI can lift it out and clean it easily without having to tip the base over. I put a rock in the bowl so the birds have something to stand on if the prefer. They really enjoy it and its so easy to clean,
I have a birdbath that I love, but due to some other circumstances, it's been sitting in the garden, dirty and attracting nothing, but flies, I'll bet. I thought bleach would work, but someone told me that even the tiniest bit of bleach can hurt animals. Does anyone have a nice and healthy way to clean a bird bath? I love to see them and miss their little bird bodies bathing!
By metroplex from Houston, TX
I think a little bleach is fine, as you will be rinsing it out and the bleach evaporates anyway. Just keep a scrub brush handy. I hide one behind some plants, and keep it brushed every few days.
I wouldn't use the bleach, I don't think. For my birdbath, I just keep a brush handy that's made for cleaning barbecue grills and this does the trick. I change and refill the water sometimes several times a day in hot weather and depending on how many customers I have bathing, etc.
I was told to use one of the laundry spot removers like Oxyclean or something similar. This product is mostly hydrogen peroxide and will not harm the birds if used properly.
Add the oxyclean and water to the bath, let it set for a few minutes, making sure no birds drink while the solution does its work. Then rinse well and refill.
Hello,
Please go to Birds and Blooms.com. That is a wonderful site that can answer all or any of your questions. Good luck.
If it is really dirty,j ust scrub with hot water and a little dish soap. Just be sure to rinse very well. You can also soak with white vinegar and water.
I have a cement bird bath that has black stains on the bottom. What can I use to clean this?
By Carol M.
Try using baking soda to scour the black stains, the rinse well. This will not be harmful to the birds.
I have a large 3-piece birdbath in the backyard. It has been there for several years and needs cleaning. It has mildew or mold all over it. It is made of cement and antiqued with a light grey color over the original white. I would like to clean it without damaging the concrete or original paint. Any suggestions?
By Mary Watson from Cocoa, FL
Clean the birdbath thoroughly with white vinegar and a scrub brush or scrub it with a 50/50 mixture of bleach and water. If you own a pressure washer, you can make quick work of cleaning your birdbath with very little effort.
Check out these photos.
I have a lot of bird baths and most of them are made from cement and stone. They are very heavy and my biggest pet peeve about them is that they sit in the sun and they turn green with algae.
