How to clean a Birdhouse
Wooden Birdhouse by Oddity Store
This is the season to attract newlywed birds to your yard and encourage them to move into a little bird house. However, if you don't have a sparkling new one like the one featured above, you will need to clean your bird house out and make it ready for the new tenants.
A dirty bird house attracts rodents, feather mites and all sorts of bacteria - yuck - and you sure don't want to get little chicks getting sick.
Best Time to Clean a Birdhouse
After every vacancy really, because the longer stuff sits the harder it will be to remove. That's usually after the breeding season. If you are not sure if the house is occupied tap gently on the house and listen for chirps or any sort of movement.
How to Clean a Birdhouse
1. If your bird house has hinges or can be disassembled do so first. You need to get into the nooks and crannies and it just makes the whole job easier
2. Use a spatula or paint scraper to scrape off hardened debris and an old toothbrush for brushing out the loose dirt.
3. If you notice bugs wear gloves and use a diluted bleach solution (1 part bleach and 9 parts water).
4. Rinse out inside and outside with water and allow to dry before re-assembling bird house.
5. Ge rid of debris and gloves by placing them in a sealed plastic bag and disposing it in the trash. It prevents germs from spreading!
Tip:
- A birdhouse should be cleaned after every occupancy to prevent the spread of germs and at least once a year.
- Birds that raise more than one family like Wrens and Bluebirds don't require a major house cleaning. If they are your renters, just remove the nesting material between broods to reduce nest parasites.
Bird Basin by OddityInc
Today's Etsy finds - click on images to visit stores
'Tweet Tweet Tweet' by artenzie
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