Keeping a bird feeder clean

Moldy seed and droppings build up in and around a feeder. They can grow mold, carry bacteria and spread diseases such as salmonella between birds. Clean a seed feeder at least every two weeks, and more often after rain, when lots of birds are visiting or if you find dead birds in the yard.

What you need

• Rubber gloves
• A scrub brush or bottle brush
• Dish soap and warm water
• Household bleach, or hydrogen peroxide
• A tub or bucket big enough to soak the parts

Steps

1. 1

   Take it apart

   Empty out the old seed and take the feeder apart, wearing gloves.

   3 min

2. 2

   Scrub off the debris

   Scrub every part with the brush, warm water and dish soap to get rid of old seed, hulls and droppings. Some feeders can go in a dishwasher, though not all are dishwasher safe.

   10 min

3. 3

   Disinfect it

   Soak the cleaned parts for 10 minutes in 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. This 10% solution is the most effective way to kill salmonella. Hydrogen peroxide works too, and soap and water alone clean less thoroughly.

   10 min

4. 4

   Rinse it well

   Rinse every part until no bleach is left on it.

   3 min

5. 5

   Dry it completely

   Let the parts dry all the way before you put the feeder back together and refill it.

   2 min

6. 6

   Wash your hands

   Wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning or filling a feeder.

   2 min

Hummingbird feeders

Sugar water grows mold quickly, especially in warm weather. Clean a hummingbird feeder every couple of days, ideally every time you refill it. If the water looks cloudy or shows black mold, pour it out and clean the feeder right away with warm water and dish soap, then rinse it well.

Birdbaths and the ground below

Change the water in a birdbath every couple of days and scrub the bath out weekly. Empty and scrub it sooner if the water turns cloudy, grows mold or has droppings in it.

Sweep up spilled seed and empty hulls under the feeder once a month. Mice and insects feed on spilled seed, so if they're showing up, sweep more often. Wear a mask while you rake or sweep under feeders and birdbaths. Moving the feeder to a new spot now and then keeps waste from building up in one place.

If you see a sick bird

Fluffed-up feathers, sluggishness, growths and crusty eyes are signs of illness. Clean and disinfect the feeders and birdbaths more often. Taking the feeders down for a while can help birds spread out, though only where few neighbors feed birds. Where many do, it can crowd birds onto the feeders that are left.