We've always had a bird bath in the garden.
I have trouble cleaning it as it always gets a black deposit in it...seems to get in the pores of the concrete..?
It's not green algae, never had a problem with that.
I scrub it with a stiff brush every few days and always keep the water fresh.
I have contacted several sites and surprisingly all of them recommend using bleach to clean it...
I refuse to use bleach, not only is it poisonous to the birds but will kill any plants in my garden after I empty it out...it's too heavy to carry far anyway so needs to be emptied in situ...
Can anyone suggest a good safe way to clean it without the need for harsh chemicals...?
Thanks,
Ron.
Here it is with water in it, you can see the water is clean...
Hi SX2002
I would recommend the use of chlorine bleach, a good scrub and then leave it in the sun to dry. Let it dry write out.
I believe that chlorine changes its chemical composition in the sunlight (which is why you need to keep adding chlorine to a pool) I don't think it will kill plants unless it is poured directly on the plants.
Alternatively you could try emptying the bird bath sprinkle with bicarb soda and scrub that into the pores of the concrete, then pour on plain white vinegar allow this to fizz and sit for a while and scrub well, empty the bird bath and leave to dry completely.
Happy Birding!
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In natural situations birds are confronted with much grottier conditions than the one presented by your bird bath. I'd be wary about being seduced by our society's obsession with antisepticism. I tend to top up the water in our bird bath & only completely refresh it every four or five days, perhaps more often if there are Blackbirds using it. I figure I'm helping the native birds with their store of antibodies & thereby their resistance to disease.
Well I'm not saying its the right think to do but I use chlorine bleach every so often to get rid of the mould. Although I don't think its harmful (the mould); it just looks unsightly. And I am one of those obsessed people that Woko refers to :). I believe that if diseases and parasites can spread via feeding trays, they can also spread via a dirty birdbath, especially if introduced birds use the bath (fortunately where I am situated there are none) and in particular if they are used by sparrows and starlings that foul the water (as do native currawongs).
Hi there. We cleaned ours out. I sprayed vinegar water on it and let it dry in the sun. We also now add just a few drops (a cap) of vinegar to the water when we empty and refill. It's better.
I would not be too concerned about the growth on the bird bath, just keep putting fresh water in it.
If the water is no good i would not think that the birds would use it, they are smarter than us after all :)
Here is a pic of one of mine, you can see it is quite black from growth but the birds don't care.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
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My bath looks all manky and is in full sun, but if the water is freshish and full they use it. If it's low some of the birds opt for the saltwater pool which has more chlorine than any bird bath.
Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks