How to clean a bird bath – and why it's essential to keep on top of this simple task

Knowing how to clean a bird bath is an essential way to protect feathered friends, and ourselves, from harmful bacteria forming in dirty water. Though it might feel like one job too many, failing to do so can cause visiting birds to get sick from contaminated water.

And it's not only birds who will pay the price. 'Bird baths that are not emptied and refilled at least three times per week can become mosquito breeding areas,' explains Dan Reinking, Senior Biologist at Sutton Avian Research Center. 

'Besides being annoying pests to homeowners, mosquitos can also transmit a number of diseases to both humans and birds. Dumping out any remaining water and refilling the bath with fresh water every other day, during mosquito season will prevent them from hatching in the bird bath,' he says.

Why it's important to know how to clean a bird bath

'Water can be a limited resource for birds, especially during hot, dry summers and during weather below freezing, but bird baths are readily used by birds year-round for drinking and bathing,' says Dan Reinking. 'Stopping a bird bath from freezing and knowing how to clean a bird bath is the key to a bird bath being useful to birds.'

A step-by-step guide to cleaning a bird bath

'Cleaning out your bird bath is vitally important as they can easily become dirty, and centers for breeding bacteria, which can then spread through local birds and wildlife,' says garden writer, Jill Morgan.

'Algae can form in baths with stagnant water,' adds Dan Reinking. 'A quick weekly scrub with a brush followed by a rinse and refill will help keep the bath free of algal growth. To use detergents or harsh chemicals would be a bird bath mistake, instead a weak vinegar solution can be used to help the cleaning process.'

1. Rinse out the bath regularly to remove any build-up of bird droppings, algae, dead leaves and other debris, and refill with clean water. 
2. Give the bath a thorough clean every week, even during cold weather to help garden birds in winter. Scrub well to remove algae and other dirt. There are household disinfectants or cleaners specifically formulated for bird baths, but these need to be rinsed out thoroughly to avoid leaving any chemical traces. We suggest the far safer method of using one part vinegar mixed with nine parts water.
3. If you have a heated bird bath, switch it off whilst you clean.
4. As there is a small but real risk of infections like salmonella being transmitted to people, always clean the bird bath outdoors using separate utensils, wear gloves and wash your hands when finished.

Dan Reinking

Dan Reinking began birding at age 12, and for more than three decades has worked as a biologist with the nonprofit Sutton Avian Research Center in Oklahoma. He studies the ecology and distributions of birds, and has published two books about Oklahoma’s birds, and more than 250 newspaper columns about birds.

Jill Morgan

Jill Morgan has spent the last 20 years writing for Interior and Gardening magazines both in print and online. Titles she has been lucky enough to work on include House Beautiful, The English Home, Ideal Home, Modern Gardens and Gardeningetc.com. 

FAQs

Flora Baker

Flora has spent much of the last few years as a keen amateur gardener: honing her houseplant propagation skills, growing vegetables in buckets, and starting up a compost bin. 

If you have space, you could even install a water feature as part of your bird bath ideas, which keeps the water fresh and algae-free with constant movement.