Things You'll Need
White Vinegar
Garden hose
Birdbath water additives
Water agitator
Birdbath water gets dirty quickly, especially if you have many birds visiting your yard. Dirty birdbath can harbor diseases that can harm birds, and soiled water in birdbaths means you'll have to clean the basin more frequently to keep it looking nice. There are several things you can do to keep the water cleaner longer.
Step 1
Clean the birdbath thoroughly before adding water. Rinse and scrub the basin well to remove all grime from the interior that could promote bacterial or fungal growth. One cleaning solution you can use, according to the-scoop-on-wild-bird-baths.com, is 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts water. First, rinse out the birdbath with a garden hose, and then add the vinegar-and-water solution. Let it sit for 15 minutes, and then rinse it out.
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Step 2
Add a water agitator or aerator. This can be a fountain, a bubbler or anything else that keeps the water moving. Stagnant water promotes algae growth and invites mosquitoes. Movement in the water infuses it with more oxygen, keeping it cleaner.
Step 3
Add a natural birdbath additive to the water. Look for these bird-safe additives at pet stores or garden stores.
Tip
In addition to these methods, you should avoid locating your birdbath directly beneath trees or other structures that may deposit debris into the water.
Even if you take these measures to keep water clean longer, occasionally you will still need to dump out old water and clean the birdbath before refilling. How often you need to do this depends much on how many visitors frequent your birdbath. Consider cleaning a birdbath and refilling the water at least once a week.
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