How to clean a bird feeder to prevent disease

If you love feeding the birds that visit your garden, then you’ll need to know how to clean a bird feeder too – as just like us, no bird wants to eat from a dirty plate.

Having a regular rotation of feathered friends visit your garden is important to maintain any ecosystem. Birds do everything from eliminating pests to pollinating flowers, which is why it’s important to attract birds to your garden.

Regularly cleaning your bird feeder is vital to maintain the health of your birds and allows you to check for signs your bird feeder is infected. Your bird feeder should be cleaned far more regularly than you might think, and luckily for you, we’ve broken the process down into three simple steps.

How to clean a bird feeder: the three step guide

‘Bird feeders can become incredibly unhygienic very quickly, so you want to make sure that you’re cleaning them at least once a week,’ explains James Ewens, Commercial Director of Green Feathers.

‘You may even want to clean more frequently after periods of wet weather when the damp conditions promote the growth of mould that will thrive on the food sources intended for the birds. Other than potential mould growth, birds can also carry a wide variety of diseases and parasites, and so regular cleaning is essential to prevent spreading them to others that come to feed.’

This is how to do it:

What you need

1. Disemble your bird feeder and remove debris

‘To properly clean your bird feeder, start by wearing rubber gloves and emptying the feeder, disposing of the contents in a bin. Avoid reusing or composting the food, as it may harbour harmful bacteria,’ says Richard Green, wildlife expert and head of production at Kennedy Wild Bird Food & Pet Supplies.

During this stage, you should also use your stiff brush to remove any trapped or stubborn debris from your feeder.

2. Soak and scrub your feeder

‘You’ve then got a couple of options when it comes to using a cleaning solution. Some prefer to use good old hot soapy water, while others would rather use a very mild bleach solution to make sure any bacteria or mould is killed off,’ says James.

‘Regardless of which cleaner you decide to use, soak your feeder for around 10 minutes before giving it a proper scrub. Bird feeders are a hotbed for potential diseases and other ailments, thanks to the amount of birds that come to feed from them, so it’s vital that they are cleaned thoroughly to help keep visiting birds as healthy as possible.’

After the first scrub, Richard recommends letting the feeder dry before spraying with veterinary disinfectant and scrubbing again as an extra step. If you have not cleaned your bird feeder before, or have left it longer than you should, we recommend you include this step.

3. Leave to dry and reassemble

‘Once you’ve finished giving your feeder the deep clean it needs, it’s time for what may be the most important step – properly rinsing it off,’ says James.

‘You need to ensure that any and all residue is washed away from your feeder using clean water, as both can cause serious health issues for birds if they accidentally ingest any that might have been missed. After this, leave the feeder to dry completely before reassembling and filling it up once more.’

Shop bird feeders

Recently, the RSPB, warned against using bird feeder tables following the potential link to the disease Tricomonosis. Instead it is recommended you use a hanging feeder.

Now you’re feeder is ready to use again and you’re soon to have an abundance of birds to fulfil your wildlife garden ideas – just make sure you don’t forget to do it again next week!