Cleaning Birdfeeders

[Lu_B]

How often should I clean out my feeders? And whats the best way to go about it?

[CLS]

I clean my feeders about once a month but I know I should do them more often.

I dismantle them (it gets easier with practice!) and scrub them with diluted Ark-klens.

[HRH]

I'm lazy and don't clean my feeders as often as I should. They look so much nicer when they're all cleaned up.

[Lu_B]

I dismantle them (it gets easier with practice!) and scrub them with diluted Ark-klens.

Whats Ark-klens when its at home? Won't a good dose of washing up liquid suffice.

[CLS]

Its a solution approved by vets as suitable for all wildlife but a mild disinfectant should do the job as well.

[Neil]

Make sure the inside of the feeder is properly dried before you refill with food. Otherwise the food can stick, and when the birds have eaten the food adjacent to the ports, none moves to replace it, leaving frustrated birds! :rolleyes:

[Emma]

I clean our feeders thoroughly every two weeks (taking them apart and cleaning with HOT water and washing-up liquid) and I also give them a wipe down every time they are re-filled.

We have recently had salmonella in the area/garden so I use GardenKlens from CJs to disinfect under all three feeding stations; this is done every Sunday.

[Mobee]

I have a guardian feeder, (with a cage round the plastic seed holder) very difficult to clean. Does anyone have any tips? I use very hot water washing up liquid and a brush to clean all my feeders.

[Emma]

Mobee, does your guardian feeder come apart? That's just about the only way you're going to get it properly clean. I take the cage off mine and scrub the base with hot water and washing up-liquid and then wipe around the cage.

If it doesn't come apart, I'd probably try blasting it with a hose pipe. Maybe spray it with a suitable garden disinfectant too?

[Mobee]

Thanks Emma, yes my feeder does come apart but its quite a task, I must admit I dont clean it as often as the other feeders I have. Spraying with a disinfectant seems a great idea.