Clean Glass Bird Feeders Mean More Birds
Sunday, 07.01.2007, 10:35am (GMT)
Express your love for birds uniquely through glass bird feeders. The
artful designs done on glass feeders are sure to make your bird cage,
porch, or garden a little more interesting and lively. The intricate
designs, placed around the feeders so that you can view the patterns
from any standpoint, will surely give a sense of authenticity to your
enthusiasm for birds.
Glass is steadily becoming the material of choice for bird feeders.
Glass can offer greater flexibility in terms of design patterns. Glass
artwork can give your feeders exotic finishes limited only by an
artists or your imagination. More importantly, glass feeder designs are
reputed to be more resistant to scratches, rusting, or flaking off.
Adding glass bird feeders as accent pieces to your garden is one sure
way to elevate your enjoyment for birds, be it wild. However, as glass
feeders can definitely increase the level of activity for birds in your
area, they may be a little bit delicate to clean. So read on for a few
pointers on how to have easier time sprucing up your glass feeder.
Bleach And Water
Cleaning up a glass bird feeder should be fast and easy when you use
bleach and water. Bleach can effectively eliminate molds and other
unwanted microscopic organisms. With the rise of various avian diseases
that can be contagious to humans, keeping glass feeders clean down to
sub-atomic levels can be the best preventive measure for bird
enthusiasts to avoid catching bird related diseases like the bird flu.
By adding bleach, a standard disinfectant, to water, you can be sure
that your glass feeders are not only visibly clean, but pathogenically
safe as well.
However, bleach is not so good on the smell. In fact, household bleach
can cause allergies to some people. To prevent allergic reactions or
stop the disturbing odor, the measure of the bleach mixture must be in
the ratio of ten parts of water to only one part of bleach. This
solution is enough for an effective yet smell-free cleaning.
For people who are really allergic to bleach smell, letting the feeders
air dry or, better yet, applying a coating of sugar extract on the
feeders can surely suppress the violent smell of bleach.
And, of course, you want to be sure to rinse off any bleach residue so you do not poison your birds with it!
Two Glass Bird Feeders Are Better Than One
Having two feeders for each spot you want to put feeders on can surely
cut your cleaning chores into just a few seconds. Use one bird feeder
for a couple of days then replace it with the other one. To clean the
first one you used, soak it in bleach and water solution. Alternately
using two bird feeders and switching them regularly shortens your
cleaning and handling time without the rush that could make you break
your glass feeders.
Use A Cleaning Mop Or Brush
A feeder cleaning mop or brush can be a very effective tool for
cleaning bird feeders. Basically a cleaning mop or brush is made up of
a lump of foam or bristles fastened on one end of a ten or twelve-inch
wire or rod. Glass bird feeders, particularly those made by blowing
glass, have intricate designs and forms; hence you need a cleaning mop
or brush to definitely reach and clean the lowermost and innermost
parts of a glass feeder.
Sure, a bleach solution can effectively clean your bird feeder; but
when you are unable to scrape off stubborn slime building up on the
bottom of the feeder, molds and other undesirable organisms will
eventually attach themselves and grow inside the feeder. A cleaning mop
or brush can often last a year, at the very least.
Nothing Beats Hot Water
Some bird enthusiasts disagree with using bleach and water solution in
cleaning glass bird feeds. They argue that, unlike most humans, birds
have a more sensitive sense of smell. Any amount of bleach left on the
feeder, no matter how small, can drastically affect the birds.
So instead of bleach, enthusiasts who avoid using bleach swear by the
effectiveness of plain hot water and good old brushing. They reason
that hot water can do the job of killing unwanted organisms while
brushing can scrape off molds and other stains.
So there you have it, make a statement for all the bird lovers out
there by using glass bird feeders. Unlike common feeders, glass feeders
have unique design patterns. Above all, remember to keep your bird
feeders clean.
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