Assemble your Materials

Obviously, you will need one or more dirty bird baths.

You’ll also need a garden hose or other source of clean
water, a bottle of bleach, a bucket or large mixing bowl and
a scrub brush. You can use any type of scrub or kitchen
brush. The size you will need depends on how large your
bird bath is, or if it has intricate details you will have to
clean with a smaller brush head.

Cleaning the Bird Bath

1. Empty the bird bath

First of all, make sure all of the birds have made themselves
scarce. Then, either tip the bird bath on its side or pull the
plug out of it if it has one to remove all of the old water.
Once that’s done, pick out any large pieces of debris that
may remain inside it.

2. Hose the bird bath down

Using your garden hose, or a bucket of water if you don’t

have a hose available, give the bird bath a good rinse with
lukewarm water. If you have a sprayer nozzle on your hose,
put it on its most powerful setting. Hopefully, this will get
most of the gunk off of the bottom of the tub. Use the scrub
brush to remove any dirt or debris that you can’t get out of
the tub by just using the water. You can also use the brush
to clean the pedestal of your bird bath if you wish.

3. Mix a bleach solution to kill algae or mildew

Note that this says a bleach solution, not pure bleach. You
want to be sure to heavily dilute the bleach, since any
bleach residue could be harmful to future bird bathers. Birds
tend to be very sensitive to chemicals. Use a measuring cup
to make sure you get the ratio right.
You will only need three fourths of a cup of bleach for each
gallon of water that you use. Mix the solution in the bucket
or bowl using your hands or a spoon. To prevent skin
irritation, you may want to wear rubber gloves  when
handling bleach, and be careful not to splash it on your
clothing.

If you’re uncomfortable using bleach and your bird bath

doesn’t have any algae or mildew in it, you are more than
welcome to skip this step.

4. Let the bleach solution set

Pour the bleach solution into the bird bath so that the entire
surface of the tub is covered. Be especially sure to cover
any areas of mildew growth or algae. Then let the solution
set for 10 to 15 minutes.

*It’s crucial that you cover the bird bath during this step so
that no birds attempt to sit in it. Use plastic, foil or wood,
or keep a very diligent watch.

5. Give your bird bath a good rinse

Make sure to do a dynamite job of rinsing your bird bath

with water so that you get all of the bleach solution out of
it. Again, use the jet sprayer on the hose or use a clean
bucket filled with water and your scrub brush. If you’re
using the bucket method, you will want to fill and pour out
the bird bath a couple times.

6. Let the bird bath dry

To be certain you’ve gotten all of the bleach out, let your

bird bath sit out in the yard empty to dry. Depending on the
weather, it may take an hour or more.

7. Refill the bath

That’s it. Now just refill your newly clean bird bath with
water. And, if you want, you can throw a couple pennies in
it to prevent algae in the future.

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Keeping your Bird Bath Clean

The best way to keep your bird bath clean, and to keep the
birdie tenants happy, is to change the water on a regular
basis (say, at least once every two weeks). You can also add
a commercial bird bath cleaner, available at most home
improvement stores. This should minimize the need for
bleaching and scrubbing in the future.

Also, try to place your bird bath in an open area of the yard
so it doesn’t get clogged with leaves and branches, unless
you don’t mind pulling them out daily.