Birdbath Cleaning

Empty all the water from the birdbath. Use a scrub brush to scrape away as much of the dirt and debris as possible from inside the bath. A small toothbrush works well for birdbaths with designs and small crevices that may be hard to reach with a larger brush. Rinse the bath with water from the garden hose to get rid of the loosened debris.

Fill the birdbath with a solution of one part white vinegar and four parts water. Cover the bath with a piece of cloth or plastic to keep birds out, and let the mixture sit in the bath for 15 minutes.

Scrub the birdbath again with the scrub brush. Discard the vinegar solution, then rinse out the birdbath well with water from the garden hose.

If the birdbath is really dirty, or if you suspect it is contaminated with a disease, mix a solution of nine parts warm water and one part chlorine bleach in a bucket. Dip a scrub brush into the bucket, and use it to scrub the birdbath. Rinse the scrub brush often in the bleach solution. Rinse the birdbath well with water from the garden hose. It's important that no traces of bleach are left behind, because it can harm the birds. Let the inside of the bath air-dry completely before refilling it with water.