How to clean a wooden bird feeder
Difficulty when cleaning made in wood bird feeders is concerning damage to the finish or bare wood surface, which would mean you have to go carefully.
How to clean a wooden bird feeder would begin with a 5-7 minute soak in a bowl of soapy hot water. Damage can be caused due to paint or stain fading; this is true, but a new coat can always be applied. Splash too big bird feeders if they don't fit in bowl, while thoroughly scraping or brushing the feeders.
Don't get complicit when the need to clean your wooden bird feeders comes around, as it still applies to what would be a more fragile bird feeder in use.
Wood can be cleaned in a regular dish soap bubble bath, whilst being scrubbed with a hard bristle brush or scraped with a wallpaper scraper - to remove more stubborn residue.
If you can soak the wooden bird feeders in a soap dish bowl of hot water, then do so too lift off any softened, once dried up bird food in hard to reach areas in the feeder - while cleaning the exterior is just as important.
And while your at it, any detachable parts of the wooden bird feeder must be cleaned also, including hanging ropes or chains, and any clear window or mesh sheets.
Not all made in wood bird feeders can disassemble, but if they can do soak them this way.
If bird feeders can't submerge all the way in a bowl of hot water, then rotate it on all sides for 3 minutes or so - as this remains a better solution than pouring over water.
You will need to pour or splash soapy hot water over larger wooden bird feeders, such as hanging, ground level or platform bird feeders on a stand. And if you can, allow soapy water to sit on the surface where birds feed off the most.
To kill off any bacteria present, and there will be, do make up your own 50/50 vinegar to water solution, to finish off washing the wooden bird feeder in.
Damage to wooden bird feeders would be obvious if you apply all or a bit of all this if its painted or stain in poor quality finish - while a quality paint or stain can still fade, but over a longer period.
What wood the bird feeder is made in can withstand soft, gentle cleaning agents, with bird feeders made in cedar reacting positively to being cleaned. Wood finishes don't so much, but a re-paint later down the road is not only an option, but paramount to bird feeder maintenance.
Disassemble if applicable
Complications of cleaning wooden bird feeders is to avoid damaging the stained or painted surface, while a must to remove all residue leftover.
To thoroughly clean any type of wooden bird feeder you'd need to disassemble it as best you can. I understand certain bird feeders can't be dismantled, even a little - so use your judgment by doing the best you can if fully assembled.
Feeders made in wood that are likely to offer you some dismantling ability, would be the clear perspex window or metal mesh that slots into either side of a peanut or seed feeder, respectively.
Don't force apart and certainly don't disassembled additional parts - such as ropes or chains used to hang - if you feel it won't go back together again as planned.
Its OK to thoroughly clean a wooden bird feeders as is, if that is the case just open any lids or doors made available.
What you will do next is submerge your wooden bird feeder in a soapy bath, so you just need to allow time for the soapy water to reach every crack and crevice.
Submerge in soapy bath
Now that you've taken apart the wooden bird feeder as best you can, or at least opened lids - its time to submerge the bird feeder in a deep filled bubble bath.
When this is in reference to a stained or painted wooden bird feeder of yours, continue to only soak the said feeder underwater for 2 minutes tops. If its unfinished with bare wood, then submerge in a water for up to 7 minutes.
Stained or painted wooden bird feeder surfaces are usually protected in what are wood preserves, so water can't penetrate deep into the grain.
Paint or wood can spoil if submerged in a hot soapy bath for even a short time if its a poor quality finish - but it must be done to clean off any hard to remove residue, and therefore nasty bacteria.
Bare wood bird feeders don't have paint, stain or preserve protection, thus the soapy water can penetrate much deeper into the grain.
And as untreated wooden bird feeders are vulnerable to bacteria, and therefore hard to remove grime stuck in open cracks - the bare wood bird feeders need to be soaked for longer.
Be mindful of stain or wood bleeding into the hot soapy water, and while this can fade the wooden bird feeder in time, remember it can be painted or treated again any time you see fit.
Splash too big feeders
While I refer to submerging wooden bird feeders in a hot bubble bath bowl, I mustn't forget many of you make use of a much larger, harder to clean bird feeder in wood.
I am not so close-minded to realize many hanging-type wooden bird feeders may not fit in a bowl of soapy water, so here's what you must do.
How to thoroughly clean a wooden bird feeder is to begin with a hot soapy bath.
Large bird feeders can prevent this if they don't fit, thus a reliance on splashing hot soapy water over and within the feeder, is vital to soften up the hard residue.
If you can, submerge the bird feeder in a smaller bowl whilst rotating the feeder to make sure all four-sides are allowed time to soak.
Big, open top, hanging or ground platform wooden bird feeders won't fit into a bubble bath, thus dish soap water would need to be splashed on, or poured over the flat surface to allow it to sit for a while, if at all possible.
Alternative to simply splashing over soapy water, is to make use of your garden hose, while first applying soap dish detergent over the feeder - or indeed use a pressure washer in which can really be a useful garden tool at this time.
Now that you've dampened the wooden bird feeder the way you know how, after 5-7 minutes its time to give it a bit of elbow grease.
Scrape or brush off residue
Surface of wooden bird feeders can begin immaculate, then begin to weather in due course, as it begins to show signs of age when left out in rain, UV light and cold.
With that in mind you can expect some surface damage to a wooden bird feeder, the more times you clean it. But as its made in wood, why not restore faded wood with a brand new coating of paint or stain.
To thoroughly clean a wooden bird feeder you will need to apply pressure to the surface with a sharp wallpaper-type scraper to lift off any grime and residue.
Whilst peanuts and seeds are sure to create a sticky, hard residue; suet can indeed leave behind a messy coating of grease, all of which needs to be washed off.
Go gently with a stainless steel scraper to lift up any residue, including grease; while using finer scrapers or other tools to pick up bird food that's found its way into cracks or tight corners.
Where scraping off old bird food residue is impossible, revert to what would be an easy to manage, hard bristle brush.
With the wooden bird feeder remaining wet due to its original hot soapy bath, dip the brush into the bowl of soapy water to brush the bird feeder in and out - or on top of what would be the platform bird feeder surface.
Disinfect in vinegar solution
What you will now be left with once all hard residue has been soften up and removed, is basically a nice and clean wooden bird feeder.
While the bird feeder is still wet, its time to apply a 50/50 water to white vinegar solution.
To kill off any remaining bacteria, and there certainly will be, you'd need to apply a safe for birds disinfectant. Homemade vinegar cleaning agent is all you need, whilst applying it to bird feeders in a soak, but scrubbing it onto the feeding area is all you need.
If its a big bowl of vinegar solution you've made, you can add a few drops of soap dish, to create a stronger solution for soaking the wooden bird feeders, from the very beginning.
Avoid using a part 1/9 bleach solution as its likely to stain, or remain present on an open grain, bare wood bird feeder.
Vinegar can smell but white vinegar less so, soap dish only cleaning solution can work for most, if you clean and maintain bird feeders often - as this strong vinegar solution can only then be used now and again.
Of course when using homemade cleaning agents, the cleaning solution must be washed away.
Remove odor in dish soap
Cleaning a wooden bird feeder can be a safe solution for everyone involved when using soap dish or a stronger disinfectant solution made at home.
However, understand soap dish can congeal in open grain wooden bird feeders - with any joints or cracks where the dish soap has soaked in.
If this soap itself isn't washed away, you can end up with patches or stains caused by the soap.
You'd then need to re-fill your bubble bath bowl with clean, boiling hot water to wash away any signs of built up soap residue. Options can be to splash a bowl of clean hot water over the feeders, but a one minute soak, if possible, is more beneficial.
Similarly, unlike soap that has a pleasant smell, vinegar of the weaker smell white vinegar, can leave a vinegar odor in the air.
Its harmless but unpleasant to smell, so that must be cleaned off before you are done.
Once again use a bowl of boiling hot water to thoroughly splash or pour over the wooden bird feeder, to drain off any sitting vinegar on the surface, or any vinegar in the gain.
Summarize
How to clean a bird feeder, or more specifically a wooden bird feeder, is to begin by softening up any stubborn, hard to remove bird food or food scrap residue by submerging the bird feeder in a soapy bowl of boiling water.
Painted or stained wooden bird feeders can see its finish bleed into the water, though in time you can always re-paint or stain the wooden bird feeders in question.
Its more important at this time to regularly clean your wooden bird feeders, to pick up any residue while killing off any sitting bacteria.
Submerge wooden bird feeders in a bowl of hot soapy water for up to 7 minutes, then remove to scrape or brush the feeder internally, but don't forget the outside.
Reside can only be lifted off in most cases once its allowed to soften in hot water, though it can be a little harder to remove dry seeds or nut kernels that remain in an hard to reach corner of the feeders, internally.
Disinfecting wooden bird feeders still applies, as its vital to remove surface bacteria.
Make up an homemade mixture of 50/50 water to white vinegar solution to scrub the wooden feeders immediately after their bubble bath. If you like, the bubble bath at the beginning can be used with this vinegar solution... with a few drops of dish soap to bubble up the water.
Now all that's done, you will need to splash or pour over clear hot water onto the wooden bird feeders, to remove any potential buildup of soap or vinegar cleaning agent residue.
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