How to Clean Bird Poop Off Your Deck
Bird watchers often focus heavily on attracting their favorite species to their homes by installing houses, baths, and feeders. However, this step risks turning your deck into a popular area for birds to hang out. While that might not seem like a big problem initially, it can turn your beautiful outdoor seating area into a feces-splattered hangout area for birds.
Thankfully, you can use many techniques to get bird poop off your deck and keep it strong. The following steps are designed to minimize potential damage and can be used multiple times on your deck. Make sure you carefully choose from the options below and adjust your technique based on the stain’s severity and the sensitivity of your deck’s materials.
Materials You’re Likely to Need for Each Step
While each option discussed below varies in its approach, each includes similar steps. For example, you’ll be scraping fecal matter off the deck and washing it down to ensure its surface is sanitary. As a result, you’re likely to need a myriad of different items, including:
- Safety gloves for handling sensitive chemicals and cleaning equipment
- Goggles to keep you safe from potential fecal-water splashes
- Scraping tools to break apart the fecal matter
- A water source, such as a hose or faucet
- Scrubbing sponges or clothes that break apart poop easily
- Sanitary cleaning fluids that won’t damage your deck
In each section below, we’ll highlight any other materials you might need and specify which makes the most sense for you. In this way, you’ll understand which items you should buy before cleaning your deck and how to handle them properly to minimize any long-term problems, such as lingering stains or surface damage.
The Best Methods for Getting Bird Poop Off Your Deck
The following techniques include high-powered cleaning tools, scrubbing the deck with your hands, and using other tools to break apart dried poop. By understanding these processes, you can improve your cleaning method and get the best results for your deck’s unique needs. Just as importantly, you can ensure that your deck is protected against potential stain issues in the future.
The Hose-It-Down Method
The simplest way to remove bird poop on your decks is to spray it with a concentrated blast of water from a hose. This option works well if the poop is fresh or the stains haven’t dried yet. You may also want to try this method when performing other cleaning processes, as this can ensure your deck is adequately prepared. Follow these simple steps to get started with this technique:
- Put on your gloves, goggles, and a spray guard to protect your clothes from any water splashing back at you
- Hook a long hose up to a water source outside your home and take the hose near your deck
- Attach a sprayer to the end of the house to concentrate your water as much as possible
- Turn on your water and spray the deck, focusing heavily on the bird poop
- Move across your whole deck and wash the stains until they break up
- Spray the fecal matter water into a bucket to avoid contaminating your area
- Dry the surface with towels or let it air dry to speed up this process
Ensure you remove any excess water buildup on the deck surface to minimize damage. Pooling water can be problematic for many deck types and cause serious long-term issues. You can also use a pressure washer to handle this cleaning. We’ll review the steps in this process below to ensure you tackle it properly.
Pressure Wash the Surface
A high-quality pressure washer is a unique tool that uses concentrated blasts of water to clean surfaces quickly and easily. Homeowners often use them to remove stains on their houses, particularly bird poop. They’re a little trickier to handle than a standard garden hose but should be easy enough for most homeowners to understand. Just a few
- Put on your specialized protective gear, including heavy-duty gloves and spray guards
- Place the cleaning solution in the pressure washer, choosing an option suited to your materials
- Set the washer to the lowest setting to avoid damaging your deck unexpectedly
- Turn on the washer and direct its spray on the bird poop stains on your deck
- Keep the washer moving to avoid putting too much pressure on the cleaning area
- Remove the water by directing it carefully into a bucket
- Dry off the deck using whatever method you prefer, such as paper or cloth towels
The nice thing about investing in a pressure washer is that you can use them in many ways. For instance, you can wash your home with one to remove mold, mildew, and other growths. If you don’t feel comfortable handling one of these washers or would rather not invest in one, you can use a unique deck cleaning solution to break apart bird poop and improve your deck’s surface.
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Use Specialized Deck Cleaners
You may find high-quality deck cleaning options in nearby home and garden stores. These cleaning solutions often include chemicals to break apart bird poop stains and keep your deck’s materials safer. Typically, you can buy cleaners based on your deck’s materials, such as wood, PVC, and more. Follow these simple steps to remove bird poop from your deck and keep it cleaner:
- Spray the deck surface with a hose to eliminate fresher stains
- Choose a cleaning solution suitable for your deck material
- Put on gloves, goggles, and a cleaning apron to keep your clothes safe
- Open the cleaning solution and spread it with a scrubbing brush
- Use a little pressure on the stains to break them apart as you scrub
- Remove any excess cleaning solution from your deck’s surface
- Repeat this process until the stains lift
- Wash the surface with water to clean any remaining bird poop
We suggest this option above a homemade mix of water and bleach for a few reasons. First, it can break apart stains without damaging your deck and may be easier to use. Second, it’s less corrosive and won’t stain your clothes if it splashes on them. However, you can always try water and bleach if you can’t find an appropriate deck cleaner.
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Water and Bleach
Lastly, you can create a mixture of water and bleach to break apart any bird poop stains on your deck. This method is among the most powerful and must be utilized carefully. Save the following steps for those stains that refuse to go away, no matter how hard you scrub:
- Water and bleach in a 3-to-1 ratio to dilute the bleach and keep it from damaging your deck
- Spread this mixture directly on the bird poop using a scrubbing brush to break it apart
- Wash the bleach away with a bit of fresh water, putting the residue in a bucket for storage
- Repeat this process as needed until the bird poop stains are entirely removed
- Rinse the surface of your deck to get rid of any bleach that may be lingering
- Dry the surface by hand to make sure you get rid of the rest of the bleach on the deck’s surface
Getting rid of the bleach is vital because it may damage many types of materials or even change their color. We strongly recommend using only as little bleach water as possible to decrease your risk even further. Note that this method works well with pressure washing. Prepare your deck with this method to break apart stains, and then use the sprayer to get rid of any lingering fecal matter.
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Preventing Bird Poop on Your Deck
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so use these techniques to keep birds away from your deck:
- Move bird feeders away from your deck
- Keep garbage sealed up when left outside
- Install an owl scarecrow near your deck
- Hang shiny objects near the patio to scare away birds
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