How To Clean Wooden Bird Perches

How To Clean Wooden Bird Perches

Wooden bird perches come in all sizes and diameters, which is beneficial to your bird’s feet. By choosing multiple sizes, your pet can distribute the weight on their feet in different ways throughout the day, leaving them much more comfortable.

Wood perches are easier to grip, but unfortunately, they aren’t always the easiest to clean. Wood is porous. How do you clean wooden bird perches?

You should clean wooden bird perches with a warm, damp towel every day and give them a deeper cleaning by using a bird-safe sanitizer like white vinegar or soaking them in warm water with dish detergent weekly. For particularly tough, stuck-on droppings, use a handheld steamer or a piece of sandpaper to aid in removal before you wash the perch.

Best Way To Clean Wooden Bird Perches

The best way to clean wooden bird perches is using a mild dish detergent and hot water. There are relatively few bird-safe cleaning options because our avian friends have incredibly delicate respiratory systems. Stick to simple solutions for cleaning cages.

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to clean wooden bird perches:

  1. Remove your perches. Any stuck-on buildup should be sanded off. Basic, rough-grained sandpaper and some elbow grease will accomplish this quickly. This technique is faster than trying to soak heavily built-up spots off, which can take several hours.
  2. When you finish rough sanding, ensure that you go over any rough spots with super-fine grain sandpaper as well to smooth it out. Sand is safe for birds, but splinters aren’t fun for anyone regardless of species.
  3. Next, prepare a deep container with a couple of gallons of hot water and a tablespoon of mild, unscented, color-free dish detergent. It doesn’t take much, and the additives are not healthy for your pet.
  4. Soak the perches for about five minutes and give them a thorough scrubbing.
  5. If you want to sanitize, you can use a one-to-one solution of white vinegar and water. This works best if you use it on clean and damp but not soaking wet wooden perches.
  6. Let your perches dry completely before putting them back in the cage. Doing this helps keep your bird’s feet safe and prevents them from eating any vinegar by accident.

3 Ways To Disinfect Wood Bird Perches

There aren’t many ways to disinfect wood bird perches, but there are a few you should know about.

Below are three of the best safe choices I know for disinfection around birds. When in doubt, assume everything is unsafe for your pet unless a veterinarian tells you otherwise.

1 – Natural: Grapefruit Seed Extract- GSE

Using GSE as a disinfectant is simple. However, since you’ll be using a spray bottle, please make sure you do this in a different room from where your birds are.

You’ll need a thirty-two-ounce spray bottle, one of the larger ones. Add fifty drops of the oil and some warm purified water, then cap it and shake vigorously.

The warm water will help the liquid permeate the wood grain. You can also spray this on countertops and other areas that need a good, all-natural disinfectant.

I recommend Swanson Grapefruit Seed Liquid Extract from Amazon because grapefruit seed extract and vegetable glycerine are the only ingredients. Since no alcohol is used to make this, it’s much safer for bird perches.

Swanson Grapefruit Seed Liquid Extract - Topical Formula 1 fl oz Liquid 4 Pack
  • For topical use only
  • Concentrated extract in glycerin base
  • Per GMP guidelines set forth by the FDA, most products are formulated for 24 months from the date of manufacture. Liquids and probiotics are formulated for 12 months.

2 – Homemade: Baking Soda Paste

Baking soda paste is a classic cleaner that almost anyone can make at home. You may not even need to go to the store if you have baking soda in your cabinet.

Please note, this is not baking powder, which has other ingredients. You need pure sodium bicarbonate, only baking soda.

To make a paste, put a couple of tablespoons in a shallow dish. Add water a few drops at a time and stir until you have a paste that isn’t drippy or crumbly.

All you need to do is scrub the length of your bird perch with the paste and then rinse it off.

You can double the homemade goodness by giving it a rinse with 50/50 vinegar and water solution for even better disinfectant action.

Plus, when the vinegar meets the baking soda, it will have a chemical reaction and bubble up, which is fun to watch.

3 – Commercial: Cage Cleaner

There are lots of commercial pet cleaners that claim to be for ‘all’ types of pets.

However, I don’t recommend using them in bird cages. It’s crucial to choose an explicitly bird-safe cleaner.

Check out Absolutely Clean Amazing Bird Poop Remover from Amazon. This bird-safe cleaning liquid works on perches, cages, and other areas your birds make messes.

The fast-acting formula takes just three to five minutes before you’re ready to brush away stuck-on bird poop messes.

Absolutely Clean Amazing Bird Poop Remover - Just Spray/Wipe - Safely & Easily Removes Bird Messes
  • FAST-ACTING FORMULA: Our natural enzyme cleaner is incredibly fast-acting and won’t leave behind greasy, sticky, or filmy residue like other cleaners or soaps. Just thoroughly spray the area with bird cage cleaner that has bird poop, let sit 3-5 minutes, use a wet cloth or cleaning brush to loosen and remove the bird poop. Fast-acting and effective stain and odor eliminator pet, no matter the pet's diet.
  • POWERFUL NATURAL ENZYMES: Absolutely Clean Amazing Bird stain remover uses Powerful, Natural Enzymes to break down the smell and tough debris from bird droppings in your outdoor areas or bird cage. Our bird cage accessories does not give off the noxious fumes that you’ll find with other cleaners making for a more pleasant cleaning experience. Effortlessly remove bird poop off with the cleaning supplies of Absolutely Clean Amazing Bird Poop Remover.
  • WORKS GREAT ON UPHOLSTERY: Absolutely Clean Amazing Bird Poop Remover is extremely versatile.It is powerful pet enzyme cleaner to remove the toughest pet stains and pet odor from all of your outdoor and patio furniture as well as your hardscapes. Thoroughly cleaning and refreshing your outdoor living spaces with all purpose cleaner, so you can relax and enjoy, no matter what nature throws your way.
  • VETERINARIAN APPROVED: Our vet-approved pet carpet cleaner is made without the use of harsh chemicals or noxious fumes, making for a gentle yet powerful enzyme carpet cleaner for removing the toughest stains and eliminating the most stubborn odors.
  • MADE IN THE USA: Absolutely Clean is a small, family owned-and-operated company based in Colorado. We make our pet odor carpet cleaner products at home in the USA. We believe in providing an exceptional cleaning experience for our customers by providing high-quality products. No matter what your cleaning needs are, Absolutely Clean has the pet supplies for you!

How Often Should You Clean Wooden Bird Perches

It would be best if you wiped down wooden bird perches any time you notice a mess. Additionally, it’s essential to do a deeper clean at least once weekly.

If there’s an unusual concern, like a sick bird or some contamination that got in the cage, you can spot clean or disinfect as needed, but generally, every seven days is often enough.

Helpful Tips To Know About How To Clean Wooden Bird Perches

You can choose your favorite way to clean bird perches. So long as you remove the obvious physical mess and disinfect weekly, your bird perch should be safe and sanitary.

Here are more helpful tips to know about how to clean wooden bird perches.

  • According to Beauty of Birds, these are not a good choice for cleaning, “Aerosols / Sprays: … cleaning sprays, Lysol, etc. should not be sprayed while your bird is present in the room. They are toxic when inhaled by the bird and will lead to health problems or even death. Also, do not use cleaners/ chemicals on items the bird might chew.
  • Some bird owners recommend diluted bleach for cleaning perches. However, there are better, safer, and less toxic solutions available. You can try this if you have no other options, but most homes have baking soda or vinegar, and both are inexpensive.
  • If you make your bird’s perches from scratch, make sure the wood you choose is safe for your bird to chew on since many birds chew on their perches. Additionally, ensure that the wood you choose hasn’t been treated with pesticides. The safest common woods, according to the Association of Avian Veterinarians, are ash, balsa, birch, dragonwood, elm, java, maple, manzanita, poplar, and ribbonwood.

Final Thoughts

Every bird owner knows that their pets are going to poop on their perches. A simple wipe down every day will help keep the mess to a minimum, but it’s not enough alone.

Sand off any particularly problematic droppings that don’t want to budge. You should also wash the perches at least once per week in warm to hot water with dish detergent.

I recommend Dawn since it’s safe for cleaning animals. Ensure that the wood is thoroughly dried out before giving it back to your pet and use a safe sanitizer like white vinegar as needed.

Ted Smith

My name is Ted Smith and I’m the creator of AnimalThrill.com. I have a passion for educating people about animals and wildlife. I have been working with the National Wildlife Federation for the past 10 years and I became a wildlife blogger to help people become excited about animals and encouraged to care for these wonderful creatures.

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