Birds are a pleasant gift of nature. Mornings chirps of flying birds over your windows make all the difference to enlighten the day. But they could also come as a nuisance when they settle in your home without any warnings.
Especially roost of pigeons, no one would like to clean their roofs and yards every day for something they did not plan for. We will discuss if bleach keeps birds away, different kinds of birds that dislike the smell of bleach, and ways to keep birds away from bleach.
Will bleach keep birds away?
Bleach will keep birds away to some extent. Using a 10 percent bleach solution, a tenth of bleach and nine-tenth of water mixed solution could work as a bird repellent. But some prefer more effective ways such as bird deterrent, spreading dry baking soda and ammonia as bleach could be harmful.
Birds aren’t considered a parasite, but they could cause quite a havoc in your house, garden, and roof. They can take out flowers, pesky seeds from the gardens, ruining the beauty of the garden. They could defecate here and there.
The feathers could also be a nuisance to clean after when you preferably don’t want any birds. Hurting them is illegal and immoral. It is better to use bird repellants.
Bleach is made of 3-6 percent sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), which, if made into a solution, would help to keep birds away. Household bleach also contains small amounts of sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and calcium hypochlorite.
What birds dislike bleach smell?
Birds dislike any harsh smell like ammonia or baking soda, including bleach. Bleach produces a smell of strong and harsh chlorine smell, which happens because of the chemical reaction that occurs due to breaking down protein molecules.
Birds tend to dislike the smell of chlorine, like in urine or ammonia. Thus, bleach also is a perfect candidate to be used as a repellant for birds. We are going to mention some of the birds and the effects of bleach on them if used to get rid of them. They will be mentioned below –
Parrot:
Parrots are delicate birds. You can use bleach to get rid of parrots. But the chlorine bleach fumes could be toxic and fatal if they get in their lungs and cause other irritation.
Parakeet:
Parakeets are very delicate and have fragile health. They need really good care taken of them. It is better not to use or take bleach near them as they have to be kept in a very preserved manner.
Cockatiel:
Cockatiel is a perfect partner to have as a pet for someone new. They are good for small apartments/ They usually stay captive, and on those, bleach should not be used, but for wild ones, bleach could be used to keep them away.
Finch:
Finches are considered sedentary or partially migratory birds. To keep them away, bleach can be used but not in harmful quantities. They do not like the smell.
Lovebird:
Lovebirds are gentle creatures. They are a variety of parrots, and they are interactive and social. Like most pet birds, they would dislike the smell of bleach and would like to stay away from it.
Dove:
Doves possess olfactory glands, though it is not well developed. Thus, the stingy smell of bleach would make them irritable.
Parrotlet:
Parrotlets also don’t prefer the smell of bleach and other materials such as essential oils, cayenne pepper, and garlic, etc.
Cockatoo:
Cockatoo is generally social but sometimes might result in aggressiveness out of fear. They are really delicate and expensive birds. It is better not to use bleach. You could use a scarecrow or just not feed them.
They will go wherever food is available to them.
Conure:
Conure could bite a lot, and it is imperative to read its body language. It could be because it is sick or playfulness. They are small and mainly on the fragile side. It is better not to use bleach.
Pionus Parrot:
Pionus parrots are most familiar with blue-headed and white-capped. Bleach chemical particles could harm them.
African Greys:
African Greys can’t eat Shamrock, holly, poinsettia, datura, laburnum, ivy, mistletoe, daffodils, and lilies. Thus, bleach should not be kept near them.
Robins:
Robins are one of the most prestigious small little birds. Hawkes, cats, can cause them harm. Bleach could be dangerous for them.
Bleach is sodium hypochlorite, it can work as a disinfectant and repellant, but it could cause severe damage to many small, home-bred birds.
How to keep birds away using bleach?
Birds can be kept away using bleach by mixing them in a solution or sprinkling them over. Bleach could be used in many ways in this case. We will be mentioning some steps to properly follow the guideline to use bleach to keep away bleach:
Prepare a bottle:
Take a spray bottle and clean it well before using it for the process.
Bleach proportion:
Take some store-bought cleaning bleach used as a laundry detergent. We will be using a tenth portion of that.
Lukewarm water:
Take a nine-tenths portion of lukewarm water and mix it well with bleach.
Making the Solution:
This will form a 10 percent bleach and 90 percent water solution, roughly not harmful for birds.
Adding supplements:
You could add ammonia or baking soda. Essential oils also work well in the water bleach solution for a better outcome. Birds dislike the smell of ammonia or chlorine and essential oils.
Make the spray:
Put it in the spraying bottle, mix the supplements well with the solution, and spray it over the porch or yard. If the birds are on the roof, then over the rooftop.
Check with a professional:
All the repellent elements will only work on a specific bird. So, it’s better to check with a professional if the distinct species of bird you’re using it on will actually be fine from bleach and won’t be fatal for them.
These are some of the steps to prepare the solution of bleach and water for birds. You could also sprinkle just bleach on the ground, but it could come as more harmful for their lungs.
What does bleach do to a bird?
Bleach could come as harmful to birds. Birds do not like the smell of chlorine, and bleach has a sharp smell of chlorine from its sodium hypochlorite. But chlorine bleach has become as harmful to birds nowadays.
Recently, it’s more widely known when bleach was used to clean their place or without diluting correctly, it became fatal for many birds in that aviary. Using them in an excessive amount or keeping the birds in a place with bleach for a long time would all be harmful for the birds.
Their lungs get damaged by the dust particles. It is more sensible to use other organic or DIY bird repellants.
What smells do birds dislike?
Birds mostly dislike the smell of chlorine. Thus using products with chlorine would help a lot to repel them as they cannot stand the smell. Many organic and as well store-bought products have chlorine in them and are good repellers. We will be mentioning some of them:
Ammonia:
Ammonia could be used to keep the birds away as their pungent smell irritates them, but prolonged exposure to it is terrible for the birds.
Bleach:
Bleach is made of hydrogen compounds and largely holds chlorine as a repellant but significantly less amount.
Essential Oils:
Essential oils, especially peppermint or Lillies, will work nicely.
Vinegar:
Vinegar has a strong, sharp smell that birds would like to avoid, and it’s organic so, not harmful for their health.
Other repellants like garlic, cayenne pepper, urea, and mothballs also work but to a lesser degree to repel birds.
Does bleach in birdbath hurt birds?
We recommend not to use bleach in the birdbath as it could be harmful to their skin, and drinking them can make the birds sick. It’s best to scrub down if there’s any dirt left or algae.
Bleach is a good cleaning agent but it might be harmful to the birds’ lives.
Thus, it is better to not use bleach but use other bird-friendly cleaners to clean the birdbath or wash the birdbath carefully if other soap or cleaning liquid detergent is used.
Final Thoughts
Bleach is a good candidate to keep birds away or use as a repellant. 10 percent bleach solutions can keep away birds if used in a spray bottle, but there are other safer ways to get repellants. It’s best to use organic, homemade bird repellants that are not harmful to the birds.