Simple Ways to Keep Bird Poop Off Your Deck
Birds are lovely creatures except when they are turning your deck into their bathroom! I have spent some time researching the best ways to keep birds from turning your wood deck into an eyesore. Bird poop is tedious to remove from your deck and can ruin your relaxation time spent there. In this post, I will give you my most effective methods of keeping birds away from your deck.
So how do I keep birds from pooping on my deck? Here are a few of my helpful tips to get you started in having a bird poop-free deck.
- Remove things from your yard that attract birds.
- Put shiny, moving objects in your yard.
- Trim back your shrubs and trees.
- Put fake or decoy birds in your yard.
- Get a special sound system to deter birds from coming into your yard.
- Get an awning over your deck.
- Use certain scents to repel birds.
- Equip your yard with a special electric shock track.
These helpful tips will ensure that birds will no longer be attracted to your yard as a pooping ground. In this post, we will go into further detail as to how you can use each of these methods in your yard. Each method mentioned is useful. However, as we go into further detail you will discover which method is right for you and your outdoor area. Certain tips are easier than others to implement.
How Should I Prevent Birds From Pooping On My Deck?
Some of us want to deter birds from finding our yard as an attractive place to poop. With these simple tips, your yard can quickly become a place where birds will not be likely to poop. My first few methods take little to no money to complete.
It is easy to remove anything from your yard which might attract birds to it. At times we might not realize that our leftover scraps from our last barbeque are attracting birds to our deck to eat and then leave their mark!
Who knew that birds hate shiny moving objects? It’s pretty easy to find some household items to discreetly hang around your deck to deter birds from accessing it.
Trim your shrubs and trees so that birds will not be attracted and nest in areas around your deck. These will be the most budget-friendly tips I mention. If you want to invest in more costly solutions you can purchase an awning over your deck. This will cause the birds to poop on the awning and miss your deck entirely! This is one surefire way to cure the problem and possibly supply some needed shade to your deck also.
Investing in scents that birds dislike is not that much of an investment, but there is a small cost to getting certain essential oils and various pepper sprays to keep birds away from your deck.
Lastly, you can invest in a track surrounding your deck which will emit an electric shock to any bird which touches it. This is a more aggressive method to keep the birds away and may not be your cup of tea. No matter which solution you choose you should be able to eliminate or greatly reduce the likelihood of birds pooping on your deck. Let’s look more closely at each of these solutions.
No-Cost Solutions
There are several no-cost solutions to making sure birds don’t poop on your deck including:
- Remove things from your yard that attract birds.
- Put shiny, moving objects in your yard.
- Trim back your shrubs and trees.
You can begin making your yard less attractive to birds by removing anything you have in your yard which might attract birds. I am talking about things like food and water. Make sure you do not have any bird feeders close to your deck, water, or any leftover food on your deck from cooking outside.
If you have any of these things birds will be more likely to come to your deck and eventually poop on your deck. Birds hate shiny moving objects. Equipping your patio or deck with these types of objects will scare birds. Objects that are used for this include hanging mirrors or old CDs. This will work to detract birds because they will see their reflection in the object and think that it is another bird.
This will make the bird believe that these “other birds” have eaten any food which might have been in that area. You can also use wind chimes or shiny pinwheels to deter birds from your yard (very minimum cost of $1-$5). Lastly, one of the easiest things to do is trim back the shrubs and trees which surround your deck. You do not want to give birds a welcoming place to perch or nest!
Low-Cost Solutions
There are a few low-cost solutions to making sure birds don’t poop on your deck including:
- Install fake or decoy predator birds.
- Use special scents to repel birds.
One thing we know about birds is that they like to access areas where they can look for food in peace. They do not want to be concerned about another bird trying to attack them or hurt them. This is why using fake or decoy predator birds around your deck is a great strategy to keeping birds from pooping on your deck.
You can purchase plastic owls or hawks to place in certain areas on or around your deck to keep birds away. One thing to remember is that you must move these decoy birds around regularly so birds will not get used to seeing them in the same place all of the time in your yard or on your deck.
You can also saturate cotton balls or anything else that is absorbant with certain essential oils (peppermint or garlic), vinegar, or cayenne/chili pepper. Birds hate these scents and they will stay away if they smell them. You can also use chili pepper spray mixed with vinegar to keep the birds away.
Costly Solutions
If the cheaper solutions are not solving your bird issue, you may need to resort to a more costly alternative such as the following:
- Get an awning over your deck.
- Get a special sound system to deter birds from coming into your yard.
- Equip your yard with a special electric shock track.
You might have the resources to make more of a substantial investment in equipping your deck with equipment that will keep birds from pooping on your property. This is especially important if you own a bar or restaurant where bird poop will deter patrons from sitting on your deck. You can purchase an awning that will cover your entire deck. Birds might still come around your deck however, they will poop on the awning missing your deck entirely.
There are sound systems that exist which can emit a high-pitched sound that only birds can hear. This will scare the birds and they will go away from your deck. Most of these systems are motion-activated. These systems can emit sounds which sound like predator birds. This is a great solution which you set up and let it do its work.
Finally, you can equip your yard with a special electric shock track. This is similar to an electric fence which you can use for your pets, except this is for birds and can surround your deck. Once birds come near the track they will receive an electric shock so they will be less likely to stay longer or come back.
Related Questions
Do I need to hire a pest control professional? The answer to that question is it depends. Not knowing your particular circumstances, there are other methods that a professional can use to deter birds from your deck. Pest control professionals have access to chemicals and things like bird gels to repel birds.
They can apply these gels to hard-to-reach areas in your backyard to keep birds away. If you try the tips mentioned in this post and they do not do the job in your yard, acquiring professional help might be needed.
Is bird poop toxic or dangerous to humans? Yes, bird poop is toxic and dangerous for humans and your pets. Bird droppings can carry over 60 diseases. They carry bacteria that can cause an assortment of infections that can make humans and animals sick. You must be very careful when cleaning or being around these droppings. Please use proper protection for your skin and airways if you are around bird droppings.
