It’s official: your balcony or terrace has been voted toilet of the year by all the birds, especially the local pigeons. Your patio is covered in pigeon or bird droppings, and garden furniture like railings are now littered with droppings. And you have to admit that birds can sometimes do a lot of damage, especially allergies! For this reason, we’ve jotted down some smart and natural ways to clean off the excrement from your exterior without the risk of damaging or contaminating your green spaces with chemical products.
So, how to clean pigeon droppings on your balcony or terrace?
Vinegar: The Golden Trick to Clean Pigeon Droppings
White vinegar or alcohol is an acidic and antiseptic product, making it perfect for removing stubborn smells and deposits as well as disinfecting bacteria. These two actions allow an ideal cleaning of the excrement without using harmful bleach or ammonia.
To clean up a stool, scrape a bit to remove most of the stain. Then rub with a soft cloth soaked in white vinegar diluted equally with water. It can also be used on windows or cars soiled by birds. For large surfaces such as balcony floors (tiles, etc.), you can mix 250 ml of white vinegar with 1 liter of water and rub this solution on the excrement with a broom. Then rinse with clear water.
Other Natural Solutions to Clean Bird Droppings
Vinegar is far from being the only solution against this dirt and stains! After scraping off the droppings, use one of these cleaning products to disinfect the droppings:
- A cloth dampened with household rubbing alcohol or 70 ° alcohol.
- Whether you use Marseille soap, black soap, or detergent, soapy water is perfect for tile, terra cotta, or slate.
- Glycerin to be left on for 15 minutes before rinsing with hot water or applied after wetting the stain with vinegar.
- Baking soda to be rubbed with a damp sponge or microfiber cloth.
- Lemon juice slightly diluted in water.
- Apply a mixture of Sommières earth and turpentine for a wooden deck, let dry, and then sprinkle.
- A solution based on the hot water and soda crystals for a concrete terrace
How to Prevent Pigeons from Coming Back to Avoid Cleaning?
Pigeon droppings accumulation causes further damage, so it is essential to clean them up with the right maintenance products and prevention. The solution to prevent them is to keep pigeons and other birds at a distance. And to do this, there’s absolutely no need to hurt them! Keep them away from your exterior with these solutions:
- Move feeders away from areas where you want to limit bird droppings.
- Hang old CDs or DVDs as a repellent (in reflected light, you will scare away unwanted birds)
- Otherwise, install aluminum sheets or plates to reflect light, and keep birds away from the noise.
- Install fake owls or crows in areas where birds roost.
- Buy an ultrasound repellent.
Birds cause the most damage to roofs. Here, they are often at home and spend most of their time. Their feces are very acetic, partly based on uric acid, and can affect surfaces and roofs. Over time, bird droppings can eat so much through the top that water or snow can cause it to collapse. On average, the roof’s lifespan can be cut in half by permanent exposure to bird droppings.
Birds can also damage the roof by blocking nests. If a sparrow or other pest forms a nest in a gutter, corner, or drainpipe, it can clog the drainage system. As a result, this can lead to puddles and flooding, quickly causing the roof to collapse.
These natural tips work very well without buying any expensive high-pressure cleaners. However, if you think you need some professional hands to wipe off all those unwanted droppings, you can contact the experts at Action Hazmat Companies, who’ll be more than happy to make your terrace as new as a shiny penny!