Outdoor fountains, particularly those built specifically for birds, enhance the overall garden environment by adding beauty and calm. The swirling water, swimming birds, and overall presence are visually appealing and aurally uplifting. However, as water becomes green and full of slime and algae, it stops being beautiful and becomes a cause of odors, attracting insects.
The majority of bird fountain owners have the same concern: is hydrogen peroxide suitable for bird fountains? Dry hydrogen peroxide, a form of sodium bicarbonate, is commonly used in cleaning. It removes slimy algae and stops it from growing excessively in bird fountains. The substance is often available in powder form with a dilution level of 27% and should be dealt with and used with caution.
In this article, we’ll describe everything you need to know about hydrogen peroxide. Lastly, you’ll be able to make the decision about whether you should use it for your fountain or not.
An Affordable and Effective Solution for Fountains – Hydrogen Peroxide
There are a number of chemicals that you can use to treat water, for example, algaecide, bleach, citric acid, baking soda and many more. But these products are costly, and many people can’t afford them.
There comes the cost-effective and well-treated agent hydrogen peroxide. It accumulates the dirt of your fountain. You can buy it from any pharmaceutical store around your locality. Moreover, to clean injuries and for household purposes, you can use it.
One of the main reasons to use Hydrogen Peroxide for cleaning purposes is it dissolves instantly in water. It also ensures that your fountain’s walls remain clean.
Is Hydrogen Peroxide Safe For Fountain Birds?
Birds, like most species, enjoy looking for ways to cool off during the day. Fresh, clean, startling fountain water seems like a good place to have a bath. For this reason, applying hydrogen peroxide is a good choice to maintain the cleanliness of your fountain.
If you apply bleach to the water, it might kill birds and make water toxic. In contrast, hydrogen peroxide doesn’t have such a feature. Aside from the benefit of inhibiting the growth of algae and bacteria, hydrogen peroxide also keeps the source water safe for birds. Furthermore, it is safe for other creatures that might be interested in drinking the water in the source.
We can say hand on chest that hydrogen peroxide is safe for fountain birds.
Method of Cleaning Bird Fountain with Hydrogen Peroxide
Cleaning a bird’s foundation is easy if you know the right way. So let’s see how you can use hydrogen peroxide to clean your bird’s fountain. Below is the process.
- Drain Existing Water: The first step is always the same: cleaning a pond or cleaning a bird’s fountain. Simply dump out the contaminated water. Be careful water should not paddle into areas where birds can reach before evaporating. This water is always pouring with organic materials like algae, soil, and feces.
- Remove Trash: Usually, fountain water has debris and other waste material at the bottom. By using a scrub brush, remove all the debris and other contaminants from the water.
- Scrub with Hydrogen Peroxide and Bleach Solution: For scrubbing, what do you normally use? Either bleach solution or soap. Well, hydrogen peroxide can be useful as a good option in this situation. We already discussed the benefits of hydrogen peroxide. Simply use this and get a clean fountain surface.
What is the proper quantity of Hydrogen Peroxide to add?
If you want to keep your fountain water clean and safe always, then what you need is, in every 10 gallons of water, add about 1 – 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide to your fountain.
It is also better than bleach because it has no effect on the water pump.
FAQs
Will bleach kill birds?
To be honest, bleach is poisonous for birds, especially Chlorine bleach. A recent veterinary report said nine of thirty-five birds in an aviary died because of bleach. They didn’t reduce the amount of bleach during the using time. The autopsies revealed infections and trauma found in the respiratory tissues of the birds.
What kills mold better than bleach or vinegar?
Why confuse yourself? Both bleach and vinegar can kill mold. Having said that for preventing mold from biomaterials, vinegar is much more useful. This is due to the fact that bleach only destroys mold spores that are on the surface of contaminated substances. Vinegar can infiltrate biomaterials and destroy mold at the core.
Final Words
Most people have concerns about the quality of cleaning materials and cleaning methods when it comes to cleaning bird fountains. That’s why the question comes, can I use hydrogen peroxide for the fountain?
Hopefully, in this article, we successfully described it is safe to use hydrogen peroxide. But certainly, there is a limit as it has harmful features also.
Regular use of hydrogen peroxide maintains a low level of algae in your bird fountain. Take good care of your fountain. Lastly, let us know if you have any questions in the comment section.