Having an outdoor space where you can entertain guests, spend time with your family, or simply sit and relax in nature is a luxury. However, having furniture in your yard or patio is not nearly as enjoyable when birds are constantly pooping over your gorgeous pieces and materials.
So, how do you keep birds from pooping on your outdoor furniture?
You can generally keep birds from pooping on your outdoor furniture by creating a space where birds do not want to be. You can do this by implementing the following:
- Remove items that are enticing to birds, such as bird feeders or bird baths.
- Add in bird repellent like as unattractive scents, predator decoys, and wind chimes.
- Keep your outdoor space tidy by trimming bushes and trees (and cleaning up food waste).
This article will describe the techniques above and explain why these tricks will work. If you’re having trouble with birds doing their business on your outdoor furniture, keep reading to learn how to prevent it from continuing to happen.
How To Keep Birds From Pooping on Your Outdoor Furniture
Although there is not one correct answer, there are several methods you can try to see if they help stop birds from pooping on your furniture.
The three main categories these methods fall into are:
- Removing any items that are encouraging birds to spend time in your yard
- Adding sensory experiences that are scary or discomforting to birds
- Keeping the area where your furniture is located clean and sheltered
1. Remove Items That Are Enticing to Birds
Before adding anything extra to your outdoor space to stop birds from entering, you will first want to ensure that any items you have set up that encourage birds to spend time near your outdoor furniture are removed.
Relocate Bird Baths and Fountains
Although bird baths and fountains are great decor pieces and make your space look beautiful, they are also very enticing to birds for several reasons.
For one thing, the fountains are prime real estate where birds can cool down and relax when the temperature outside is high. If it is a hot afternoon and birds are trying to find water to clean themselves off, they will migrate to your bird bath or fountain.
Additionally, outdoor baths and fountains are excellent places for a thirsty bird to get a sip of water.
The more time birds spend splashing around and making themselves comfortable in your space, the more likely they will end up pooping on your furniture.
You don’t actually need to get rid of the fountain or bird baths though. Simply move them to a corner far away from your patio space. You can still enjoy how it looks, and birds can enjoy the refreshing water without getting too close to your furniture.
Get Rid of Nearby Bird Feeders
Another surefire way to keep birds from constantly flocking to your yard is to remove any bird feeders you have set up.
Although watching birds spend time at the feeder is enjoyable, you’re giving them a free pass to hang out around your home. Plus, if they are eating while they are in your yard, at some point, that food will have to be excreted, and they are much more likely to do their business on your furniture.
Your main goal is to make your yard as unattractive to birds as possible. Removing any easily accessible food options will help encourage them to seek other meal sources and ultimately lead them away from your space.
2. Add in Items That Will Keep Birds Away
Once you have changed the location or gotten rid of any objects that may keep birds returning to your patio or yard, the following method of keeping birds from pooping on your outdoor furniture is setting up a selection of items that will deter birds from spending time in your outside space.
Spray Scents That Birds Do Not Like
Although it depends on the bird species, most have very particular senses of smell and do not enjoy specific scents, particularly those that come from essential oils.
Purchasing a diffuser or automatic sprayer that pumps out strong mixes of essential oils may help to keep birds away from your outdoor furniture since they become overwhelmed by the smell.
Set Up Predator Decoys
Most birds that spend their time flying in or around your area will not want to interact with a predator bird during their regular daily routine. Because of that, purchasing a fake predator bird like a hawk or owl is an easy way to keep birds from doing their business in your space.
When ordering a decoy, be sure that it is large enough to be noticeable to birds flying through the area and intimidating enough to keep them away.
You will also want to be sure it is placed in a spot they are likely to fly near. Setting it on the branch of a tree or a fence post will make it easy to be spotted by any birds passing through.
The most important thing to do when using a fake predator to keep birds out of your space is to change its location every month or two.
If the decoy sits in the same place for too long, other birds may become comfortable with it and begin to ignore it, which could lead to them continuing to poop on your furniture. Changing where it is placed will keep the birds on their toes and too afraid to come near your yard.
Get a Bird-Repellent Sound System
Along with a visual deterrent to keep birds from pooping on your outdoor furniture, you can also bring in an auditory element. Installing a sound system in your yard that emits noises that birds are scared of or do not enjoy is a great way to ensure they do not stay in your area for long.
You can take a few different routes when choosing a sound system. You can select a system that:
- Produces a high-pitched noise that is silent for humans but will make birds uncomfortable
- Makes sounds similar to those of predatory birds
- Makes a sound reminiscent of birds who are in distress
All of these options work well for different reasons, and they will all prevent birds from showing any interest in your yard and furniture.
Hang Wind Chimes
If you’re looking for a scare tactic that involves both sights and sounds that make birds unhappy, hang up a wind chime or two near your furniture. While wind chimes are pleasing for people to gaze upon and listen to, birds avoid them for several reasons.
From a visual perspective, birds typically steer clear of shiny or reflective objects because they throw off their eyesight and make it challenging to fly steadily. This is bad for birds, but good for your patio furniture!
From an auditory perspective, wind chimes make loud, unnatural noises that confuse birds and scare them away. As a bonus for you, they will add to your decor nicely.
Wind chimes are a great option if you do not want to go all out with a speaker system or do not like the look of fake predator birds throughout your yard.
3. Keep Your Outdoor Space Tidy
The final steps to keep birds from using your outdoor furniture as a restroom involve ensuring your yard, patio, or porch is kept neat and organized.
Clean Up Leftover Food Debris
If you enjoy eating meals or hosting parties outside regularly, be sure to do a thorough cleaning of the area afterward every time.
Birds are going to flock to any food they can get and are more likely to come to your yard if they know there’s a possibility that they might be able to grab some leftover scraps.
In addition to keeping birds coming back to your property consistently, any food that is left out and consumed by the birds is going to work its way through their digestive systems eventually and lead to more poop on your outdoor furniture.
Trim Bushes and Trees
Another way that you can prevent birds from hanging around your yard is by removing any areas they may want to nest in.
The best way to do this is by keeping your tree branches and large bushes trimmed down, so there are fewer spots for birds to settle into. They are less likely to come around your home if they do not have a place to stay and rest for a while and will be less likely to poop on your furniture.
Install an Awning Over Your Outdoor Furniture
If all else fails, you have the option to install an awning or some other type of protection that will cover your furniture and keep birds from pooping on it.
In addition to preventing birds from flying over your furniture and doing their business on it, a cover over everything will provide shade when you are sitting outside. It will also help stop your furniture from fading too quickly in the sun.
If installing a permanent awning is too time-consuming or costs too much, a large patio umbrella will also do a great job of keeping your outdoor furniture sheltered from bird droppings.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, there is no surefire way to completely keep birds from pooping on your outdoor furniture, but many things can help.
The best steps you can take are to get rid of any items that are inviting birds into your yard, create steps that can help send birds away, and generally keep your space free from anything that would encourage a bird to spend enough time in your space to poop on your furniture.