It’s happened to all of us. You go outside with your guests and you’re ready to eat at your outdoor dining set and you notice the chairs are covered with bird poop. Then you have a frustrating task of cleaning the chairs while your guests wait, or you put down towels. In any case it’s just not a great situation and it’s disgusting. Going forward, you want to know how to keep birds off patio furniture. In this article we’ll discuss some of the methods and tips for doing just that.
Best Method: Use Patio Furniture Covers
The first answer for how to keep birds off patio furniture is to put the furniture inside or cover it. If you buy a quality furniture cover you will be able to simply remove a cover and have pristine and dry patio furniture ready for use. You could also muscle around a tarp and use weights to hold it down, but there is nothing quite as nice as a purpose built furniture cover. Done right, a furniture cover looks great when the furniture is covered. Furthermore, it is much easier to deal with than some of the other alternatives.
How To Keep Birds Off Patio Furniture For Free
The next method for how to keep birds off patio furniture is to keep all the cushions inside the house. This method is a common one, but can get annoying. Not only do you need significant storage space for these outdoor cushions, but you’ll find yourself using the furniture without the cushions regularly. If every time you want to go outside and sit you need to carry out cushions from the garage or the basement, you’ll likely use your outdoor space less frequently.
One additional problem with storing only the cushions, is the birds will still poop on the furniture whether there are cushions or not. This means that you’ll need to either clean the furniture before putting the cushions on, or you’ll wind up covering the backs of the cushions with bird poop.
Then, when you bring the cushions back inside and stack them up, you’ll cover them with bird poop yet again. If you design in an outdoor storage area for the cushions, like a cushion storage shed or cabinet, that’ll be easier to use. However, instead of muscling cushions around, we generally propose trying out the cover system and using a small shed or cabinet for cover storage.
How To Keep Birds Off Patio Furniture Using Decoys
There are other methods for how to keep birds off patio furniture all together. One of these is to use predatory bird decoys set around your patio area. These will work for the less intelligent birds out there. If you have crow or raven problem, this may fool them for 30 minutes. If you have a problem with songbirds however, this may do the trick.
There are versions of the bird decoys with motorized heads like the Dalen Fake Owl Decoy which will help. These systems are not fool proof, but if you take the time to move the decoy around at least weekly, you’ll notice less bird presence.
How To Keep Birds Off Patio Furniture Via Ultrasonic Repellent
An additional method you may want to try is the use of ultrasonic bird repellent systems. When considering how to keep birds off patio furniture, this is the most technologically advanced method. The Protecker Animal Repeller-1 is an option that will help eliminate bird presence. Just be mindful of the additional creatures you may be repelling.
This system has five settings for you to experiment with, some combining sound and others using only ultrasonic waves. Depending on your yard shape, you’ll want to consider setting up multiple ultrasonic systems to keep the birds away. Since this system is solar powered, it’s an easy one to consider. Will it work 100% of the time? Probably not. But it’s another tool in your anti-bird arsenal short of hiring the neighborhood cat to guard your dining set.
Keeping Birds Off Patio Furniture Summary
So what’s the answer for how to keep birds off patio furniture? The best thing to do is combine these methods. Using a combination of furniture cover and a fake owl may do the trick for you. You may want to add the ultrasonic bird repellent system if you still find your furniture covers are covered in bird poop. There are several more bird repellent ideas we’ve used in the past too.
Ultimately, just having the furniture covers will make a gigantic difference. Taking the time once a month to remove the covers and hose them off will give you the peace of mind that you have clean and useable furniture whenever you wish.
