This post comes via ‘My Backyard,’ a great blog I just discovered. Read the below excerpt, then click at the bottom, support ’em!

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Clean your bird feeders

Birdfeeders need constant cleaning to maintain sanitary conditions. Unclean receptacles can develop fungi and bacteria, potentially causing disease and even death of your visiting birds. So it is important to clean your birdfeeders once a month all year round.

Keep the following in a bucket:

• a water bottle (useful in winter when outside spigots are frozen)
• jug containing a bleach mixture (nine parts water to one part bleach)
• a bottle brush for cleaning tube feeders, an old vegetable scrub brush, a sponge, gloves & a rag
• 1-inch and a 2-inch putty knife. The knives are useful for scraping out the old seed hulls that remain in the post-mounted feeders and getting into the tightest corners.

Begin cleaning your feeders by first removing the old seed and hulls.

Remove remaining residue with a damp sponge or scrub brush

Thoroughly wipe all surfaces that the birds may come in contact with bleach mixture.

Let air dry before adding seed. Even with only a few feeders, on a sunny or windy day it is usually possible to begin filling the dried feeders as soon as you have finished cleaning the last one.

Birdhouses and Fountains

• Your decorative birdhouses should have been mounted and cleaned last month to be ready for winter roasting. If not see more information…
• Your Outdoor Garden Fountains should continue to be kept free of fall debris so the pump does not get clogged. Next month I will have more information on winterizing your fountains and ponds.

Clean your outdoor furniture

• This is a good time to thoroughly clean your outdoor furniture. For more specifics on cleaning instructions for your furniture, read more …
• May be necessary to paint or stain any worn or damaged areas on your wood furniture to cover and protect from further damage.
  

Lawn and Garden Care

• Plant Spring Bulbs in your garden before the Frost so their roots can establish. 

Here’s the rest.