Birds nesting in the bathroom vent is a pretty common occurrence that can be very troublesome for homeowners.
As much as birds look pretty and harmless flying in the sky or chirping in the garden, they can be a nuisance if they make a home in your bathroom vent.
Many homeowners often ask how to get rid of birds in the bathroom vent because the birds just won’t go away on their own!
Why Do Birds Make Nests in Bathroom Vents?
One of the most common questions we get is, why do birds make a nest in the bathroom vent of all places?
There are endless options for the birds to make their nest. The world is open to them, quite literally. Yet they choose bathroom vents. Why?
Birds are sensitive creatures that are afraid of predators for themselves and their babies. Bathroom vents are high above the ground, offering them a sense of security.
Birds feel protected in bathroom vents as their nest is out of the sight of predators, it’s protected from direct sunlight, and it can protect them from harsh weather elements.
Your bathroom vent seems like the perfect spot for the birds where they can make a nest, lay eggs, and leave their babies behind without worrying about predators attacking them.
Why Should You Try to Get Rid of Birds in Bathroom Vent?
One may wonder, ‘what harm can a creature as harmless as a bird do?’ Well, not many people are aware of the risks that birds pose to humans.
Birds are only good when they’re out in the open sky. But when they cross the line and invade your living space, they are not only a nuisance but also pose various safety and health risks.
For this reason, you should get rid of the birds in the bathroom vent, no matter how bad you feel doing it. It’s for the sake of your safety and wellbeing.
Birds Can Create a Lot of Mess
One of the biggest reasons why you should get rid of birds in your bathroom vent is they create a lot of mess.
Birds leave their droppings everywhere. Bird droppings are not just unsightly but also stink really bad. They can damage your bathroom walls and fixtures.
Not only are their droppings a problem, but they also make your bathroom messy with their nest material.
Birds bring twigs, dry grass, and dry leaves to build their nest in the bathroom vent. These nest materials can make your bathroom look dirty and messy all the time.
Birds bring material to build their nest all day long, so no matter how often you clean your bathroom, you’ll always come to a dirty bathroom with leaves and twigs all over the floor and vent flaps.
Bad Odor
As we said earlier, bird droppings can produce a foul odor that can dominate your bathroom air. Not only that, birds can get stuck in the vent and die.
If a bird dies in your bathroom vent, you won’t know until it starts to decay and rot. Dead birds in the vents can produce an unbearably strong, foul odor that can make your bathroom unusable!
Fire
Another major risk factor of having birds in the bathroom vent that not many people are aware of is fire.
Now, how can a bird’s nest in the bathroom vent cause fire?
The bathroom vent serves as the passage for gases to escape. If a bird builds a nest over the bathroom vent and blocks the opening, the gases will start to build up in the pipe.
When there’s a build-up of gases in the vent pipes, it can lead to the pipes getting overheated. The nest material, including dry leaves, twigs, and grass, is flammable.
When the pipe overheats, the nest can catch fire. Fires are never good, no matter how big or small. They pose a serious threat to you and your property’s safety!
Insect Infestation
Another major risk associated with birds in bathroom vents is insects and parasites. Birds carry dangerous insects and parasites like fleas, ticks, and mites.
If there are birds in your bathroom vent, you can get an insect infestation in your bathroom, which can then spread to the rest of your house.
And trust us when we say, you don’t want this!
Health Risks
Having birds in your bathroom vents also puts your health at risk. The feces of birds are often saturated with fungus histoplasmosis.
The humidity and moisture from your bathroom can promote the growth of this fungus. The spores of this fungus can get into your bathroom air, and you may inhale them unknowingly.
Spores of histoplasmosis are extremely dangerous. They can cause serious health issues like meningitis and heart problems.
How to Get Rid of Birds in Bathroom Vent?
You’ve got to get rid of birds in the bathroom vent as soon as you can. You certainly wouldn’t want to put yourself in the way of all the risks that birds in bathroom vents are associated with.
The question is how.
Getting rid of a bird’s nest from the bathroom vent is quite easy. You can do it yourself. If you aren’t up for the messy job, you can hire professional bird nest removing services and have them do it for you.
However, before anything, you need to get a permit to remove the bird’s nest. Removing an active bird nest is illegal!
An active bird nest is the one in which the bird has laid eggs, or a bird is sitting in the nest. In this case, you’ve got to wait for the eggs to hatch and the babies to grow big enough to fly out of the nest.
You can check with your local authorities about the rules and regulations for bird nest removal.
Once you’ve got the permit to remove the bird’s nest, you can then move on to the actual job.
Start with Scaring Adult Birds Away
If the bird’s nest in your bathroom vent has only adult birds, you can simply try to scare them away. Once the bird has left the nest, you can then remove the nest so that the bird doesn’t have a place to return.
Equip Yourself with the Right Gear
You can’t just climb up the ladder, grab the nest, and throw it away. The bird nest is usually infested with ticks, mites, and fungus that you wouldn’t want to come in contact with.
When you’re removing the bird’s nest from your bathroom vent, you should be fully equipped with the right PPE (personal protective equipment).
Cover your nose, wear a mask to cover your mouth, and wear goggles to protect your eyes.
The right PPE will ensure that you don’t get in contact with the insects and parasites and don’t end up inhaling the fungal spores.
Remove the Easy Parts by Hand
Wear protective gloves and remove the easy parts of the bird’s nest by hand. Pick up the grass, leaves, and twigs by hand and discard them. Next, pull out the nest material protruding from the pipe by hand.
Remove the Nest Material from the Pipe
Some parts of the nest will be inside the pipe, which might be clogging it. You can’t possibly reach these parts by hand.
In this case, use nose pliers with long needles to pull out the material that’s deeper in the pipe. This step is extremely important.
If you don’t clean the pipe, the nest material will continue to clog the pipe, and the bad odor and fire risk will continue to linger.
You can use a flashlight to peek into the vent pipe to make sure there’s nothing left of the nest inside the pipe.
If there are any parts of the nest or bird feathers sticking to the walls of the pipe, use a screwdriver to loosen the debris.
Hose the Pipe Down
Once you’ve gotten rid of the debris, pour water down the vent pipe to wash away all the debris that may still be inside the pipe.
This will ensure that your bathroom vent pipes are fully clean and there are no bird’s nest remains that might clog the pipe again in the future.
Call a Professional
If the bird’s nest has been around for a while and it’s swamped with insects, it’s best to call a professional to do the job. At this point, the ball is out of your court.
Professional bird cleaning services know the right techniques and have got the right tools to get the job done right and safely.
You may feel bad getting rid of the birds in your bathroom vent. But you should know that you are doing yourself a favor.
Birds in the bathroom vent pose a serious threat to your health and safety, and you’ve got to get rid of them as soon as you possibly can.
Birds are pretty creatures, but only when they aren’t invading your living space! When they start to cross the line, know that it’s time to bid goodbye!
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