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Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @williamsbk1. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about cleaning a deck.
Using a vacuum cleaner for bird droppings on an external deck might not be the most effective approach. While a vacuum can be useful for picking up loose debris, including dried bird droppings, it has some clear limitations. Most household or even outdoor vacuums simply don’t have the suction power to remove material that’s stuck to the deck surface, and they won’t remove any staining left behind. Even something like a wet/dry vacuum might handle loose droppings, but it won’t tackle the mess thoroughly.
For regular maintenance and deep cleaning, a high-pressure cleaner is usually the best option. Pressure cleaning allows you to blast away bird droppings safely without damaging the deck surface. It can remove both fresh and adhered droppings, as well as surface staining if done properly. Depending on how many birds visit your deck, you could pressure clean every couple of months, which should keep the area sanitary and maintain the appearance of your deck.
If the droppings are particularly stubborn, you can pre-soak the area with water or a mild detergent for a few minutes before pressure cleaning to help loosen the material. Be careful with the pressure setting, as too high a setting can damage timber or composite decking, so it’s best to test on a small area first. For ongoing prevention, consider bird deterrents or keeping outdoor areas covered where practical.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hi @williamsbk1,
As @MitchellMc suggested a vacuum cleaner is not really suited to the task.
We have chooks which attracts lots of birds and the area is large, not external decking but a 4 car carport and big front porch.
Those areas are half the area of the ground floor of a two story house.
I use a combination things based on daily, weekly and monthly routines.
Front porch.
Front of the carport.
Chook and bird poop.... every day!
Below are the tools.
And if needed for bird poop I use a kids broom and spade.
The above is use every day and if needed I do morning and afternoon sessions - phew.
I also do a weekly hose off and if needed a monthly pressure wash.
Sometimes during the day I also use one of my DIY animal deterrents.
Garden Sentry - motion activated impact sprinkle using irrigation stuff from Bunnings.
Here is the fixed Garden Sentry at the back of the carport.
More powerful version using a lager irrigation solenoid and fittings.
Motion Activated Fan with streamers and cable ties to make a noise.
I made my own Alexa compatible controller.
Cheers
Hello @williamsbk1
I also propose having a look at the Sureguard Scarecrow Motion Activated Water Spray Animal Repellent just in case it is applicable to your needs.
Eric
