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My wife recently invested money that I felt could have gone elsewhere on a new patio, mainly for extra space for the grandkids to play. However the local pigeons see it as target to crap on.
Obviously we don't want kids playing in crap so two questions, how do we easily get rid of crap and how can we persuade the pigeons to go somewhere else?
So much pain in that opening paragraph. Sorry can’t help with the pigeons.
Easiest way is to catch it whilst it's fresh and hose it off; it might need a light brush to agitate it.
If it's dried out, and in serious quantity, warm soapy water to soak and soften; a stiff brush to get as much up as possible without harming the slabs/grout. Using water keeps the dust down, which isn't pleasant - a mask is a good idea if there's a lot of it.
Failing that, it's pressure washer time.
All of those assume you've got a drain or decent soak away for the guano.
Prevention? Got any neighbours you don't get on with? I'm sure they'd prefer a different garden/patio to do their messy business.
Their ability to fly and go wherever they like means there’s nothing you can really do
You think it’s bad now? Just wait til later in the summer when they start eating berries
We have lots of trees, lots of Pigeons and no off road parking. You soon learn that it’s better to park quarter of a mile away and walk the rest rather than park your car under the trees across the road. It’ll look like a plasterers radio when you get back to it
Sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear
Don't brush it when it's dry. Fine airborne dust of pigeon poop is very nasty stuff.
Anybody tried bird scarers or scarecrows?
Wife + new patio - seems like a missed opportunity! 🤣
Or just get a pop up gazebo to suit the space. If young kids they’ll need some shad in the summer anyway.
Get a cat. Then all you need to do is sweep up the feathers. And just pray you don’t start getting gulls that shit on your patio, clothesline, car, etc; because those feathered rats eat everything, and their shit is corrosive enough to destroy your car’s paint if you don’t jet-wash it off before it has any chance to dry. This I know for a fact - I’ve seen the damage done to new cars by gull shit that have been in outdoor storage, before I put vinyl decals on, the etching of the paint will require at very least an hour or so’s work with a soft rotary mop by a professional paint specialist, or the affected area repainted.
Get some feral cats. Then tell the kids it's too dangerous to play outside because of the cats.
However the local pigeons see it as target to crap on.
As they fly past? Or is there a some sort of perch / roost spot overhead?