If you love enjoying nature in your own backyard, you might have invested in a few good bird feeders to feed the area's wildlife. Although you might love watching birds eat from your bird feeders, however, you could be concerned about the mess. Luckily, following a few tips will help you keep your bird feeders and the surrounding area nice and clean.

1. Use Good-Quality Bird Seed

To help keep your feeders clean, start by using good-quality bird seed. Inspect the bird seed before you buy it and periodically during use to ensure that it isn't moldy or otherwise in need of replacement. This will help keep mold out of your bird feeders and will help keep the birds healthier.

2. Spread Them Out

Make sure that birds are not having to crowd or jostle one another to get to the food. If they do, your feeders are too close together. Not only can crowded bird feeders be uncomfortable for the birds, but they are also more likely to become dirty from bird droppings due to having too many birds in one small area.

3. Give Them a Bath

Bird feeders should be cleaned at least once every couple of weeks; you might need to clean yours more often if they appear dirty or if there seems to be a huge bird population around your yard. Simply empty feed out of your bird feeders, wash them with a sanitizing solution -- you can use water mixed with a tiny amount of bleach -- and then allow them to air dry completely. If necessary, use a small, stiff-bristled brush -- such as a bottle-cleaning brush -- to get to all of the little crevices. Make sure that your bird feeders are completely clean before putting bird seed back in them.

4. Clean Underneath

Don't just pay attention to your bird feeders; you should also pay attention to the ground below, which can easily become littered with bird feces and spilled seed. Sweep up all of the bird seed and droppings that you can to prevent mildew, pests and other unsanitary conditions.

Having the best bird feeders can be a joyful thing, but it's important to keep them nice and clean. Luckily, if you follow these simple clean-up tips, it should be easy to keep your bird feeders -- as well as the surrounding area -- as clean as possible for your favorite birds.