Don't Throw Out Vinegar Bottles, They Make The Easiest Bird Feeder

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If you love watching birds visiting your yard and you're always looking for new and innovative ways to  keep them coming back, making your own bird feeder could be on your to-do list. While there are plenty of budget-friendly DIY feeders you can craft from things you have at home, there's a super-easy one that repurposes a used apple cider vinegar bottle. Before you toss your most recent empty in the recycle bin, why not reuse it to make an easy hummingbird feeder as shown in this TikTok clip from Bragg Live Foods?

All you need for this DIY is an empty vinegar bottle (of course!), a hummingbird feeder base, and a hanger that clips onto the bottle. You can easily find feeder bases online, such as this hummingbird feeder replacement bottom from Best-1. It's the perfect size to fit the top of the bottle when inverted. If you can't find a suitable hanger for clipping onto your bottle at your local hardware store, you can easily fashion one by attaching an adjustable ring clamp onto the bottle and using some wire to make the hanger. You could even grab an old wire coat hanger and a pair of pliers to create a suitable hanger for your new feeder. Or, in a pinch, grab some craft wire, wrap it around the bottle multiple times, and make a loop at the top for hanging.

The first thing you want to do is rinse your empty vinegar bottle really well, ensuring that it's perfectly clean and there's no residue left in the bottle. For a more attractive look, remove the label from the bottle. It's up to you whether you prefer to make your own nectar solution or purchase one like the popular Kaytee hummingbird electronectar. Homemade hummingbird nectar is surprisingly easy to make, and the basic recipe shown in the clip involves boiling a sugar syrup solution made with one part sugar and four parts water. Once all the sugar has dissolved, let the liquid cool and then pour it into the empty vinegar bottle. Using a funnel will make this easier.

Screw the feeder base onto the bottle and turn it upside down. Attach your preferred hanging method, take your feeder outside, and hang it in a suitable spot. You can even get a little more creative and decorate your empty bottle before filling it. The one color that instantly invites hummingbirds to your garden is red, but these flying visitors also like yellow, pink, and orange. So, you might like to paint pretty flowers on the bottle or get some stickers that you can just apply decoratively. You may even like to grab a bunch of these Gerber daisy bush flowers from Dollar Tree and glue the individual blooms around the bottle using your hot glue gun.