Use This Bathroom Staple To Make Hanging Bird Feeders A Breeze

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Bird feeders are more than just a great way to attract feathered friends to your home. Hanging them in your garden can also help sustain the local bird population while bringing added benefits to your vegetation, like pest control and pollination. While standing feeders are a good option, a beautiful hanging feeder often looks sleeker and requires less space. Whether you choose to suspend yours on a simple pole, a shepherd's hook, or a tree branch, make hanging feeders a breeze by repurposing a bathroom staple: shower curtain rings. 

This simple bathroom essential is an affordable and versatile solution that can be threaded through the hook or handle at the top of any feeder, then used to hang it, and clipped securely shut. With that said, not all curtain rings are created equal and there are some that are best avoided for this bird feeder-hanging DIY. Considering the size and weight of the feeder when full, skip flimsy plastic rings and opt for sturdy metallic ones instead.

What's more, choosing rust-proof stainless steel will ensure longevity. These rings are designed to withstand the humidity of a bathroom and will be just as good at standing up to various elements, including rain. A top-rated set of 12 stainless steel shower curtain rings is just $14.50 on Amazon and given that each one has a 50-pound load capacity, they'll keep even the most elaborate feeder secure.

In order to ensure birds' safety, there are several factors to consider when choosing the best place to hang a bird feeder. Regardless of shape or size, feeders need to be at least 7 feet away from anything solid, like tree trucks and fences, and shouldn't be placed between 3 and 10 feet of a window – it should be either within 3 feet, or more than 10 feet away. What's more, the best way to ensure other critters, like squirrels, don't get into the seed is to place feeders at least 5 feet off the ground and leave 9 feet or more of clearance above them.

This may seem like a lot of rules to follow, but another upside of using shower curtain rings to hang your bird feeder is that they can easily be combined, like links, to create DIY suspension cords of different lengths. Simply clip several rings together to achieve your desired length, then safely hang your feeder on a pole, rod, or tree. Another crafty option is to clip a single ring onto a bungee cord, which can be threaded through a pergola or wrapped around a tree branch.

If that's not possible, you can just as easily hang bird feeders without having a tree outdoors by clipping the shower curtain ring onto a hook screwed into a patio cover or deck overhang. And they're not just useful for hanging bird feeders either. Attach a shower curtain ring directly to a wire suet cage to hang it or, if it's large enough, run it directly through the center of a suet ring.