How do you Rejuvenate Suction Cups?

Now that the windows are closed I'm putting up my window feeder. I've heard you're a birdfeeding guru and I was wondering if you knew how to rejuvenate the suction cups on my feeder.

Window feeders are super fun and make it easy to observe birds up close, but feeders popping off the window can be very irritating. I do know a couple tricks to make your feeders stick and stay stuck to the window.

You can return some elasticity to the suction cups on your window feeder by placing them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. This will help “reset” the plastic and make it more flexible.

Once your suction cups are ready, wash your window. Any grit on the suction cup or window will interfere with the seal. Now is a good time to put up window feeders. Suction cups adhere better to warm windows. As the weather turns colder you will have to wait until the sun hits the window or use a hair drier to warm the glass.

Then rub a little finger oil or vegetable oil over the suction cup. Don't use water to stick the feeder to the window. It will just pop off when the water freezes and thaws. Push the suction cups against the window and force out any air bubbles behind the cup. Now you should be set until you want to wash the window again.

Fill your window feeder with the food that will attract the birds you want to see up close. I usually use our popular No-mess blend or sunflower chips. There are no shells and therefore no mess under the feeder and it attracts a variety of birds. Wild Birds Unlimited sells these seeds in large or small quantities.  

I don't know if I'm a bird feeding guru, but I hope these tips work. Below is a video of one of the window feeders sold at our East Lansing store.