I'll NEVER do that again. I ruined one of my dollar store feeders. I guess I should have waited until the vinegar/water cooled before soaking in this solution LOL. I mean the thing was plastic. Adding boiling water to plastic is definitely gonna melt it. Sometimes I wonder if I can get any dumber ROFLMAO.

Donna---I dont boil water for my feeders , I use hot water and sometimes some white vinegar, but mainly just hot water and bottle brushes.

hummersteve, this feeder was one that the hummers would have nothing to do with. They would fly up to it, appear to be examining it, and then fly off. Someone suggested that I boil water/vinegar and soak the feeder in it. Dumb me didn't think that boiling water+plastic feeder=a melted/cracked feeder.

I normally use warm water and a little dishwashing detergent to clean mine, making sure I rinse them out real well. I really didn't care for the vinegar because I cannot stand the smell of the stuff. I'd rather put up with the smell of a skunk on a hot summer night than the smell of vinegar. When I was younger and living at home, I stayed out of the kitchen and away from the dinner table many times to avoid that terrible smell. My mom loved greens, and she would drizzle a little bit onto them..YUCK!

Sounds like a real cheap feeder. The good ones don't melt in hot water and some you can even put in the dish washer. Oh well, it probably wouldn't have lasted too long anyway. :)