How To Clean Bird Poo Off Your Car

It’s always nice to hear birdsong in the mornings but not if you come out to find avian guano all over your car’s paintwork. It is especially galling if the vehicle has recently been cleaned. Further, bird poop has an adverse effect on car paint over time, marring the finish. It needs to be dealt with immediately and here’s how:

You will need:

• Buckets
• Wash mitts
• Car shampoo
• Microfibre cloths
• A bird lime specific cleaner
• A drying towel
• Car polish
• Ceramic Wax
• Wax applicator

Why Immediate Action Is Needed.

For a very long time it was thought that bird droppings were acidic but it isn’t that which so badly affects car paint. In fact, it’s caused by paintwork warming and cooling. In warm weather specifically, also a time when birds are most active, paint ‘softens’ and expands. When the avian air strike happens the resultant mess dries in the heat dries and hardens. Thus, when the paint cools down it contracts, also hardens and, in a sense, moulds itself around the texture of the guano. This will, in time, affect the paint and, when cleaning it off, will also remove any protective coating like wax.

What To Do

First, soak the offending area. Perhaps placing a wet microfibre cloth over the soil to soften. Alternatively it might be an idea to use a citrus pre-wash product to help loosen the glue-like substance. Do not attack the mess aggressively at this stage; bide your time. The bird lime may contain seeds and the like which could potentially introduce marks through scratching.

When the dung has had a good soaking and feels soft through your (gloved) fingers, get to work. It is recommended that you use a quality product designed for the purpose. Apply using a soft, clean microfibre cloth and work slowly and gently, wiping to draw the lime away from the body. The job is not yet complete however.

Is A Polish Necessary?

Maybe. The bird lime may have been there for some time and could have dulled the paint, losing that new-car sheen. The act of removal could introduce tiny marks so a little car polish applied with a soft microfibre cloth will help bring back that showroom shine you worked so hard on.

Then Wash The Car

Deal with the matter as soon as possible. Wash the car in the usual way using the two-bucket method dealt with here, using a soft mitt and use a drying towel to quickly remove excess rinse water before the final stage.

Replace Wax Protection

Any product designed for heavy duty cleaning, and indeed car polish, will also remove any supplementary protection like wax from the paint. If the car is otherwise pretty clean, replace any wax applying to the area where the bird lime was removed using a suitable applicator.

Better still, as you’re out there anyway, make a good job of it by detailing the whole vehicle. That way you will know that the applied protection will help to greatly reduce any further potential damage caused by bird strikes. It’s worth inspecting the vehicle every trip to keep ahead of our feathered friends.