How to safely remove a dried bird dropping

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How to safely remove a dried bird dropping



If you have a completely dried bird dropping on your car's finish, and you DON'T have access to a water hose with free flowing water, then instead of wiping it off with a spray detailer or worse, scrubbing it off, do this instead,

  • Take a clean microfiber polishing cloth, fold it four ways to create a thick, plush wiping cloth.
  • Next, spray one side with your favorite spray detailer, the idea is to hyper-lubricate the entire face of one side.
  • Next place it onto the dried bird dropping.
  • Wet the cloth with water until the entire cloth is saturated but not to the point where water is running down the hood. The idea is to have plenty of water present to soak into the dried bird dropping.
  • Let the wet cloth stand on the dried bird dropping for 5-10 minutes.
  • Now, carefully enclose the wet-microfiber around the bird dropping using your hand and fingers , you're trying to carefully bunch-up the microfiber and then LIFT the bird dropping off the paint. Don't simply wipe the bird dropping over the paint.



Simulated bird dropping that has landed on the middle of the hood. In the real world, bird droppings contain Uric Acid and if not removed in a very short period of time they can actually eat through a coating of wax or paint sealant and etch or eat into the paint.
HowToSafelyLoosenaDriedBirdDropping1.jpg




Simulated bird dropping using Meguiar's M205 with a little Wolfgang Finishing Glaze mixed on top for visual effect. Note, because the focus of this how-to article is on technique, we did not let the polishes dry as that's not a good practice but we think you'll get the idea.
HowToSafelyLoosenaDriedBirdDropping2.jpg




Mist on a wet or heavy application of your favorite spray detailer detailer to hyper-lubricate one folded side.
HowToSafelyLoosenaDriedBirdDropping3.jpg




Gently place the wet side of the microfiber onto the bird dropping.
HowToSafelyLoosenaDriedBirdDropping4.jpg



Now add water to saturate your microfiber but don't add so much that you have water running off the hood. Allow 5-10 minutes to pass so the water can soak into the dried bird dropping in an effort to re-liquefy to make it soft so as to reduce the potential of instilling any swirls and scratches from dried bird dropping being rubbed against the paint.
HowToSafelyLoosenaDriedBirdDropping5.jpg




Now carefully use your hand to scrunch or bunch up the microfiber around the now liquefied bird dropping and then lift the bird dropping up and off the paint. Don't simply wipe the bird dropping over the paint.
HowToSafelyLoosenaDriedBirdDropping6.jpg


HowToSafelyLoosenaDriedBirdDropping7.jpg


HowToSafelyLoosenaDriedBirdDropping8.jpg



Give the area a final wipe using a new, clean fresh microfiber polishing towel using your favorite spray detailer.
HowToSafelyLoosenaDriedBirdDropping9.jpg




Bird Dropping Etchings
If you notice any etching in the paint left by the bird dropping you'll need to use a compound, paint cleaner or swirl mark remover by hand or machine to carefully remove the etching and then afterwards polish the paint to a high gloss and re-apply your favorite wax or paint sealant.

If you need helps with removing an etching by hand or machine, post your question to the Autogeek Online Discussion Forum and we'll be happy to walk you through the process.


Products shown
Pinnacle XMT Final Finish Instant Detailer - 12 ounces
Cobra Arctic White Edgeless Microfiber Polishing Cloth


smile.gif
 
Thanks Mike,
I just found out that I've been doing it wrong. I usually spray bird dropping and let it soak and then remove with MF towel :nomore:

Lear something new every day.
 
Thanks for sharing the technique Mike. I do have a question though.

Do all bird droppings have the same affect on paint? E.g., the little yellow bird dropping vs. the nasty white and greenish pigeon dropping.
 
Thanks for sharing the technique Mike. I do have a question though.

Do all bird droppings have the same affect on paint? E.g., the little yellow bird dropping vs. the nasty white and greenish pigeon dropping.

I don't have the answer to that questions. Good question though and maybe we have an Ornithologist in our membership?


:)
 
Thanks for sharing the technique Mike. I do have a question though.

Do all bird droppings have the same affect on paint? E.g., the little yellow bird dropping vs. the nasty white and greenish pigeon dropping.


i would say yes, cause they all have the same ingredient's in them. that ureic acid mike talked about in the earlier post.
 
Thanks for the post Mike! It will really help me now that my car is parked outside and I have to deal with the occassional bird dropping.
 
How about dead bug on the car? Do they have the same thing? do i remove it the same way, dried dead bug.
 
***Update***

Below is another reason to lift bird droppings off instead of wiping them off posted by Michael Stoops the Admin on MeguiarsOnline.com I've never owned any pet birds so I didn't know about the need for gravel or stones with bird food for digestion which can cause a potential problem with instilling scratches into car paint if a bird dropping is wiped off. I always like to give due credit where credit is due so I've simply quoted him off of MOL and added it to this reply.

How to safely remove a dried bird dropping - Thread on MOL


Michael Stoops said:
Another reason why you should lift the bird dropping off of the paint rather than wiping, is because of how birds digest food. If you've ever had a pet bird you know that you need to add gravel to their food seed.

Birds require gravel and/or even small stones to help them grind up and digest food, primarily seeds that are swallowed whole and need to be literally ground down in the gizzard.

Inevitably, some of this gravel, sand or other abrasive particulate matter is going to be passed through their system and end up in that dropping on the hood of your car.

Simply wiping the dropping off the paint can potentially lead to a grinding of this particulate against the paint, which is obviously not a good thing.


Just thought the above made a nice addition to this article.

smile.gif
 
How about dead bug on the car? Do they have the same thing? do i remove it the same way, dried dead bug.

I don't know all the substances that would be inside of a bug before it died and dried on your car's finish but it would be a good idea to use the same technique to first soften the bug to make it easier to remove than to simply try to scrub the bug off.


See this page for techniques for removing a single dried bug or a lot of dried bugs...


http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...-how-often-can-you-use-detailing-spray-3.html

Here's just one picture from the webpage above...

2WetTowel1.jpg



:)
 
Thanks for sharing the technique Mike. I do have a question though.

Do all bird droppings have the same affect on paint? E.g., the little yellow bird dropping vs. the nasty white and greenish pigeon dropping.


Not all birds are the same, if you park under where an Owl or other meat eating bird sits you will get bones and other hard substance in the dropping. Mike's hint in cleaning is best. I use the same technique for when the cat has a fur ball.
 
I would say that it depends on what he bird ate last! Like say for instance he ate at McDonalds just before release. That could be very bad.
But, if he just ate at a farm stand, then that would be much more gentle!
Don't you agree?
 
***Update***

Here's this technique used on a real, dried bird dropping. When I originally wrote this article I had to use simulated bird dropping.

Dried bird dropping
BirdDropping101.jpg



Take a clean microfiber polishing cloth, fold it four ways to create a thick, plush wiping cloth.
RemoveBirdDroppingS001.jpg



Wet the cloth with water until the entire cloth is saturated but not to the point where water is running down the hood. The idea is to have plenty of water present to soak into the dried bird dropping.

RemoveBirdDroppingS002.jpg


RemoveBirdDroppingS003.jpg




Allow some time to go by to let the water do it's work...
RemoveBirdDroppingS004.jpg


RemoveBirdDroppingS005.jpg



Let's take a peek...
RemoveBirdDroppingS006.jpg




Yep, it's liquid again...
RemoveBirdDroppingS007.jpg



Carefully scrunch the microfiber towel around the dropping and lift straight up...
RemoveBirdDroppingS008.jpg



Now dispose of the microfiber towel in a safe way...
RemoveBirdDroppingS009.jpg



That's how you safely remove a dried bird dropping... now wash the area clean.
RemoveBirdDroppingS010.jpg





Note: For health safety reasons it's a good idea to wear gloves when doing this.


:)
 
Thanks for the update Mike.

I have a question, when you are scrunching up the towel, do you let the towel do the work by having your fingers outside the poo and letting the movement of the towel pick it up, or are you fingers on or around the edge so you can sort of squeeze the poo into the towel?
 
Thanks for the update Mike.

I have a question, when you are scrunching up the towel, do you let the towel do the work by having your fingers outside the poo and letting the movement of the towel pick it up, or are you fingers on or around the edge so you can sort of squeeze the poo into the towel?


My fingers are pushing the towel under and the lifting the dropping upward.


:)
 
The million dollar question is what should you do with the used towel?
 
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