Safely remove pine sap ??

[wantboost]

What's the best way to remove pine sap , it's been baked on pretty good....
I heard someone say hand sanitizer ??

 

[Mike lambert]

91 percent alcohol, hand sanitizer works also.

 

[wantboost]

Is mineral spirits and turpentine safe for paint?? What works best if its baked on ??

 

[DMiglio]

My wife parks under trees regularly and gets sap on her car that I can’t always get to right away and does get baked on. I recently used straight isopropyl alcohol and it took care of it without issue! Sanitizer works and doesn’t evaporate as quickly as regular alcohol.

I would make sure to clean the area(s) well, apply IPA and lightly work the sap off the surface. It does evaporate quite quickly and doesn’t provide a whole lot of lubrication so you may want to use a wet microfiber. If it’s on glass as well maybe attack that first so you have an idea of how to remove it without worrying about the paint. It works on glass as well as paint and is safe, afterwards wash the vehicle or at the minimum a detailer to wipe any residue.

 

[bofh]

I use CarPro Tar-X.

 

[mc2hill]

Hand sanitizer works well, as it a gel and will dwell longer than IPA. I have used mineral spirits, but prefer the hand santizer on more delicate surfaces.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Here's the real secret


Dwell time


Whatever you use, dampen a corner of a microfiber towel and press it against the sap. Now keep your finger on it and hum a song or enjoy a cold beverage of a cup of copy.

ALLOW the solvent to penetrate into and around the sap and do it's thing, that is soften and dissolve the tree sap.

THEN wipe it off.


That's what I do and it works great and it's another super tiny little technique I share in my classes.


Here's what I see most people do - the opposite. They take their product/solvent, apply some to a cloth and then rub on the tree sap like a MAD MAN. And then wonder why they struggle to get the sap off and after they get the sap off then the get out their polisher and remove all the scratches they put into the paint simply because they didn't have p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Also, I use Stoner Tar and Sap Remover or Carpro Tarx

Both work great.

 

[Champion]

Here's the real secret


Dwell time


Whatever you use, dampen a corner of a microfiber towel and press it against the sap. Now keep your finger on it and hum a song or enjoy a cold beverage of a cup of copy.

ALLOW the solvent to penetrate into and around the sap and do it's thing, that is soften and dissolve the tree sap.

THEN wipe it off.


That's what I do and it works great and it's another super tiny little technique I share in my classes.


Here's what I see most people do - the opposite. They take their product/solvent, apply some to a cloth and then rub on the tree sap like a MAD MAN. And then wonder why they struggle to get the sap off and after they get the sap off then the get out their polisher and remove all the scratches they put into the paint simply because they didn't have p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e.

Hi Mike -

Quick curve ball... sap that has settled on a cloth convertible top... have to imagine color fastness becomes a concern when using solvents in this case? Any experience with this?

Thank you!


Sent from my iPhone using AGOnline

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Hi Mike -

Quick curve ball... sap that has settled on a cloth convertible top... have to imagine color fastness becomes a concern when using solvents in this case? Any experience with this?

Thank you!

I think I've run into this in the past and two things that can lead to a problem,

color fastness

Rubbing - fraying a spot on the top


The safest thing I can think if piggybacks off what I posted above and that's let TIME work for you. Assuming it's only a spot or two, get the top REALLY WET and then place a WET microfiber towel on top of the sap and allow the water to DWELL and do what water does best - soften and dissolve.


Use the technique I share here.

How to safely remove a dried bird dropping by Mike Phillips


Step 1: Get a clean microfiber towel wet with water and place it on top of the bird dropping.

Step 2: Pour even more water onto the microfiber towel so that the towel is completely wet and saturated.



The secret?

It simple - the towel holds the water onto the dried bird dropping so the water can go do work doing what it does best and that is dissolving and re-liquefying the dried bird dropping. If you simply pour water or spray water onto the dried bird dropping it will simply run off onto the ground.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

And share here. This one is from 2010 - long before I've seen others share this on they YT channels. :laughing:


How to safely remove a dried bird dropping


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.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

IF water and DWELL time isn't working then you'll have to bite the bullet and start testing solvents.

Most solvents are clear and actually in the car detailing world - pretty safe. Pick an ESTABLISHED brand of tar and sap remover and give it a go.

Take some before and after pictures and share here to help others into the future.


Pay it back



:cheers:

 

[old soul]

My wifes car had a drop of tree sap (on a door) that ran down over the painted-on pinstripe. Used hand sanitizer on it. It removed the sap ...and 1/4" inch of pinstripe.