Inside: A non-toxic and chemical free solution to getting rid of bird poop on your car; it won’t damage the paint and will work on windows and painted surfaces.
I’m just getting really real with life here, aren’t I? The truth of the matter is, we live by the ocean. And you know what the seaside attracts? Birds. Lots of giant birds. Most days, I adore watching my feathery friends fly around our yard and eat bugs and grubs and seeds. I don’t even mind that most days, I can hear the seagulls calling as they swoop in and around our little beach cove. (I’ve even taken to leaving DIY bird feeders around!)
But I do mind when birds poop on my car. And here’s the next truth: I didn’t realize that bird poop can actually damage the finish on your car!! I am 100% guilty of rarely bringing my car to the actual car wash. I sorta just rely on heavy rain to keep things clean (yikes) and I also drive a white car, so sometimes I don’t always see the bird poop!
Needless to say, I’m into a situation where I want to sell my car and I want it to look spiffy and fancy and I needed to research a good bird poop and bird dropping solution pronto.
Why bird poop damages your car
Birds are complicated creatures LOL. Their poop consists of stomach acids, in other words corrosive liquid that dissolves paint, and rocks. Yes rocks. Birds eat tiny rocks to help with their digestion and it all comes out the other end. The rocks can create small chips in your car’s paint and that can allow rust to infiltrate the finish. The stomach acid can just corrode the paint (it’s also sometimes called bird lime for this reason). So the best defence to bird droppings on your car is to tackle it right away.
Read that again: Don’t be like me. Tackle the bird poop as soon as you can.
How to get bird poop off your car
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There are a couple ways you can get rid of the droppings. The first is to just wipe it up with a wet cloth and be done. That might not get all the bits and gross nasties though, so it’s not advised.
The second method is to use a chemical cleaner that is designed specifically to tackle ‘bio-messes‘. You can find these online at at big box retailers. Some of them are even sold in a handy wipe form that you can keep in your glove box or centre console. Just make double sure that the kind you are buying is designed for exterior paint on a car. Some bio cleaners (like the ones you use on dog or cat pee) won’t play nicely with your car’s fancy finish. By the way, I have an amazing hack for getting dog hair off car upholstery!
The final method is the non-toxic and non-chemical approach to getting rid of the poop…and it involves soaking the soiled area in club soda or soda water! I mean, club soda is great for getting stains off clothing and it’s a natural way to break down enzymes, so it does work on bird poop!
How to use Soda Water to Dissolve Bird Poop
Soak a rag in soda water and hold it over the area that is most soiled. It’s hard to saturate a hard surface like a car, but do your best to let the liquid sit on the stain for a good couple of minutes. Then come back and wipe it up. Repeat until you get all the bird droppings off the car. Make sure you rinse it with cool, clean water to remove any residue.
If you don’t believe me, watch this car guy clean bird poo off a fancy car 😛 He uses the enzyme bio cleaner.
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This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. See my disclosure policy here.
