Bird dirt...How best to deal with them

S3 Paul

S3 Paul

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Pigeons seem to favour my car as a toilet when its parked at work..,
My question is how best should i deal with the results..?
I know a good wash is the best plan but sometimes its a good few hours before i can get the car home or to a jet wash... is there a safe/ easy way to remove them on the spot??
 
Air rifle ;)

You can get foaming bird **** remover, spray on and it will lift the bird crap to the top of the foam then simply just wipe away, i know supagard do a product for this which is what i use for removeing it.
 
wet paper towel, let it soak for a bit and then lightly wipe away, imo
 
AutoGlym Bird Dropping wipes, every glove box should have a packet.

Make sure you get the **** off quickly though as it can be acidic and will bubble your paint in some cases.

And as suggested, air rifle. You will find if there is one dead pigeon the rest will soon dissappear and find a new tree. You could also get a pet cat at your work?
 
We have taken to "removing" the pigeons...
But they are ****** simple birds... just keep coming back.
Well not the ones in the wheely bin.
 
NEVER wipe bird dirt!

It's full of grit (as birds consume grit to aid digestion) and 'bits'. Hose it, blast it away with a power washer or, and this is what I do, keep a hand sprayer bottle filled with clean water in the car to remove it ASAP. Don't use paper towels, or any other kind of wipe. Atomiza Generic Bottle | Atomiza Car Care & Detailing Products and Atomiza Standard Spray Head | Atomiza Car Care & Detailing Products problem solved for a grand total of £1.90 - no risk of scratching, etching etc.

Bird droppings are highly acidic and will etch the clearcoat of your paint very quickly: in some cases as little as 3 hours will see serious damage which will need machine polished out.

Only ever use water or a light detergent solution.

We've seen many cars which have either deep etching from bird droppings or have damage where gritty droppings have been wiped.
 
John @ PB said:
Bird droppings are highly acidic and will etch the clearcoat of your paint very quickly: in some cases as little as 3 hours will see serious damage which will need machine polished out.
Click to expand...

Alkali, John ;)

Urea solution (hence the white and black colouration) is about 7-9 on the pH scale.

But totally agree on the rest. I see so many bird etchings on customers and family cars as most people just don't have the time (or the knowledge) to deal with it in the required time!
 
JD09 said:
Alkali, John ;)

Urea solution (hence the white and black colouration) is about 7-9 on the pH scale.

But totally agree on the rest. I see so many bird etchings on customers and family cars as most people just don't have the time (or the knowledge) to deal with it in the required time!
Click to expand...

Acidic - it's Uric acid.

In his past life Rich was a Hydrochemist and confirms that, as a general rule, bird 'droppings' have an acidity of 4-5 sometimes dropping to 2-3 (usually seagull)

(Gets litmus paper.....)
 
John @ PB said:
Acidic - it's Uric acid.

In his past life Rich was a Hydrochemist and confirms that, as a general rule, bird 'droppings' have an acidity of 4-5 sometimes dropping to 2-3 (usually seagull)

(Gets litmus paper.....)
Click to expand...

I stand corrected in that case! That will teach me to be a smart-****! Was under the impression, due to the ions involved it would produce Ammonia which (in solution) is a weak base = NH3 + H2O <-> NH4+ + OH-
 
So just keep blasting it with clean water from a hand sprayer?
No cloth? no wash mit? just keep blasting away until its gone??
 
S3 Paul said:
So just keep blasting it with clean water from a hand sprayer?
No cloth? no wash mit? just keep blasting away until its gone??
Click to expand...

Yup. Certainly never a cloth as the pile isn't deep enough to lift dirt - it'd be the same as using a sponge on it, or, in fact, the same idea as using sandpaper on your paintwork.....

Mitt would be better but still a no-no. Just keep blasting it. I tend to soak it with the sprayer first to soften it then blast it with a jet. Takes maybe 2-3 minutes but it's time well spent.

Any contact with it will lead to scratching due to the grit in the 'droppings' being moved over the paint surface.
 
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