How to remove bird droppings from your car paint
Bird droppings are slightly acidic, which means it will gradually burn through the hard but thin layers of car paint if it’s left for any length of time. You need to clean it off as soon as possible, though this isn’t always easy. So, you might find you either have to clean off sticky, wet bird poop or the hard, dry stuff.
Cleaning off wet, sticky bird lime
- Mop up the mess with a soft cloth
- Wash the area thoroughly with a suitable car shampoo and sponge
- Rinse well with clean water
- Reapply protective layer - car wax
Cleaning off hard, dried-up bird lime
- Soak a cloth with warm water and rest it over the hard poop for several minutes or until it has softened.
- Wipe with the cloth to remove the softened mass.
- Repeat if necessary until all traces have been removed.
- Wash the area thoroughly with a suitable car shampoo and sponge
- Rinse well with clean water
- Reapply protective layer - car wax
Additional tips
- This process might take some time - you can speed it up by using chemicals if you wish. WD40 seems to be a good all-rounder.
- If you don’t like the thought of using chemicals unnecessarily, you might try homemade recipes using ingredients like bicarbonate of soda and white spirit vinegar. Always rinse well.
- Some experts recommend scratching lightly at dry remnants with your nail - we’ve tried this and it seems fine but beware using anything like a plastic knife or metal scraper, which might damage your paintwork.
Whichever method of removal you choose, be as quick and as careful as you can and please follow instructions from a brand or expert you trust.
What happens if the bird poop has damaged your car?
Depending on how long the bird droppings have sat on your car, you might have slight damage to your paintwork. It’s probably fixable - and quite easily too.
The damage will most likey look like a dull patch on your paintwork where the lacquer and paint beneath have lost their integrity.
However, it might also be a scratch, if you had a mishap while trying to remove a stubborn bit of dried lime.
- A minor dull mark can be polished out with our Professional Scratch & Scuff Remover to bring out its hue and shine again.
- If the damage has penetrated through paint layers, you might have to sand the area down and use a touch up pen or bottle - see our guide.
- If the only damage is a scratch where you struggled to remove a particularly stubborn bit, you can use a car touch up paint pen or bottle.
- We recommend touching up the lacquer too for a professional, longer-lasting finish.