Finding bird poop on your windshield is more than just annoying and disgusting.
This can also be severely damaging to your car paint because of the chemical reaction between the topcoat and the poop’s uric acid. When left for more than 48 hours, you may even find your car’s chassis showing through because of corrosion.
That being said, it’s just right that you take care of the bird poop on your car as soon as possible. You can opt for professional services, or if you’re on a budget, home remedies and over-the-counter products will also do. You simply have to pay attention to how to do the task right.
To help you, we have provided some of the best ways on how to clean bird poop off windshield in the next sections.
Initial Cleaning Steps
Before we discuss the general cleaning solutions that you can do, there are preparatory steps that you should first be aware of. These tasks will allow you to go through the process more smoothly. See the following:
1. Soften existing bird poop.
First, you have to soften the bird poop on your windshield. This is necessary if you happen to have left the excretions hanging for 3 days or more. Going directly to cleaning if bird poops are hardened may cause damages to the windshield and car body.
To do this, simply hose down the wastes with water. Avoid using chemicals at this point in cleaning to avoid unnecessary reactions later on.
2. Scrape off remaining excretions.
Once you see that the excretions have softened, head on to scrape off the excretions from your windshield. Make sure to do this carefully, so you won’t scratch any of your car’s components by accident.
3. Start cleaning white residue.
Even after scraping the excretions off, you will be left with either white or dirty-looking residue on your windshield. This is what you’ll need to clean using the remedies listed below.
Additional notes include using personal protective equipment, such as face masks, gloves, and likes. These will prevent you from having harmful interactions with the excretions and possibly contracting disease-causing parasites.
Bird Poop Cleaner
If you want a direct solution, then using a bird poop cleaner, a formula designed specifically to remove bird poop will be a good choice. Some of the best brands, according to experts, include WD-40, Poop-Off Cleaner, and Airzyme Waste Digester. You can cop these off of Amazon and other online shopping sites. You should also check your local hardware stores for other local brands.
Although you will need to invest money if you use this solution, this is ideal if you want the most effective and guaranteed solution around.
Car Wipes
Car wipes, similar to the regular wet wipes that we use, are also a feasible solution for removing bird poop completely from your windshield. This will require a lot of work, especially since you have to manually wipe each residue, but it’s also a good cleaning solution for the current dilemma.
You can purchase this from automotive stores or even in pharmacies. Either way, it’s best if you look for an antibacterial variation of these wipes. Doing so will assure a higher level of sanitation.
Home Remedies
There are a number of home remedies for cleaning bird poop. The good thing is, as long as you have the resources, you can make these on your own without spending a lot of money.
One of the most popular and effective is the Baking Soda + Water formula. To make this, get a spray bottle, preferably a 32 oz, fill it with warm water, and mix 4 to 5 tablespoons of baking soda. Shake it until the solution is thoroughly mixed. Once done, proceed to spray the residue with the mixture.
The best part about using the said home remedy is baking soda’s built-in antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.
Seltzer Water
Seltzer water refers to any water-based carbonated drinks. You may also know this more as fizzy water. Nevertheless, this is also a feasible solution for cleaning bird poop. Apart from the fact that these have safe pH levels for car paint, their carbonated properties can also dissolve residue efficiently in a short amount of time.
To use this, simply pour or spray seltzer water to the bird poop, wait until bubbles form, and head on to wiping the residue with a wet cloth.
Detailer Spray
A detailer spray is originally for keeping your car paint in its best state. However, this is also a famous remedy for bird poop, bugs, insects, and other car-related dilemmas. A few sprays are enough to fully remove residues and keep them clean for a long time.
For brands, you can basically use anything. You can just depend on your preference for this.
Professional Car Wash
The last tip on our list is through availing of a professional car wash from your trusted automotive shop. Doing so will save you all the time and hassle in manually cleaning bird poop and other dirt. This solution will also give your car an overall cleaning session.
Keep in mind that this is probably the most expensive solution on the list. However, it will be worth it, considering that you won’t have to invest time and effort just to get rid of bird poop. You also won’t have to go through different cleaning solutions.
How to Prevent Bird Poop on Windshield
Of course, you wouldn’t want to reencounter bird poop after cleaning your windshields. To help you with this, here are some tips that you can do to prevent birds from pooping on your car:
- Use a car cover if you’re going to leave your car parked in open spaces.
- If you have a choice, avoid parking spots near or under trees and buildings.
- Place a rubber snake on your car’s roof or windshield. This will act as a scarecrow for birds.
- Blind birds away from your car by placing CDs on your car’s windshield.
- Install any reflective light source on your car.
These don’t guarantee 100% success, but if done right, you can definitely expect a big difference in how frequently you encounter bird poops.
Summary
As you can see, you have a lot of choices when it comes to remedies in cleaning bird poop off of your windshield.
You can also consider applying these when the contaminants are on your trunk or car body. Note, though, that you may have to check whether a certain cleaning solution is acidic or not. If it’s the former, then avoid using it for your car. This is because it may have the same damage, or more, as bird poop.
On the last note, it’s best to keep track of the preventive solutions so you can save yourself the time and hassle in cleaning bird poops.
