Bird poop... removing..

I've used QEW mixed in a spray bottle here and there for quick clean ups, seems like "water on steroids" this way :D
 
I keep a travel pack of Griot's Speed Shine wipes along with an MF buffing towel in the glovebox. The wipes are disposable and work really well so you only have to use the MF for wiping off the residue of the speed shine. That way the bird remains come out easily and your MF towel isn't ruined.
 
jbakerjr said:
i don't remember where I learned this, but it has always worked perfectly for me. I keep a pack of tissues in the glove box with QD. I attack the mess as soon as discovered. I spray the poop, to wet it. then place a tissue on it partly crumpled. Spray the tissue a couple of shots. Another tissue another spray. Maybe up to 4 or 5 tissues. The goal is to make a wet blob that will make the whole area including the poop wet. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.



Now, just pinch from the outside edge towards the center while picking up the mess. Usually gets it all with NO marks.
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JBakerJr,



Great tip! :up I tried this out using IPA and I really like it, keeps the IPA localized to the spot where the crap is so I dont have to worry about reapplying the LSP all over the place wherever the IPA ran off.
 
For years I've done something like what Bill D is talking about. Soak a paper napkin with water if you have too, set it down and wait awhile, etc. If your like me you always have a few from the fast food places in the glove box. Better then nothing; use common sense.



Best to carry something like Poorboy's Bird S#*T Remover (concentrated S&W) but sometimes I don't.
 
This idea just came to me,



I wonder if you have consistent problems with bird crap, if applying Pro's BugGuard on the common spots that get "bombed" would prevent any potential clear coat etching left behind from the acids after clean up. :nixweiss
 
I'm not sure what else other than some form of "wax" would protect against bird bombs... maybe BugGuard is some kind of silicone if it's not a wax?



Anyway, I'm personally not worried too much about acids. Once I wipe off the poop entirely I doubt there are any acids left on the surface, and I have probably wiped them off with QD or rinsed it off with water already. Even if you don't neutralize it, it's still water soluble.
 
If I understand it correctly, it's the water that activates the acid. I think this is responsible for those who experience bird crap etching returning even when they polished it away. The acid, although you cant see it, is still in the clear. I think the more drawn out process of complete removal is worthwhile.
 
Huh? Returning after it's polished away? Acid is still there? Water activates it? That doesn't make sense to me...if the acid was still there, and you polished and waxed over it...then the water shouldn't be able to get thru the wax to activate it and make it come back...on top of which, of you polished it away, it should be gone, there should be no place for the acid to be.



I have a different explanation, having to do with the refractive index of the clear coat. Harking back to a high school physics experiment, where the teacher took a fish tank filled with liquid, and put a glass rod in it...when the proper liquids were added, the refractive index of the liquid became the same as the glass, and it disappeared (bacame invisible).



The gloss of clear coat is due to the refraction of the light in the clear layer above the color layer. The bird poop etching disrupts that refraction. When you polish it, although you may be removing some of the etching, the oils from the polish penetrate the etch mark, restoring the refractive index, an making the mark seem to disappear. However, that is temporary, and that is why the mark "returns". That's MHO.



PS I'm still going to take some litmus paper to the PB's BSR, S&W, and some bird poop next time I can.
 
~ One man’s opinion / observations ~



Only problem I see with using a QD to remove bird excrement is that it is mostly water ("Always add the acid to the water, never add the water to acid" Chemistry 101)



Bird Excrement:

(Or insect excrement like Gypsy moth, June bug, etc) contains highly acidic concentrates, which if left for any length of time will etch the paint film or glass surface, so they should be removed without delay. Birds use gravel to digest their food and grit and sand are some of the major components, so take your time and be careful when removing, pre-soak contamination with Isopropyl Alcohol (to neutralise the acid) and use detailer's clay and a lubricant to remove any grit etc.



To prevent any possibility of scratching, use a mesh sponge (Autopia Soft Scrub Insect Sponge) and plenty of soapy water for lubrication to remove excrement residue, thoroughly flush with clean water, re-apply surface protection. If the paint film or glass surface has been etched it may require an abrasive polish to level the surface. The sponge can also be used on glass, plastic, clear coat paint, vinyl, chrome and fibreglass



No wax or polymer sealant can provide a permanent shield against acidic bird excrement; they will provide enough of a barrier to enable it to be removed quickly before causing too much damage to the paint film surface.



~ Hope this helps ~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon
 
From what I read, has something to do with the paint being porous and water and heat activating the acid. Not my field of experitse, just a FWIW.



You can alwys use alcohol to remove the oils hat artificially restorev the gloss upon polishing and see if the etching is still there. In the case of the etching returning for some, indeed it may have been a matter of the oils wearing away, not necesarily the acid reactivating :nixweiss





For my peace of mind, I dont mind the more drawn out procedure of bird crap removal
 
Bill, I certainly can't argue that your baking soda method would be effective at neutralizing any remaining acid, as long as it can penetrate the porosity of the paint.
 
Not my idea, I got it from that original thread I posted. That was posted here way back when
 
4DSC said:
My chemistry is somewhat rusty, but since when was alcohol a base? :confused:
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It's not. The alcohol is supposed to be a drying agent. As I understand it, it mixes with the acid and evaporates fairly quickly, taking the acid with it.
 
That's my understanding Taxlady



I need to get a hold of some bakingf soda to make a follow up mix with
 
TOGWT,



Is this a suitable substitute? :

A: To prevent any possibility of scratching, use a mesh sponge (Autopia Soft Scrub Insect Sponge)

This would appear to be an as equal from the description
 
Quote: Huh? Returning after it's polished away? Acid is still there? Water activates it? That doesn't make sense to me...if the acid was still there, and you polished and waxed over it...then the water shouldn't be able to get thru the wax to activate it and make it come back...on top of which, of you polished it away, it should be gone, there should be no place for the acid to be.





~One man’s opinion / observations ~



Q: “then the water shouldn't be able to get thru the wax to activate it and make it come back...�

A: Most modern sealant and many QD’s are an oil-in-water emulsion so I guess water can get through a wax



Q: “on top of which, of you polished it away, it should be gone, there should be no place for the acid to be�

A: The acid will have penetrated the pores of the paint system and unless you polish further down than the penetration all you will do is polish above it, the acid will remain until it is again activated by water.



~Hope this helps ~





* justadumbarchitect so I question everything *

Experience unshared is knowledge wasted…/ Jon
 
Taxlady said:
It's not. The alcohol is supposed to be a drying agent. As I understand it, it mixes with the acid and evaporates fairly quickly, taking the acid with it.
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Unless the alcohol is combining with the acid in some way, even if it is "mixed" with the acid, only the alcohol wil evaporate, leaving the acid still there (IMO). That's like saying if you wash oil off something with a volatile solvent, and let the mixture evaporate, that the oil will evaporate with the solvent...if things worked that way...there would be no such thing as vapor degreasiing.
 
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