How To Get Rid Of Pesky Bird Poop Without Damaging Your Car's Finish

You walk outside and head to your car for your morning commute, and notice a big white splotch on the roof. It's always a mood killer to see bird poop on your car — can't they hang out in another tree? Fortunately, it's not too hard to remove bird poop, but you'll need to act fast and use products that won't damage your car's paint or finish in the process.

You don't need anything fancy to safely remove bird poop from your car. All you need is water, soap, and a microfiber towel. If the bird poop is fresh, you can usually just wash it away with water from a hose. If the dropping is a bit older, use a damp cloth to dab at it, avoiding harsh scrubbing. Not coming off that easily? Soak the microfiber towel in soapy water and lay it over the bird poop for 10 to 15 minutes, which should soften it up. After that, you can gently wipe it away without scrubbing. This will avoid scratching the paint. An alternative is to use a detailer, which will lubricate the area, letting you lift the poop without scrubbing.

Bird poop is alarming to see on your car because it can damage your paint permanently — this is why you need to act fast. Bird poop contains concentrated uric acid, a chemical that can almost instantly scar your clear coat due to its corrosive property. 

If a bird poops on your car in the summer, it's even more damaging. The sun beating down on your car causes the metal and paint to expand, then contract at night when the sun goes down, and the temperature becomes cooler. If bird poop is present, the paint will contract around it, allowing the uric acid to get even deeper into the paint's finish. 

However, you can't panic and start immediately wiping away at the bird dropping when you see it — a common car cleaning mistake. You can probably see seeds and other things inside the bird poop. This can scrape your car like sandpaper if you start scrubbing it into the paint. That's why you need to soften and loosen the bird poop first, allowing you to wipe it away. If the bird poop does leave scratches on your car, there are some DIY tricks for removing them.