Daily bird poop cleaning--what do you use?

[ZoomDoggie]

Sadly I don't have a garage to use and my charging site happens to be close to some electric wires/bird holiday spot.

I can park to avoid most of it but have a pretty much daily experience of cleaning up some bird poop. I try and get it first thing in the morning and then whenever I see it and almost always get it before it's dried on. Thankfully most is on the glass, but there are some bits that end up on the paint.

Ultimately my plan is to have a ceramic coat done in February (I live in a smaller town and the nearby 'guy' is getting his official GTechniq training--he does it now but will be done with a certification course then. I figured I'd wait until he had the cert before getting it done though he's not exactly a newbie.

However, in the mean time, what is your favorite 'safe' wipe or cleanup solution? Even with ceramic I'm sure to be doing a daily wipedown, but before I get it it seems even more critical.

 

[ZERO260]

Detail spray wax and microfiber towel. (I.e. Mothers, mcGuairs, Lucas, etc.)

 

[SSedan]

Have you considered a plastic owl or the like to encourage them.to roost elsewhere?

 

[JPP]

You should not wait to get OptiCoat or cQuartz--bird poop can burn through the clear coat very quickly and then you will need to do a lot of paint correction with some loss of clear coat.

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

Daily?

I'd got out of my mind.

 

[JasJ]

diluted ONR and good microfiber cloth(s).

 

[Goosby]

diluted ONR and good microfiber cloth(s).

I second ONR (Optimum No Rinse) or, what I use currently, OCNR (Opti Coat No Rinse); my understanding is they are basically the same product, but OCNR is supposed to be better on ceramic coated cars and remain slicker between washes, even on non coated vehicles.

I make a 2 gallon batch when washing my car and dilute as instructed 1oz:2 gallons (3 capfuls to 2 gallons; however, I like to do 4 caps since I’m eyeballing the water level and figure a little more OCNR isn’t going to hurt), then I fill a spray bottle with the newly mixed OCNR wash solution. This gives me an optimal mixture within the spray bottle for quick touch up cleaning without too much math/thinking. You could also try optimum power clean (probably diluted 1oz:3-10gal depending on severity), but I think OCNR is more cost effective since I’m already using it to wash the vehicle.

 

[ngogas]

BB gun. Get to the bottom of the job.

 

[ZoomDoggie]

Have you considered a plastic owl or the like to encourage them.to roost elsewhere?

That's a great idea!

Daily?

I'd got out of my mind.

And I am...but I do it as soon as I can so it doesn't hurt the paint.

 

[ZoomDoggie]

You should not wait to get OptiCoat or cQuartz--bird poop can burn through the clear coat very quickly and then you will need to do a lot of paint correction with some loss of clear coat.

That's why I'm getting the bird poop daily--well often more than once daily depending the bird's pooping mood.

I'd love to do it sooner but timing is tough for me. The 'guy' I plan to have do it is already using GTechinq but I'd rather wait until he finishes the last step of his certification next month. He's been super for other things otherwise so I don't want to take it somewhere else...rather stick with him. Going elsewhere also involves a much higher degree of logistics as well due to relative location.

 

[SSedan]

BB gun. Get to the bottom of the job.

That was my first thought, but figured might not be well received here.

 

[ZoomDoggie]

BB gun. Get to the bottom of the job.

The neighbors might get fussy with me...and I'd have to check the city ordinance. Hmm..


edited to add: Just checked and that's a big nope in my town. Bummer. Which is why I guess we called Animal Control that time the guilty dog pictured to the left ALMOST killed a skunk in our backyard. AC had to come shoot it as it was too injured to leave the yard. At 03:00.

 

[SSedan]

That's why I'm getting the bird poop daily--well often more than once daily depending the bird's pooping mood.

I'd love to do it sooner but timing is tough for me. The 'guy' I plan to have do it is already using GTechinq but I'd rather wait until he finishes the last step of his certification next month. He's been super for other things otherwise so I don't want to take it somewhere else...rather stick with him. Going elsewhere also involves a much higher degree of logistics as well due to relative location.

Certification is likely mostly a marketing thing. He is paying for them to put him on their website.
Sure they have some classes for him to go thru but realistically if this is what he does for a living I am sure he could figure it out.

The one thing you will gain is warranty on the workmanship.

 

[SSedan]

The neighbors might get fussy with me...and I'd have to check the city ordinance. Hmm..

"Songbirds" are pretty universally protected and if in town i am sure a BB gun is frowned on.

 

[ZoomDoggie]

Certification is likely mostly a marketing thing. He is paying for them to put him on their website.
Sure they have some classes for him to go thru but realistically if this is what he does for a living I am sure he could figure it out.

The one thing you will gain is warranty on the workmanship.

I'm pretty sure he's fine skill wise, but I would prefer the warranty and who knows, he might learn some new detail or other in the class. It's only a few weeks, and honestly I'll still be out wiping off the poop with or without the ceramic.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Sadly I don't have a garage to use and my charging site happens to be close to some electric wires/bird holiday spot.

I can park to avoid most of it but have a pretty much daily experience of cleaning up some bird poop. I try and get it first thing in the morning and then whenever I see it and almost always get it before it's dried on. Thankfully most is on the glass, but there are some bits that end up on the paint.

Ultimately my plan is to have a ceramic coat done in February (I live in a smaller town and the nearby 'guy' is getting his official GTechniq training--he does it now but will be done with a certification course then. I figured I'd wait until he had the cert before getting it done though he's not exactly a newbie.

However, in the mean time, what is your favorite 'safe' wipe or cleanup solution? Even with ceramic I'm sure to be doing a daily wipedown, but before I get it it seems even more critical.

Model 3 Car Cover

 

[Garlan Garner]

Sadly I don't have a garage to use and my charging site happens to be close to some electric wires/bird holiday spot.

I can park to avoid most of it but have a pretty much daily experience of cleaning up some bird poop. I try and get it first thing in the morning and then whenever I see it and almost always get it before it's dried on. Thankfully most is on the glass, but there are some bits that end up on the paint.

Ultimately my plan is to have a ceramic coat done in February (I live in a smaller town and the nearby 'guy' is getting his official GTechniq training--he does it now but will be done with a certification course then. I figured I'd wait until he had the cert before getting it done though he's not exactly a newbie.

However, in the mean time, what is your favorite 'safe' wipe or cleanup solution? Even with ceramic I'm sure to be doing a daily wipedown, but before I get it it seems even more critical.

https://www.amazon.com/d/Outdoor-St...8&qid=1546650002&sr=8-4&keywords=car+umbrella

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Ca...8&qid=1546650046&sr=8-9&keywords=car+umbrella

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G22GGG...&pd_rd_r=60459bf5-1085-11e9-a97d-ad1357b2023e

https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Gone-RF...argid=aud-466346483690:pla-313797015089&psc=1

 

[SMAlset]

As I understand it, you can scratch your car with a car cover unless the car's finish is pretty pristine.

My Model 3 has Xpel on it and was ceramic pro coated for easy cleaning. Here in the SF bay area we use products from a waterless car wash, EcoGreen Auto Clean, which I keep a window and car body wash spray bottle handy for removing those pesky bird droppings at home or on the road. Since I have the paint protection on the car I do, instead of using the microfiber cloth with it, I'll use the Scott Shop Glass towels for a quick disposal. A few squirts of the car body wash to loosen and it comes off with no effort.

BTW depending on the time of year, we also get bee poop on the cars parked outside, annoying as well and actually more to clean up than a single bird dump.

 

[pandam3]

1) i’d Make sure there is some kind of protective coat on the car. At least put on a coat of Meguiars ultimate fast finish... takes all of 10 minutes to do. Maybe even top that with meguiars ceramic hybrid wax... that’s just spray on and rinse off. Make sure the paint is decontaminated first to ensure maximum adhesion of the product by adding a synthetic clay step with a nanoscrub as part of your wash routine as well as a chemical decontamination with a spray on rinse off iron remover... meguiars ultimate color changing wheel cleaner is cheap and effective for this.
2) if you want to step up the protection... get a can of Gyeon Can Coat... it’s a ceramic coating that goes on like a quick detailer... gives 8-10 mos of protection however there is enough in the can to keep coating for several years. It’s got the same scratch resistance and self cleaning qualities that the longer lasting ones have. Toss the MF towel after use otherwise the second time you apply with that towel in 8 mos youll scratch the car.
If you wanted... looking at the gyeon ceramic coating videos you can get their synchro kit (I think that’s what it’s called) which is super easy to apply... just takes time cause 3 to 4 coats... but last 5 years or so.
3) get a waterless wash and good microfiber towels to clean anything up... I’ve been using chemical guys ecosmart for years for this with good results... i just pay extra and get the concentrated version and dilute it. Soak the poop, soak an MF towel... let it sit, soak again and wipe away... do not use pressure to scrub away or you will scratch... let the waterless wash and MF do the work.
4) I’d think a bug remover would work well for bird poop because it’s designed to rehydrate dried bugs so they can come off.
5) get a car cover. There are techniques to place and remove the cover to ensure it’s always the clean side on the car. Get a magic California car duster, dust the car before placing cover. Use the waterless wash for anything to remove before placing the cover.... keep dusting and spot cleaning until there is too much road film to put the cover on. I used to put the cover on 3-4 days a week and leave it off after till the next wash. Every time the car is parked you’d have to cover it... I covered at work and at home.

With s good sealant or coating + proper techniques you’ll have little to no marring on the car from the cover. Even if you did get marring that is easy to fix compared to getting bird poop etching corrected.

 

[rainforest]

I came out to my car and found bird crap which was lying in the sun. Got home, and a permanent mark was on the paint. Everything I tried couldn’t get rid of the mark. And then I found this video on YouTube and it worked like magic! Had to put my hairdryer right up to the paint for about two minutes, and the mark completely disappeared!