Bird Droppings on My Car!

If the kids spilled acid on the hood of your car, would you wash it off right away or would you leave it there until next time it rains?

With an acidic pH of 3.5 to 4.5, bird droppings may be the most acidic substance that will ever touch your car. If you leave them sit there, they will eat right through your car's clear coat finish and etch the paint. The longer they sit on your car, the more damage is done.
Get it off FAST!

On most cars, your paint is only 4 to 6 mils thick. Leaving a bird dropping on your car for a week typically results in 2 mils of that finish being eaten away. Most people don't look closely enough to notice this damage. But over time (and many bird-bombings!) people do notice that their car's finish doesnt quite look showroom new any more. Bird droppings can have a lot to do with that.

What can you do about it?

Lets face it, nice cars are bird bomb magnets. To prevent bird bombings, you can either keep your car in a garage, or use a car cover.
To clean up after the inevitable direct hit, your best bet is a quick visit to a self service car wash. This will provide the added benefit of cleaning the rest of your car too. If you don't have 5 minutes for a quick trip to the car wash (please see the article describing a 5 minute Express Wash) use a travel wipe, paper towel, or anything else you might have handy. Please, just get that acid bird dirt off your car quickly!

Fascinating Bird Dropping Facts:

• Bird droppings are highly acidic - pH between 3.5 and 4.5!
• bird droppings are a mixture of pee and poop - they both come out mixed together. The white part is uric acic ("pee"), black/brown/green solid part is feces ("poop").
• Ammonia is created by our bodies when we metabolize protein. Since ammonia is poisonous, uur bodies need a way to get rid of it fast!
• Mammals convert ammonia to urea, then mix it with a lot of water to form urine.
• Birds have a different process - they convert ammonia to uric acid, which does not need water. The uric acid is pooped out as a white paste.
• dont forget about the health risks - bird droppings contain all kinds of viruses. Wash your hands after you clean it up!

Thanks for reading, I hope this article was useful to you!
...Paul