Can Bird Poop Damage Car Paint?

Bird poop on cars is a common automotive issue. Whether you park outside regularly or are stuck in traffic on your way to work, your vehicle could get hit with splatter. Many people also try to beat the heat on hot summer days by parking underneath trees, but that puts their car at risk from nesting birds. While you might think it’s just a minor annoyance, bird poop can cause damage to your car’s paint job, meaning you need to shell out money to repaint sooner than expected. With a car cover, you can protect your car’s paint job from bird poop, sun damage, hail, and scratches.

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Why Is Bird Poop So Bad?

Can bird poop damage car paint? Unfortunately, yes. While it may seem innocuous, the uric acid in bird poop, which birds excrete in place of urine, eats away at your car’s clear coat top layer, and, eventually, the paint underneath, exposing the metal chassis and leaving it vulnerable to damage. As your car’s metal expands in the heat, bird poop can also seep into the layer of paint.

Bird poop has a pH level of around 4, while most neutral substances like water have a pH of 7. Acidic substances always try to reach a neutral state, meaning they eat away at alkali objects on the other side of the scale, like your paint, to achieve that goal. Additionally, because uric acid only partially dissolves in water, it’s extremely difficult to get bird poop off your car without special solutions or professional help.

Protect Your Vehicle's Exterior with a Car Cover

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Types of Bird Poop Damage

There are different levels of bird poop damage, which depend on the size of the stain, how long it remained on the car, and whether it has wrinkled.

Fresh Bird Poop Damage

If you catch the bird dropping immediately or within a few hours, you might be able to prevent any damage from occurring. Most paint damage occurs within 48 hours of exposure to bird feces.

Wrinkled or Fractured Etching

This type of damage happens when the bird poop wrinkles or fractures on the paint and is much harder to clean, as the feces bonds with the car paint.

Topical Stain Etching

These stains often appear faded because they haven’t yet soaked into the paint. While you may be able to wipe these off with a simple cloth, they could also require harsher chemicals from a professional cleaner.

How to Clean Bird Poop Off Your Car

While the best way to keep your car clean of bird poop is using a platinum shield car cover. If you do find some on your car, try to clean it off as quickly as possible. The longer you wait, the more time it has to eat into the layer of paint, becoming wrinkled or fractured and requiring professional cleaning products.

If you catch it while it’s wet, simply wipe it with a microfiber cloth or damp paper towel, and it should come straight off. For recently dried stains, wet a paper towel and leave it over the stain for approximately 10 minutes. Then, try wiping it off with your cloth. You can also use mild dishwashing soap and water for slightly tougher stains.

If the stain is too old, try using a cleaning solution that’s safe for car maintenance. You can also try putting some club soda on a cloth, which could neutralize the acid and dissolve any solid matter. Even if you can’t remove all of it, apply some paint protection afterward to slow down the acid erosion. If the dropping is wrinkled or fractured, you need to take your car into a shop to be repainted since the acid has already eaten through the paint. If you have scrubbed with safe chemicals, and the stain won’t budge, don’t keep trying since you could damage your paint job even more.

Keep Your Car Protected with a Car Cover

How to Protect Against Bird Poop Damage

Parking inside with a car cover is the best defense against bird poop damage. At CarCovers.com, we have covers for every type of vehicle, from four-door sedans to motorcycles. You can choose from several levels of protection, including a satin indoor option and a platinum outdoor model.

When you purchase your car cover, ensure you measure your car accurately to get the maximum amount of protection. You may also want to consider how you use your vehicle. For those who usually park inside, a satin cover might suffice, while those who travel frequently or park on the street require something with more heavy-duty all-weather protection.

Our car covers feature an elasticized hem for easy application and removal, ensuring a snug fit and the best coverage possible against animal droppings and inclement weather. The reinforced grommets provide a robust anchor for our cable and lock system to further secure your cover, and we also sell gust straps to tether your cover during high winds.

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Order a Car Cover Today

To protect your car from bird poop damage, weather damage, and fading from the sun, use a car cover from CarCovers.com. All our products offer superior protection against the weather, bird poop, and other debris. We guarantee your cover will fit, or you receive your money back, and, with every platinum cover, you receive a lifetime guarantee. Order your next car cover on our website today and keep your car looking as good as new.