Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

[DFTowel]

I've been waiting for a while to test the theory that freezing bird poop will make it easier to remove. I came up with this in the early Spring when it was VERY cold outside (20 or so) and a flock of returning birds perched in a tree under which I was parked.

When I got home I started to remove the bonbs and noticed those that where on the hood (warm) were their usual hard to remove BUT those on the roof and trunk (very cold!) slid right off.

Keep in mind my car had several layers of polish to protect it through the winter.

So I figured the cold would cause something to happen to the poop bomb and make it easy to remove. I waited to get bombed and today I finally was. (Oh now there's something I never thought I'd hear myself say!)

There were two hits so I took an ice cube and placed it on one of the poop bombs and left the other untouched. When the ice cube was a about half melted I took a towel and gently wiped the bomb and it came right off as a whole without any resistance or residue! The other was dry and hard and well stuck to the car. I then used an ice cube on the second one with the same results, it slid right off.

So apparently the combination of the cold and the soaking from the melting cube does something to force the droppings to free itself of the polished surface.

Whatever the reasons... it works!

[Lydia]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

I'm very glad you posted this! I remember when you mentioned this a while ago, and it's good to know that it helps. Thanks Leo!

[Blaze]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

Wow that is very good to know! I will definitely remember that ... thanks!

[fmiller]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

Great info now that the birds are flying north to hound us over the next 7 months. Thanks.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

Thanks for the info. Nice testing.

[cgcomeaux]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

Sounds like a good idea for my wifes car, I never have left a bomb on my Chevy Silverado long enough for it to get hard!!!

[IWantaTurbo]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

Is using warm water a bad idea then?

[Murr1525]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

Its not bad... they key is to try and keep it contained.

If you were to pour warm water on it, and have it run everywhere, then you have more to clean up before it dries again.

So if you were to use warm water on a cloth, and let it sit for a moment to soften, then use some QD to wipe off the remainng residue, you would be fine.

I tend to just spray and dab with a lot of QD and a good MF towel, but then I am not in the extreme hot or cold usualy.

[CosmoTiki]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

I've finally stopped laughing... thanks for the info, and NOT posting pics!

Sounds like this might be one from Mike Post on Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs!

[bookeem]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

same here i soak and dab, i never wipe untill the bomb is gone from dabbing and just a lil residue is left, and even then i try not to wipe the residue with any pressure..

[pampos]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

I've been waiting for a while to test the theory that freezing bird poop will make it easier to remove. I came up with this in the early Spring when it was VERY cold outside (20 or so) and a flock of returning birds perched in a tree under which I was parked.

When I got home I started to remove the bonbs and noticed those that where on the hood (warm) were their usual hard to remove BUT those on the roof and trunk (very cold!) slid right off.

I am not a bird poop expert but i think that this is logical to happened..is the same thing like you pure some water on hot and on cold surface...On cold surface it will removed easily but on hot it will dry at once before you touch it.

There were two hits so I took an ice cube and placed it on one of the poop bombs and left the other untouched. When the ice cube was a about half melted I took a towel and gently wiped the bomb and it came right off as a whole without any resistance or residue! The other was dry and hard and well stuck to the car. I then used an ice cube on the second one with the same results, it slid right off.

So apparently the combination of the cold and the soaking from the melting cube does something to force the droppings to free itself of the polished surface.

Whatever the reasons... it works!

I am not sure if that happened because of the ice cube or because of the water....Also a wet MF towel can do this for me.i just touch it with the wet MF towel for a few seconds and then it is very easy to remove it...And the usual temperature in Cyprus(air temperature) is about 20 Celsius on winter and 38-42 on summer...So from this you can imagine the temperature on my black car on direct sunlight on the summer....

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

If the bird dropping has completely dried then the best way to remove it without scratching the paint is to re-soften it and then immediately remove it. You can do this with water and a wash rag to hold the water onto the dropping until it's softened.

Take a wash rag and saturate it with water or your car wash solution.




Place the wet wash rag on top of the dried bug splatter and allow it to sit for a few minutes. A variation of this would be to use warm/hot water.





It's also an inexpensive method and requires no skill.

Then remove the etching and apply your favorite wax.

First we'll frame up the shot so you can see the car and where the bird dropping etchings were. The etching being pointed to is the one we removed using M105 and just to the left of that spot is the bird dropping etching we removed using ScratchX

Except for the first picture, all the rest are original photos, no touch-up work at all was done to them. Some were cropped and resized but that's just so they will fit on your monitor.









Before





M105 After



Simple Simon

[OmeGa101]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

what do you do when you JUSt washed your car and u got bombed?

I dont wanna use some cheap rag and wipe it off b/c it'll leave scratches, and i also don't wanan use my expensive meguairs MF as well.. so what to do?.. i dont want to spray the car because then the rest of the car will be wet.. lol

what i've done lately was sacrifced one of my microfiber towels and cut it out the size of the poop, and just used it with some Ulimate quik detailer and wiped it off..

[Racersky]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

Good advice bookmarked this....title makes me laugh a little when you call it Bird Poop Bomb lol

[Eddie6th]

Re: Bird poop bombs v. ice cubes

My cars get dive bombed everyday. I know how nasty this can be....for some. I don't like it myself,but in my case they come off real easy,either when i wash the cars or by using quikd+micro.I think there is something scientific here.Bird species,what their diet is and the strength of their poops?Also type of paint finish.I've noticed this a lot with other members having difficulty removing bird poop,so if the ice cubes work,go for it!