Study: Bird poop does not damage your car paint

Every car enthusiasts that loves his clean ride hates bird – not because they are of an evil nature and hate mother nature or animals, because one of the most disappointing things after getting your car washed is having a bird poop all over it. It is commonly believed that acidity from bird droppings can damage the paint of your car. Well, that’s not true… at least not entirely.

A new research by UK’s leading car care experts, Autoglym, finds that damage is instead the results from the paint lacquer contracting upon cooling and moulding to the uneven texture of the hardened deposit.

“As paint lacquer warms – in the direct summer sunshine for example – it softens and expands,” Autoglym says. “At the same time, that heat dries and hardens any bird droppings on the surface. Autoglym’s researchers discovered that as the paint lacquer cools, overnight for example, it contracts, hardens and moulds around the texture of the bird dropping.”

So stop spending all that money on wax and polish treatments since they provide provide little protection from the paint moulding to bird droppings. Autoglym says that bird dropping damage can only be prevented by owners removing the poop as soon as possible.

Hit the jump to see a list of ways to minimize the damage from bird poop.

Autoglym’s has outlined some tips for minimizing the risk of damage from bird droppings:

– Remove the deposit at the earliest opportunity

– Motorists should use a moist cloth – Autoglym’s Bird Dropping Wipes are ideal – to gently lift the deposit from the surface

– If the deposit is dry or doesn’t lift easily, place a moist cloth over it for ten minutes to soften the deposit

– Dispose of any cloth or wipe used to remove bird droppings immediately and carefully wash your hands, as bird lime can harbour diseases

– By: Omar Rana