{"id":7594,"date":"2011-06-29T15:39:34","date_gmt":"2011-06-29T14:39:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/\/?p=7594"},"modified":"2026-04-17T14:50:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:50:04","slug":"bird-dropping-damage-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/bird-dropping-damage-car\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Stop Bird Droppings From Damaging Your Car Paintwork"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Car<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Every summer car owners have to make tough decisions about parking. Do you leave your car under the shady tree and hope the birds<\/a> won’t christen your car with their foul poop, or do you choose the sunny parking space and bake to death when you return to your car?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New research from car care experts Autoglym<\/a>, suggests that the familiar sight of car bodywork ‘etched’ by bird droppings are not the result of any corrosive property in the deposit, as is commonly believed. In fact, damage instead results from the paint lacquer contracting upon cooling and moulding to the uneven texture of the hardened deposit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

As paint lacquer warms \u2013 in the direct summer sunshine for example \u2013 it softens and expands. 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. To the naked eye, this moulding appears as dulled or etched paintwork. The light’s reflection is interrupted by the imperfect surface, unlike the undamaged paint surrounding it which gives a clearer reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autoglym’s tests with strongly acidic, neutral and strongly alkali bird dropping substitutes highlighted negligible differences in the damage caused. However, differences in paint damage were noted when the substitute bird deposits had varying degrees of grain-to-liquid content. A grainier texture caused greater light distortion (dullness) when the paint moulded around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wax and polish treatments \u2013 that protect against chemical attack from acid raid and UV sun damage, for example \u2013 provide limited protection from the paint moulding to bird droppings, although they will make them easier to remove. The longer the deposit remains on the bodywork, and the higher the temperatures, the harder the dried deposit will be, and the greater the propensity for the paint lacquer to mould to it as it cools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bird dropping damage<\/a> can only be prevented by motorists remaining vigilant and removing the deposit as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips for minimising the risk of car paintwork damage from bird droppings:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

– Remove the deposit at the earliest opportunity- Motorists should use a moist cloth to gently lift the deposit from the surface
\n– If the deposit is dry or doesn’t lift easily, place a moist cloth over it for ten minutes to soften the deposit
\n– Dispose of any cloth or wipe used to remove bird droppings immediately and carefully wash your hands, as bird droppings can harbour diseases<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every summer car owners have to make tough decisions about parking. Do you leave your car under the shady tree and hope the birds won’t christen your car with their foul poop, or do you choose the sunny parking space and bake to death when you return to your car? New research from car care […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[2341],"tags":[96,829,1261],"class_list":["post-7594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pigeons-and-other-birds","tag-bird-control","tag-bird-poo","tag-car"],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Stop Bird Droppings From Damaging Your Car Paintwork - deBugged<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/bird-dropping-damage-car\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How To Stop Bird Droppings From Damaging Your Car Paintwork - deBugged\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every summer car owners have to make tough decisions about parking. 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