How to clean bird droppings

Wet the stain with warm water. If bird droppings are in an easily accessible place, wet the dirty surface with warm water before you start cleaning. Pour warm water directly onto the stain or dip a rag in warm water and apply to the stain. The warmth and moisture of the water will help loosen the stain and prevent it from sticking to hard porous surfaces.

Leave for a few minutes. Wait a while for the warm water to begin to soften the stain. Bird droppings that have dried will have a thick powdery texture and can be more difficult to scrub off if it’s still a bit hard. Remember to wet the entire stain. Bird droppings will be like new after wetting and softening.

Use a hose to clean. Hold the garden hose a few feet away from the dirt. Turn the faucet on all the way and direct the flow to the bird droppings. The continuous flow of water will finish the job where the wetting step has started. Spray until stain disappears. ^[4]

• If the faucet has a water pressure regulator, you should use a high-pressure stream of water to spray the stain away.
• If the faucet doesn’t have an adjustable head, you can put your thumb over half of the faucet to block the flow to create pressure.

Remove stubborn stains with a brush. If streaks of bird droppings remain after spraying with the hose, treat with a small, stiff scouring brush (a yard brush also works); re-wet if necessary. The bristles will get into crevices in bricks, concrete or roof tiles and clean up any remaining bird droppings.

• Remember to rinse the brush after use; Bird droppings are full of bacteria. ^[5]

Apply a warm, wet rag to the stain. Dip a rag in hot or warm water and apply it to the dirty area. Using a wet rag is better than spraying warm water on hardwood surfaces, as the fabric will trap heat and moisture instead of just letting the water run over the surface and possibly cause damage. Let the moisture in the rag soak into the stain.

Treat stains with specialized cleaners. Once the bird droppings have softened, you can treat the stain with a wood or car cleaning product. If the smooth surface to be cleaned is vinyl or similar, an all-purpose cleaner may suffice, you may even have success with just a rag dipped in warm water. Spray or dab enough solution to cover the stain; Avoid spraying on uncontaminated surrounding areas. ^{[6] [7]}

• Cleaning and polishing solutions also work on car surfaces. This product is formulated to remove dirt, oil and grime from the car, while leaving the paint job shiny. ^[8]
• Specialized cleaning products are recommended for treating easily damaged surfaces, but if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can also use homemade products. Mix natural wood polish with hot water, olive oil, and lemon juice, while dishwashing liquid mixed with warm water creates a simple yet effective solution for cleaning car exteriors. ^{[9] [10]}

Just leave the cleaner on the surface for a few minutes. Hardwood surfaces and car paint are very damaging, so you should only leave the cleaner on the stain for a few minutes long enough for it to work. Otherwise, the cleaner can seep through the stain and stain the wood floors or corrode the car’s paintwork. You don’t need to leave the cleaner on the stain for a long time, because the hard, smooth surface doesn’t have tiny pores, so the detergent won’t have to soak through the material to clean.

Gently wipe the stain with a soft cloth. Take another damp cloth to wipe as clean as possible. Wiping long and wide strokes is best in this step. Try not to scrub back and forth or press too hard, as you could damage the finish of the surface. Use a towel to pat dry after the remaining traces are clean.

• The microfiber towel is extremely soft and the fibers are able to lock in dirt and soaked water, making it ideal for gentle cleaning tasks. ^[11]
• Be careful to dry hardwood floors quickly, as prolonged moisture on the wood can warp or chip the wood.

Mix a little mild laundry soap with warm water. Pour a small amount of liquid laundry detergent into a basin of warm water and stir. This is a cleaning solution that you can use to treat stains. Less is better – about 1 part soap to 5 parts water is more than enough. ^[12]

Pour the solution onto the stain. Laundry soap is capable of dissolving tough and greasy dry stains like the one you’re dealing with. Soften the stain with the soapy solution and soak for about 2-3 minutes. Re-soak if the stain does not appear to have softened.

Scrub off the stain. Use a brush or dish soap to scrub away the stains. Dip a brush or sponge in the soapy solution as needed to keep the stain wet and foamy. Continue scrubbing until the stain is gone. ^[13]

• If the fabric is delicate, you should use a gentle circular motion to slowly clean the stain, or use the soft side of the dishwashing sponge.
• Throw away the dish soap after it completes its task with bird droppings. Horrible!