Using Microfiber (or alteratives?) to Clean Bird Poop

D

DownFlyer

New member
I`ve been researching products to keep as a preventative measure, to remove bird poop.
I`ll probably re-purpose a small bottle of eyeglasses cleaning fluid and fill it with QD, to keep for emergencies.

But the main issue is towels... people on this site keep referring to microfiber towels for bird poop.

To me this seems like a problem:
1. Are you seriously saying that you want to keep a towel covered with salmonella poop inside your car, probably stinking up the car and possible spreading disease?
2. The next time you get the towel out again, you`ll probably get old poop on your hands. Are you going to touch your steering wheel with those hands?
3. How are you going to wash this poop rag? In your home washing machine, in which you wash your clothes?

Do I misunderstand people here? Do you actually drive around with poop-rags in your car? Or is there some other step I`m missing?


I know paper towels will probably scuff up the paint, so what`s the alternative?
 
Keep the poop contaminated MF in a ziplock bag until you can get home and hose it down, washing it by hand.
 
DownFlyer,

No, the dirty towel/s are removed after 1 use, and replaced with clean ones..

I put my dirty one/s in a bucket with microfiber cleaner to soak, then wash them in the machine in microfiber cleaner with a little distilled white vinegar in the double rinse cycle, and they always come out beautiful..

Dan F
 
Any towel used to clean bird poop is thrown away. Therefore, I suggest you use a cheaper one and not one of your pricey ones. Spraying a QD on it will be just fine with a cheaper MF towel.
 
Take a regular soft paper towel from the kitchen, fold it in half twice. Soak it in QD and put it on top of the bird poop and spray a couple more sprays. Let it sit for 5 minutes and remove it along with the bird poop.

Works well for me, but if you have crazy soft paint... I dunno....
 
Bill D said:
Keep the poop contaminated MF in a ziplock bag...
Click to expand...

That`s what I did back when I had to worry about bird-bombs/etc. and what I still do with MFs/etc. that I use for other clean-ups.

And sure that kind of thing should be kept handy! IMO stuff like MFs, QD/RW, Glass Cleaner and towels, (at least one) flashlight, tools (at least a multi-tool), a 1st Aid Kit (with Quick-Clot stuff), a window-break tool, and etc. etc., such stuff oughta be in every vehicle every time it`s used. When you need it, you *NEED it NOW*...you know, "Be Prepared" and all that ;)

I thought everybody kept all that stuff in every vehicle...my wife and I have both needed [anything you can imagine] at one time or another and we were sure glad we had it on-hand.

BUT FWIW...since switching to FK1000P I just let `em go until the next wash (which might not happen for weeks or even longer). I`ve been getting away with that for years now, with zero etching, not that I`d recommend such, uhm...presumed negligence... to others.

(Just e.g., when the Crown Vic got *BOMBED* by seagulls far from home on a hot day, I just rinsed the worst off with bottled water and let it go for a LONG time until I got the car home. No problem at all.)

Why are people throwing away MFs used for stuff like this? I just toss `em in the launder-next-time pile for the next MF load. If worried about salmonella, just pull on a pair of Nitrile Gloves (that oughta be kept in every vehicle along with heavier gloves and a blanket for use when putting on the spare or using the spare-in-a-can stuff).
 
Dan said:
Take a regular soft paper towel from the kitchen, fold it in half twice. Soak it in QD and put it on top of the bird poop and spray a couple more sprays. Let it sit for 5 minutes and remove it along with the bird poop.

Works well for me, but if you have crazy soft paint... I dunno....
Click to expand...

That approach is risky IME, even on hard clear. I tried it back pre-MF and despite being very careful it didn`t always go well (on an Audi). Works fine when it works fine, but eh, I`m awfully risk-averse when it comes to marring. It`s *not* something I`d want my wife trying, and/but she does fine using MFs and cotton swabs.

EDIT: remember that the Bird Bomb is quite probably abrasive, so how you get it up/off the paint is very important. You can`t just "wipe it off", gotta gently blot it so it migrates into the MF, and use the cotton swabs *very carefully* to dislodge anything that really sticks to the paint. It`s not something that we only spend a minute or two on (which is part of why I appreciate not having to deal with it).
 
Accumulator said:
That approach is risky IME, even on hard clear. I tried it back pre-MF and despite being very careful it didn`t always go well (on an Audi). Works fine when it works fine, but eh, I`m awfully risk-averse when it comes to marring. It`s *not* something I`d want my wife trying, and/but she does fine using MFs and cotton swabs.

EDIT: remember that the Bird Bomb is quite probably abrasive, so how you get it up/off the paint is very important. You can`t just "wipe it off", gotta gently blot it so it migrates into the MF, and use the cotton swabs *very carefully* to dislodge anything that really sticks to the paint. It`s not something that we only spend a minute or two on (which is part of why I appreciate not having to deal with it).
Click to expand...

I agree that it is risky, the abrasive in in the bird crap for the most part. I haven`t had any issues, but then again I don`t look at my paint with a microscope. There is no "100% safe" way to remove bird bombs without a hose or pressure washer.
 
Bro I have cleaned plenty of poop in my day. If it’s really bad I’ll toss the MF other than that they stay in a zip lock until I wash them.
 
I’m with Bill D. I keep soiled MFs in a ziplock and wash them after use. I have a bottle of Poorboys BirdSh** Remover and MF towels in the wife’s car too.
 
EXPDetailing said:
An alternative could be used clothing that you no longer wear such as, mismatched socks, old shirts, etc...
Click to expand...
Every piece of old clothing I`ve ever owned would mar autopaint if used that way. Even the very softest cotton. The best cotton towels (Koala-Soft, DFT/CBT) were generally OK except on the softest paint, but not clothing, not ever, it`s like brushing against the paint with your shirtsleeve when cleaning the windshield..oops!
 
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