Bird poop on my bird...

[0TreeLemur]

On a trip this week to coastal Maryland, my Mooney sat tied down for four days, and was shat upon multiple times by birds of unknown species.  Yesterday after flying back through continuous moderate turbulence with occasionally heavy rain, much remains.  Even on the prop!

Can anyone recommend a good technique to remove this scat?  Thought I would ask and save some time.  This stuff seems to have some super adhesive properties and I don't want to damage the finish.  Especially bad on the tail where the towel rack makes a great roost, as well as the propeller.

Thanks!

Fred

[Pinecone]

I would start with warm water, time to soak, and then something like Wash/Wax All

[Hank]

29 minutes ago, Pinecone said:

I would start with warm water, time to soak, and then something like Wash/Wax All

Wash Wax All works great. Spray with the garden hose, get it good and wet, let it sit for a half hour and wipe with an old towel to get most of the solids and white goo off. Then let it dry and use Wash Wax All with an old towel to clean and a dry one to buff.

Infind that by the time my buffing towel is wet, I'm pretty tired. So i.hang the damp towels on my tail towel bar antenna tondry.

I buy cheap white 100% cotton towels in 24-packs, and use similar washcloths in 36-packs to scrub. Both packs should be $10-$12 each. Cheap price, lasts long time.

[jetdriven]

I don’t get wash wax all. I get washing it and I get waxing  it. I just don’t get how they can be combined. 
 

I tried it once, and left a smearing of stuff all over the plane, and it set out overnight and when they dew hit it in the morning, it looks like a train wreck. It definitely does not leave an even coating of wax behind. 
 

[Utah20Gflyer]

The key to difficult bird poop is to re saturate it.  Once it is dried it becomes really hard and very tenacious.  So spray it down thoroughly and then move on to something else. Come back and try to wipe it off, if it doesn’t come off then spray again,  eventually it will soften and wipe off.  

[ArtVandelay]

The key to difficult bird poop is to re saturate it.  Once it is dried it becomes really hard and very tenacious.  So spray it down thoroughly and then move on to something else. Come back and try to wipe it off, if it doesn’t come off then spray again,  eventually it will soften and wipe off.  

If it’s on a vertical surface you may need to wet some tissue paper and stick on the surface to keep it wet.

[Fly Boomer]

1 hour ago, 0TreeLemur said:

Can anyone recommend a good technique to remove this scat?

I subscribe to the concept of molecular polarity and the universal solvent.  I heat it to boiling in a hot pot that lives in my hangar, don some insulated rubber gloves, and apply with a terry towel.  You will be amazed at what it will dissolve.

[0TreeLemur]

Thanks everyone.  Some good ideas here- I hadn't considered hot water.   Cold rain did nothing to help.   I'm due for an oil change, this will fill those gaps while waiting for oil bottles to drain.

[DCarlton]

8 hours ago, 0TreeLemur said:

Thanks everyone.  Some good ideas here- I hadn't considered hot water.   Cold rain did nothing to help.   I'm due for an oil change, this will fill those gaps while waiting for oil bottles to drain.

I bought a 5 gal bucket with a screw on lid from Lowes and take hot water from the house.  I’m in the water then Wash / Wax All camp.  

[Greg Ellis]

14 hours ago, jetdriven said:

I don’t get wash wax all. I get washing it and I get waxing  it. I just don’t get how they can be combined. 
 

I tried it once, and left a smearing of stuff all over the plane, and it set out overnight and when they dew hit it in the morning, it looks like a train wreck. It definitely does not leave an even coating of wax behind. 
 

Wash All/Wax All takes a little work to get it to look good, in my opinion.  Spray on, wipe clean, new cloth to wipe again and then a microfiber towel to polish and it will come up looking clean with no streaking.  It takes some work and is definitely not a just spray on/wipe off product.  And if I remember correctly, the instructions say not to let it dry on the airplane.  That is probably why it streaks, if it any product is left behind on the paint to dry on its own.  Just my .02.  It is nice to use when you have no access to a hose.

[Pinecone]

I use the blue to remove bugs after flying.  I walk down the wing spraying a light mist and then rub it with a microfiber cloth.  Bugs gone, looks good. 

I have not tried to do the entire plane with it.

[Coachella Bravo]

Suggestion - moisten, apply "Saran" wrap to keep moistened for a period of time, works well

[N201MKTurbo]

I just squirt it with a hose and then wipe it with a soapy rag. It has never failed.

[Pinecone]

You haven't experiences DelMarVa bird poop.

[0TreeLemur]

Update: the warm water did the trick.   Surprising what a difference water temperature makes.  Cold water does not do the trick.

[M20F]

If you have bird poop I would look for nests as well especially in the tail.  

[0TreeLemur]

31 minutes ago, M20F said:

If you have bird poop I would look for nests as well especially in the tail.  

Where exactly?   When I preflighted the elevator control area was clear.  They can't get in anywhere else right?.  Is that what you mean?

 

[Jim Peace]

WashWax for me....

Also putting that bird thing on my tail helped out tremendously !!

I basically have no more bird droppings at all....the other planes around me have it all over the place...

[Pinecone]

15 hours ago, 0TreeLemur said:

Update: the warm water did the trick.  

Hmm, didn't I say that in the first post to respond??????? 

 

[0TreeLemur]

4 hours ago, Pinecone said:

Hmm, didn't I say that in the first post to respond??????? 

 

And I followed your instructions as written.

[Ibra]

You need to get an STC for these  I get lot of poop on the propeller, never understood why until I saw this !

To clean warm water and wait a bit then clean later, that will do the job...also put ccovers if leaving it more than one day 

 

Edited April 8, 2024 by Ibra

[Pinecone]

13 hours ago, 0TreeLemur said:

And I followed your instructions as written.

I was more poking at all the other suggestions.

Also, being in MD have experience with local bird poop

[M20F]

On 4/7/2024 at 9:01 AM, 0TreeLemur said:

Where exactly?   When I preflighted the elevator control area was clear.  They can't get in anywhere else right?.  Is that what you mean?

 

I would look all over.  They can get anywhere (gear well as example or in the cowling).  If they are sitting on the plane pooping then they are probably building nests.  Not saying you didn’t pre-flight just that the poop means they were working on nests given the time of the year.  They are clever beasts. 

[0TreeLemur]

12 hours ago, M20F said:

They can get anywhere (gear well as example or in the cowling).

I had the cowl plugs in place.  And while I didn't check the wheel wells, I suspect when when the gear came down arriving home that probably cleaned out any nest material in there.  I'll give it a look though.

The spot next to my tie down had a huge amount of nest material on the tarmac where the nose of another airplane once was.  Obviously someone didn't put in their cowl plugs and got nested.    I learned from their misfortune.