Cleaning Up Bird Droppings

When you live and work in a seaside resort like Brighton, dealing with bird droppings is just an unpleasant chore that has to be tackled on a fairly regular basis. While tourists and visitors may like the graceful seagulls that flock to the seafront, residents and office workers are usually less appreciative.

So whether you're home cleaning or office cleaning, it pays to be prepared to tackle the unpleasant gifts from above. Here are a few tips to help you along the way:

Windows

If the droppings are still fresh, they can be removed fairly easily. Use a very wet, warm cloth. The water is to dilute the droppings as much as possible, and the warmth softens it makes it easier to remove. Lift the cloth away from the glass rather than rub it, as the droppings may contain grit or seeds that can scratch the glass. Once done, rinse the cloth thoroughly to make sure everything is washed away.

If the droppings have dried, hold the warm, wet cloth against the dropping for a minute or so to soften the mess, and then try to remove it. If the dropping is too dry, you will need to use a window scraper, and the sharper the blade the better.

Window Sills and Other Surfaces

Where the dropping has landed on a flat surface, such as a window sill or the top of a car, soak a cloth in hot water (as hot as you can safely stand and still handle). Leave the cloth quite wet and quickly place over the dropping, leaving it place for 5 minutes. The warmth and moisture will soften the dropping and make it easy to remove. After the time is up, grab and lift the cloth to remove the dropping. Again, it it's a shiny surface such as the paint on a car, try not to rub the cloth as grit or seeds in the dropping may scratch the surface.

Clothes

First, let the dropping dry. Trying to get rid of it from fabrics while it's still wet can often make the stain worse. Once it has dried, use a paper towel or kitchen roll to pry off as much of the dropping as possible. Deal with whatever is left by gently scraping it with the edge of a credit card or some other blunt edge.
Once you have removed as much dry dropping as you can, you may be left with a light-coloured stain. To remove this, simply dab at the stain with a damp cloth for a few minutes. Once the area dries the stain should be gone.

Where possible, you should always clean up bird dropping as soon as you can. As with all waste products from animals, the droppings can contain strong uric chemicals which, if left too long, can leave a permanent stain on surfaces.