Alcohol wipes

[Maciej]

Silly question is it safe to clean exterior of a car with alcohol wipe. Few times I would end up with a bird poo and spot clean it with some alcohol wipes but my friend who saw that was horrified and said I will damage the paint is he talking rubbish or is that true and I should stop doing that?

 

[Les burrows]

Hi well I don’t know the answer to your question about alcohol wipes Maciej but I agree about the bird mess
Me I carry a very small bottle of waterless wash and wax and a small micro fibre cloth at the side of my spare wheel job sorted if need be
Les

 

[Lovemyev]

Silly question is it safe to clean exterior of a car with alcohol wipe. Few times I would end up with a bird poo and spot clean it with some alcohol wipes but my friend who saw that was horrified and said I will damage the paint is he talking rubbish or is that true and I should stop doing that?

Yeah - Don’t use wipes to remove bird poo !.
The alcohol will dry SO quickly, it will have no affect on the poop !.
The bird mess contains lime and grit, if you scrub at it, it will scratch you paint for sure !.
If it is a large, hard mess, then I have found a proven way to deal with it.
Take a couple of pieces of soft paper kitchen towel, fold it into a square that will be big enough to cover the mess.
Now, dampen the cloth with warm water.
Apply some car shampoo or soft soap to the damp towel.
Put the damp towel over the mess and walk away for about 10 - 15 minutes.
Make sure the towel does not dry out.
After 10 - 15 minutes, carefully remove the damp kitchen towel.
It will have now softened the bird mess.
Take another piece of damp warm towel and it should just wipe away cleanly.
Don’t scrub !.
If it is still stubborn, repeat the process with another hot towel and soap !.
Works every single time.
The longer the mess is allowed to sit on the car, the worst will be the affects of the staining.
When the bird mess is removed, check that the paint finish has not been attacked by the line / acid in the mess.
If it has left what looks like a water mark in the paint, it can only be removed by polishing the car.
I guess it depends on how fussy you are, with regards to your bodywork.
The bigger the mess the more chance of staining and scratching of course.

 

[drmcw]

I'd say don't do that. Don't know what is in your wipes but isopropyl alchohol can be used to remove the wax and sealant from paint. Just use a damp cloth instead.

 

[Kithmo]

Alcohol wipes will remove any wax or polish from the paintwork.
I use Poorboys Bird dropping remover, same method as @Lovemyev with the paper towel for stubborn dried on stuff.
Amazon product ASIN B01KU72CXU

 

[Alb]

Yeah - Don’t use wipes to remove bird poo !.
The alcohol will dry SO quickly, it will have no affect on the poop !.
The bird mess contains lime and grit, if you scrub at it, it will scratch you paint for sure !.
If it is a large, hard mess, then I have found a proven way to deal with it.
Take a couple of pieces of soft paper kitchen towel, fold it into a square that will be big enough to cover the mess.
Now, dampen the cloth with warm water.
Apply some car shampoo or soft soap to the damp towel.
Put the damp towel over the mess and walk away for about 10 - 15 minutes.
Make sure the towel does not dry out.
After 10 - 15 minutes, carefully remove the damp kitchen towel.
It will have now softened the bird mess.
Take another piece of damp warm towel and it should just wipe away cleanly.
Don’t scrub !.
If it is still stubborn, repeat the process with another hot towel and soap !.
Works every single time.
The longer the mess is allowed to sit on the car, the worst will be the affects of the staining.
When the bird mess is removed, check that the paint finish has not been attacked by the line / acid in the mess.
If it has left what looks like a water mark in the paint, it can only be removed by polishing the car.
I guess it depends on how fussy you are, with regards to your bodywork.
The bigger the mess the more chance of staining and scratching of course.

Good advice

 

[Lovemyev]

I did find when we first received our first ZS EV back in 2019 that the top coat is fairly soft.
Marking of the finish was fairly easy !.
But after about 12 months, it had definitely hardened up a lot !.
Unable to comment on the face lift model we currently have ?.

 

[Maciej]

Thanks for advice everyone I will stop the alcohol wipes seems like consensus is that it's bad for spot cleaning and stick to hot paper towel method.

 

[Alb]

Cold water works too.

 

[N2STY]

Or buy a air rifle

 

[Nutnut]

Alcohol wipes will remove any wax or polish from the paintwork.
I use Poorboys Bird dropping remover, same method as @Lovemyev with the paper towel for stubborn dried on stuff.
Amazon product ASIN B01KU72CXU

I was today years old when I learned there was such a thing as bird poo remover .

Old dog here leaned a new trick. Thanks, I'll add it to my shopping list.

[ Edited: removed swear word. Even sw#@r words not allowed. ]

 

[AK OK]

Or buy a air rifle

Or wait until it rains (shouldn't be long)

 

[Johncc]

If you are really rich try this (mine came as a freebie from somewhere)

 

[AK OK]

If you are really rich try this (mine came as a freebie from somewhere)

£4.80 in halfrauds