While you can appreciate the sounds of birds singing early in the morning and throughout the day, the delight fades when you step outside and find your property or pavement strewn with droppings.
Bird droppings not only contain substances harmful to human health, but the acid in bird droppings also destroys walls, roofs, car paint, and even concrete surfaces.
This article will give you tips on how to clean bird poop off concrete. We will learn how to remove them using familiar tools such as scrubbing brushes and common chemicals, like Hydrogen Peroxide and Muriatic Acid.
Table of Contents
What Is Bird Droppings and Why We Need to Remove Them?
Bird droppings are not actually white. Unlike mammals, birds do not have a separate excretory system for urine and feces, both of which are excreted via cloaca.
To minimize water loss, instead of converting waste into urea like mammals, bird droppings are converted to acids or guanines. The uric acid forms a white paste called urine, with dark brown feces in the middle.
The acid uric found in bird droppings can disintegrate the material used to construct buildings. Bird guano may harm concrete, marble, paint, and metals in this way. The consequence is more than simply unattractive stains. Water leakage can cause flooding as a result of the damage. Also, bird droppings are a severe problem for historic sites. The architecture of the property is usually legally protected and is valued for its aesthetic look. The continual influence of bird droppings on a monument or old church may diminish its life by years.
Besides, we have to remove bird poop from concrete because of the harmful health hazards they cause. According to Australia Work Safe, bird droppings contain the fungus Histoplasma and Chlamydia bacteria, causing a decrease in immunity if inhaled by humans.
They also contain bacteria that cause gastrointestinal diseases, which, in turn, lead to vomiting and diarrhea. The threat is minimal with small amounts of fresh excrement, however the risk goes up when there are heaps of concentrated, dried droppings. Therefore, we need to regularly clean dried bird poop off concrete.
Cleaning Small Amounts of Bird Droppings on Concrete Surface
To remove bird poop stains from concrete, apply the following method. The bird droppings are relatively new at this point, so they will be much easier to clean. You should prepare the following items and deal with them as quickly as possible:
- Dish soap
- Scrub brush
- Hose
Method:
- Step 1: Use a hose to wet the area with bird droppings. Cover part of the faucet with your finger to create a stronger spray.
- Step 2: Put dish soap in places with stains.
- Step 3: Use a brush to clean the stains.
- Step 4: Rinse the surface again with a hose.
You can also use a paper towel or rag to clean if you don’t want bird droppings to get into your yard. So, there you have it! You can enjoy a clean concrete surface again!
Removing Moderate Bird Droppings Off Concrete
If you are dealing with moderate bird feces stains, dishwashing liquid and scrubbing might not be enough. When you remove bird poop stains, do not forget to wear a mask because inhaling bird feces particles might cause respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses.
Before dealing with a moderate bird excrement stain, you should prepare a bit of muscle and the following tools:
- Hose or light-duty electric pressure washer
- Dish soap or specialized chemicals for cleaning concrete
- Scrub brush
Optional: Broom, sawdust, and dust bin
Method:
- Step 1: Use hose or light-duty electric pressure washer to wash off as much surface dirt as possible
- Step 2: Apply special soap or detergent to the area with bird droppings. Then, use a scrub brush to scrub the stains.
- Step 3: If the area is large, cover the area with a layer of sawdust and spare 10 minutes for the sawdust to absorb the feces.
- Step 4: Use a broom to clean the sawdust.
- Step 5: If the concrete surface is still not clean, repeat this process several times.
Stains Removal
After following the above steps, the bird droppings have been removed, but what about the stains? To remove residual stains, you need to prepare:
- Hydrogen Peroxide or special detergent for concrete
- Water tap
- Brush
Apply a moderate amount of Hydrogen Peroxide on the stains and let it sit for a few minutes. Then, use a strong scrub brush and clean with a hose. Hydrogen Peroxide has medical uses for disinfection and it acts as a mild industrial cleaner. You can easily find it at any drugstore.
Follow the instructions in this video to get rid of the stains!
Cleaning Major Bird Droppings Off Concrete
The birds have chosen your concrete yard or the sidewalk in front of your business to make a mess and you need to clean the droppings up as quickly as possible. In this case, when cleaning you need to wear a mask and protective gloves. You should prepare the following materials:
- Water spray or medium-duty/heavy-duty electric pressure washer
- Concrete cleaners or all-purpose cleaners
- Large scrub brush
- Sawdust
- Muriatic acid
- Broom
Method:
- Step 1: Use a water jet or medium/heavy-duty pressure washer to pre-wash the area. Make sure the area with bird droppings is wet before cleaning.
- Step 2: Use a large push brush to scrub vigorously for as long as possible.
- Step 3: Use a broom to sweep them away and put them in the trash because you don’t want the bird droppings back in your garden and killing your plants.
- Step 4: Rinse and repeat until clean.
If you have repeated it several times but still have not removed the stain, consider using a concrete cleaner or Muriatic Acid, which is also known as Hydrochloric Acid.
When using acid, you must dilute it. You should never add water to acid as it will cause a chemical reaction. The water will boil, splash, and possibly injure you. The usual ratio for mixing Muriatic Acid with water is 4:1.
Prepare the right amount of water to pour Muriatic Acid into. Then, apply the solution to the remaining stains on the concrete surface, wait until the stain begins to peel off and wash it off immediately. If you leave the acid on for too long it can damage the concrete surface.
There are specialized washing machines for concrete surfaces that are quite effective, but the cost will be higher. If cleaning is not routine on an industrial level, you should consider the methods we have mentioned above.
Interesting Myths: Bird Poops and Spiritual Meanings
According to folklore, when a bird poops on you, it is a signal from the gods that you should slow down, evaluate yourself and everything going on around you to have more faith and more contemplation about life.
Being defecated by a bird also means that you should cleanse your soul to accept new things. People who are defecated by birds may also be noticed by the gods because of their kindness and selflessness.
Conclusion
We hope this article is helpful in guiding you how to clean bird poop off concrete. We believe that there is no single best way to clean bird poop off concrete but it will depend on the abundance of bird droppings in the area to be cleaned to select the right solution.
For small amounts of bird droppings, we don’t need many chemicals whilst for large amounts of bird droppings, we need to add specialized cleaning chemicals and Muriatic Acid. After applying the above methods, please share with us the results!
Moreover, you also can refer to other topics that are related to birds:
- Reasons why birds poop on cars.
- Ways to stop birds from pooping on your car.
- Keep birds from pooping on my porch.
George and I became friends after a birdwatching trip with our new group. And we have been enjoying every adventure together. When he told me the idea of establishing a site that shares our experiences and fun, I immediately agreed. After trials and errors, here we have Thayerbirding.
