Bird Poop Clean Up Tips?

[swillmerchant]

The fall shad/blueback herring run is in full swing in Salem, MA, and following close behind comes the terns and the associated carpet bombing of our bimini, roof, and foredeck. :x Does anyone have any hints/advice to clean up the immense amount of poop that now resides atop our beloved tug? Scrubbing is not working very well for the chalky mounds covering the fiberglass, as yellowish stains remain. I will be purchasing bird deterrents today to minimize future devastation.

 

[Brian B]

I use a product called Barkeeper's Friend to remove stains in fiberglass and clean up the non skid areas as well. Lowes, HomeDepot as well as some grocery stores sell it. The liquid form in a plastic bottle is better on the boat compared to the powder form, costs about $3.00. Soft Scub may work also.

 

[knotflying]

I have used FSR (fiberglass Stain Remover) sold at West Marine. Perhaps Prism Polish may work. To deter the birds from my boat I run a line from the top of the mast to the back of the bimini with tin foil strips or old CD's (preferably country) and that has worked for me. Maybe just playing the country music will work also. :lol:

 

[swillmerchant]

Thanks for your help. I scrubbed her down today and then strung CD's from bow railing to mast, and then mast to the aft sports rack rail. A gullsweep will go on tomorrow, followed by a thorough scrubbing with Scotch Brite pads and some Barkeepers friend, Softscrub, and maybe even a Magic Eraser. I'm going to try everything to get her clean again and then take her for a good run about.

 

[swillmerchant]

Brian, you were right. Thanks for the tip! Barkeepers Friend worked very well, along with a LOT of elbow grease. We're keeping a bottle aboard for future occasions. The rails and roof look almost like new. The foredeck is tough due to the textured deck, so I'll have to find a better way to do that. I should have learned from looking around me in the mooring field - I just realized that all other power boats have some kind of bird deterrent (CD's, gull sweeps, owls, etc.). 😳

 

[Brian B]

Brian, you were right. Thanks for the tip! Barkeepers Friend worked very well, along with a LOT of elbow grease. We're keeping a bottle aboard for future occasions. The rails and roof look almost like new. The foredeck is tough due to the textured deck, so I'll have to find a better way to do that. I should have learned from looking around me in the mooring field - I just realized that all other power boats have some kind of bird deterrent (CD's, gull sweeps, owls, etc.). 😳

Barkeeper's will work on the foredeck nonskid also. Find a narrow stiff scrub brush and scrub away. Elbow grease is necessary on tough areas. I've been using this product for about 4 years now, best thing is that it's cheap.

 

[abcandjrc]

As a side note, Barkeeper's Friend is also very good for removing rust on "stainless steel". It has oxalic acid in it, which will dissolve iron oxide. For light staining, just use it on a scrubber and wipe off the rust. For heavy deposits like those that sometime occur near or on fastener heads and such, make a paste, apply it, and let it work for a while.