Not only do dirt, debris and grime make your car look filthy, bird droppings and tree sap can also add to it when you park it under the shade. Finding that sticky tree sap or pine pitch all over your car’s windows and paintwork is not only frustrating but removing it is more exhausting. This kind of grime and tree sap should be cleaned on an immediate basis; otherwise leaving it for days can make it more stubborn leading to the damage of your car’s exterior.
The Best Ways To Remove Sticky Tree Sap Off Your Car Paint
Here you might be wondering how you can remove sticky tree sap effortlessly and without damaging your car’s paint. Well take a sigh of relief as here we are going to discuss some of the best ways to get rid of those sticky residues from your car paint.
Nail Polish Remover
One of the handiest ways is nail polish remover. Yes, you have heard it right. Nail polish remover has a chemical formula that can weaken the affect of tree sap. You need to pour some nail polish remover onto a cotton ball and smear it on the sap. After doing it two to three times you will see that the sap is going away. Once it’s done, you can wash the car area using a mixture of baking soda and water. This will eliminate the further impact of nail paint remover on your car’s paint leaving it clean and shiny.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol also contains properties that aids in eradicating pine pitch from your car’s body. Pour some amount of rubbing alcohol on the sap using a cotton ball and let it rest for a few minutes. The rubbing alcohol will soon dissolve in the hard sap making it soft enough that you can later easily rub it off. Instead of rubbing alcohol you can also use bacon grease that will provide you a similar result.
Mineral Spirit
Besides nail polish remover and rubbing alcohol, mineral spirit is also helpful to remove sticky tree sap. To use it, you need to dip a soft cloth or cotton ball with mineral spirit and rub it on the sap. Don’t rub or scratch harshly as it may destroy the car’s paint so do it gently. Once it is wiped, you need to wash the area clean with water to remove small particles of leftover residue.
Commercial Car Cleaning Product
There are various commercial car cleaning products available in the market that work well for removing tough stains from the car. You can also keep one in your car’s dashboard to use it for tree sap removal.
Tar remover
Try remover is another amazing DIY solution that is often used for cleaning stubborn dirt, glue and smudge from car’s exterior. You need to apply tar remover thoroughly and gently to eradicate tree sap, dirt and oil stains.
Protecting Car’s Exterior Paint
Getting dirt, bird dropping or tree sap on your car is very likely to happen but it needs to be cleaned and washed regularly. As per auto experts, the acid found in droppings and sticky pine pitch can reach to car’s sealant in two days if left unclean. Particularly when your car is having more sunlight exposure, it will start damaging its paint.
What you need to do:
- Wash your car – As your car’s paint needs care and protection against heat, dust and sticky substances, you should wash it occasionally. For this, you can use a good quality car wash chemical and apply it with a foam pad applicator. Don’t use detergents and other household cleaning products as it can cause damage to car’s paintwork.
- Use paint sealant –A paint sealant really pays off in the long run. It protects your car from ultraviolet rays, acid rain and sticky substances. You can use it at least once or twice a year to protect your car paint. It will guard your car paint with a protective cover over it.
- Wax your car - Apart from pain sealant, you need to apply car wax over time. Using a good quality wax on your car’s exterior will act as another protective layer on its paintwork. You should wax your car once a month or week to keep its exterior shiny and clear.
- Synthetic coating – Another latest method to protect car’s exterior against bird droppings, tree sap and pine pitch is synthetic coating. Applying a ceramic or polymer coating on your car will provide amazing results over a long period.
- Use car cover – The best protection you can give your car against those sticky tree saps is covering its entire body. Using a good quality car cover made up of Sunbrella fabrics will not only protect it from dust tree saps but will also give UV protection.
- Park at right place–We often hear that parking your car under shade is good as it protects it against harmful sunlight but parking under trees like pines results in saps and pine pitch. Thus, instead of parking your car under a tree, you can look for a safe and shady place. Parking your car at a dedicated car parking spot will be more perfect.
Wrapping up
Instead of removing tree sap, being vigilant is more helpful. You need to consider the above tips to protect your car’s exterior paint for a long time. However, if you still have gotten some tree sap on your car, it’s not difficult to remove it. Try any of the above methods and enjoy seeing your beautiful shiny car clean once again.
