How to Remove Sap off a Car?
After you read this text and learn how to successfully remove sap off your car, make sure you watch our video, which will help you become equally successful in dealing with bird poop.
As is the case with bird poop, sap, which comes in many forms, some of which are edible and tasty and some of which are toxic, if not removed on time, quickly penetrates the paintwork of a car causing damages in the form of permanent marks, whose repairment doesn’t come cheap and requires, in most cases, the intervention of a professional car service.
Sap produces carbon dioxide and it’s essentially water mixed with hormones, sugars, minerals and nutrients from the tree. Depending on the type of tree, as well as the insects feasting on it and then secreting it in the form of honeydew, sap can become acidic, which speeds up its penetrating the paintwork of a car.
For the purpose of spotting the areas covered in sap, wash your car using a regular car cleaning liquid and warm water. Just like with bird poop, the key to removing sap simply and safely off your car is to soften it first: leave your car parked in the sun for about 10 minutes, so that the sap begins to melt, thus making itself easier to remove, and then wash it down using warm water, a double dose of car cleaning liquid and a soft cloth or a sponge.
For particularly hard and resilient type of sap, you have to use special removal products, available in auto cosmetics shops, which you spray onto the troublesome areas and then wipe off using a soft cloth, in accordance with the directions for use. In case you are not in a position to acquire a suitable product on time, there are different, more or less efficient alternatives, such as: medicinal alcohol (soak a piece of cotton wool, place it on the sap, leave it for a few minutes and wash it out), oil diluent (soak a piece of cotton wool and remove the sap using gentle movements), lock defrosting products (apply a few drops onto the sap, leave it for a few minutes and wipe it off), margarine or butter (apply a fat layer onto the sap, leave it for a while and wash it off) and edible oil (soak a cotton wool and leave it over night; in the morning, wipe off and wash out).
Avoid pressing hard or scraping in an attempt to remove sap more quickly, so as to eliminate the possibility of troublesome marks or paint scratches. If you don’t pick up everything at the first attempt, keep using the aforementioned methods until you get the desired result in the form of a sap-free car.
To finish it off, wash your car using a double dose of car cleaning liquid, not only to eliminate the possibility of marks in the places sap was removed from, but also to disinfect the car’s exterior. Using disposable gloves during the process, as well as washing your hands upon its completion is highly recommendable.
Car protection
Car waxing represents preventive form of car protection from the consequences of sap. It creates a protective layer between the paintwork and the “dropping“, which will buy you time, in case you’re not in a position to remove the “dropping“ momentarily.
The owners of cars with matte paint have to be careful and use special made products for matte paint car waxing, so as to not disturb the car’s exterior design by creating an unnatural shine on it.
We hope that you’ve found this article useful. For any questions, unknowns and suggestions you may have, please, feel free to contact us.
