You look out the kitchen window on an August afternoon, and there it is: a colony of house flies taking up residence in your new red paint. Fortunately, you know that flies don’t have much of an ability to digest oils or fats, so the paint probably won’t be badly damaged. They can’t eat through the primer layer either. Unfortunately, their excretions are damaging the surface because they are leaving behind yellowish goo that has little to do with their digestion processes. You need to get rid of them as quickly as possible—and that means getting rid of their excrement so they leave your home and not your paint. Thankfully, it isn’t difficult to remove fly poop from paint if you know how to deal with it correctly.
What Causes Flies To Defecate On Paint?
There are two main reasons flies defecate on paint. The first is that the paint is warm and comfortable, so they land on it out of ease. The second is that the presence of food and water nearby encourages them to reproduce, and they lay their eggs in moist or slimy surfaces. In both cases, you need to remove any food and water sources and get rid of the flies to keep them off your paint. That said, house flies also like to lay their eggs on other things as well such as bread, fruit, and vegetables. So even if you remove the food sources, flies will still find a way to land on your paint. You need to remove the fly poop as soon as you see it.
How To Remove Fly Poop From Paint
The best way to remove fly poop from paint is to remove the flies and then wipe away their excrement. Unfortunately, you can’t use insecticides to kill the flies, because they will also damage the paint. You need to use other methods to get rid of the flies and then wipe away the excrement. The first step is to vacuum the flies and then make sure no more can land. That means removing any food and water sources, closing any open windows, and closing any doors leading outside. After that, you can clean the surface with a solution of ammonia and water. You don’t need to scrub or wash the surface, just wipe it down with a rag. You can also use vinegar or baking soda to neutralize the excrement.
Get Rid of The Flies
Before you can remove the flies, you need to get rid of them. The best way to do that is to trap them and then kill them. You can use a fly trap (bait trap) or a fly swatter to trap them or you can use a fly swatter to simply kill them. It isn’t easy to trap flies, but it is easier than trying to remove them from a large area. A fly trap works by attracting the flies with a light and then spraying a chemical that kills them. You light the light and then trap the flies inside. Once you have killed them, you can dispose of the trap and the dead flies. A fly swatter is easier, but it has the disadvantage of releasing the flies and their excrement into the air. You need to remove the excrement as quickly as possible to minimize the damage.
Use Baking Soda To Neutralize The Excrement
Baking soda is a mild alkaline that neutralizes the acidity of fly poop. As such, it can be used to clean up the excrement without causing damage to the paint. You can either use a sponge to wipe the paint clean or you can make a paste that you can apply to the surface. The baking soda neutralizes the acidity of the excrement so you can wipe it away. Note that baking soda also neutralizes the acidity of the paint, so you should avoid using it on delicate paints. It is ideal for paints such as latex that are very alkaline. If you want to use baking soda to clean the paint, make a paste with water that you can either use a sponge or washcloth to apply to both the paint and the excrement.
Use Vinegar To Neutralize The Excrement
Vinegar is also mild enough to clean up the excrement without damaging the paint. It is slightly acidic, so it neutralizes the alkaline excrement and lets you wipe it away. With both baking soda and vinegar, you need to let the mixture sit on the paint for a few minutes before wiping it away. This gives the mixture enough time to break down the excrement so you can wipe it away. Once again, vinegar is a mild acid that is ideal for latex paints. You can also use vinegar to clean the paint if you make a solution with water.
Conclusion
House flies breed rapidly, and their excrement can be difficult to remove from paint. Fortunately, it isn’t difficult to remove fly poop from paint if you know how to deal with it correctly. You need to remove the flies and then wipe away their excrement. You can trap the flies and kill them, or you can use other methods such as cleaning the paint with ammonia, vinegar, or baking soda. In any case, it is important to remove the flies and the excrement as quickly as possible to reduce the damage.