How to clean dried blood and bone from the car grill

Question

Sometimes I find dried blood, fur, and even bone in the grill of my car. This appears after drives through dark, forested areas with irregular speed bumps. Regular car soap does not remove the blood, especially if it has stained the chrome. Bits of bone also get stuck between metal and plastic body panels, which if not carefully removed could damage the finish, leaving bare metal exposed and possibly rust.

For removing the blood, I have tried high quality car soap, but the best solution that I have found is hartmanns solution. However, this is very difficult to acquire. Are there any other good solutions?

For removing bone from between body panels without damaging the finish, the best solution that I have found is to use a disposable plastic spoon as the spoon will not damage the finish. However, one cannot apply much force to the delicate disposable spoon, so I need something sturdier. For removing bone from the grill and radiator, a spray of water from the reverse side sometimes works. Might I damage the motor by spraying water with the hood open?

Answer 1

Dried blood can not easily be removed by general purpose soaps as it consists of rather firmly denaturized proteins designed for tightening wounds.

Glass cleaner

One known chemical dissolvent also capable of dissolving dried blood is ammonia, which is an ingredient of houshold glass cleaners. This makes it easily and widely available. Glass cleaners do come in a spray bottle to make application on a car grill easier. Nevertheless Ammonia only helps to soften the dried blood when soaked with it. We need some mechanical shrubbing in addition, best with a soft sponge or brush to not damage the chrome and varnish. Depending on the amount of blood it may also be sufficient to just spray water from a hose.

After the blood was removed we will likely get a much easier removal of other materials such a bone, hair or other body remnants, as they will be firmly attached by blood clots that act like glue here.

Meat tenderizers

In case we do not succeed with glass cleaner we can also add enzymes to ease dissolving the blood proteins. Such enzymes are found in laundry agents but we may get a much higher concentration of enzymes if we applied them directly. Powerful enzymes such as bromelain or papain are used in meat tenderizers. Therefore we can apply meat tenderizing powder on tenacious blood stains after soaking them.

Answer 2

The best cleaner for cured on blood and guts is glass cooktop cleaner. Apply with a damp sponge and gently rub while it does it’s thing

Answer 3

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide is commonly used to remove blood stains from clothing and should work equally well on your car. As far as I can tell it shouldn't damage the paint or finish of your car.

Spray or pour a generous amount on the blood stains and let sit for 5-10 minutes. It should come off relatively easily with a soft cloth or brush.