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?

Are you broadcasting blood/bone meal on your lawn when it's wet out? — J. Musser, Feb 12 '15 at 11:08
Presumably its from road kill - or the asker works in an abbatoir and parks too close, but it would be useful to know how its happening. — Bamboo, Feb 12 '15 at 12:34
I really hope you don't mean human blood and bones, in which case anyone who answers might end up arrested for assisting in man slaughter. — Shadow Wizard Love Zelda, Feb 12 '15 at 13:51

score 4 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 18 '20 at 08:33

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.

Thank you Takkat. Seeing as you mention the hair I see that we have similar driving habits! — dotancohen, Feb 12 '15 at 16:22
What is a "firmly denaturized protein"? I'm quite familiar with denatured proteins, but I'm not sure what "firmly" is intended to indicate. — electronpusher, Jan 16 '22 at 15:43

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 18 '18 at 22:40

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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

answered Aug 18 '18 at 22:40

Phillip

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score 1 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 18 '20 at 08:33

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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.

edited Jun 18 '20 at 08:33

Community

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answered Aug 22 '18 at 13:21

reffu

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I second the Hydrogen Peroxide solution. I have used this many times to clean blood out of clothing and other porous and non-porous substrates. Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is an oxidizer and reacts with the catalase in the blood. Once broken down, its easy to wipe off. SOURCE – Rob West Feb 25 '22 at 14:39

How to clean dried blood and bone from the car grill

3 Answers3

Glass cleaner

Meat tenderizers

Hydrogen Peroxide