Cheap way of getting rid of tree sap on your car

(if you're in a hurry, scroll to the bottom to find out how)

That's right. Summer season is upon us, which means tree sap is dangerous for any shiny car haphazardly parked under a tree.

Today, visiting a field office, I made that mistake by parking in the visitor's parking lot, right under a tree.

It the afternoon, as I walked around my car to get in, I noticed that the entire top of my car seem to have been splattered by something wet. Upon closer inspection, the spots were a bit gummy and impossible to remove.

I got in my car, tried the windshield fluid on the spots on the windshield to no avail. I finally decided to ignore it for the major washing and detailing I had planned for this weekend.

But, while sitting on my couch watching TV, I began to worry about the spots being permanent. I had remembered at some point a car enthusiast on TV yelling about the dangers of tree sap to car paint, so I tried that on Google.

Viola! The first link for tree sap removal brought me confirmation that tree sap was the problem and the solutions. They ranged from almond mayonnaise to WD40. Apparentally, people had tried everything.

But finally, I found one solution that everyone agree would work and had no negative remarks about: basic rubbing alcohol (70%). I did as suggested and poured some on a clean cloth and wiped it on a small spot. It disappeared immediately. I then spent the next 15 minutes pouring rubbing alcohol on my car and wiping. Now its all gone with no damage to the paint!

As it turns out, rather than buying some expensive specialty remover or going to a professional carwash, the solution, rubbing alcohol, was in my apartment already.