If you have ever taken a road trip during summer you will understand why I say that bugs are a year-round nuisance. Seeking your car getting littered with plunking, tar, bug, and splatters is disheartening. Especially when your windshield wiper widespread the splatter instead of cleaning it.
So annoying!
I know how it feels as I have been there and I love my beautiful car job as much as you do. Hence I’ve come up with this guide after years of struggle and research regarding how to remove bug splatter and guts from the car.
These practical and efficient techniques will make your dream come true of driving squeaky clean and sparkly cars. Read further to know more about cleaning bugs from your car bumper.
How To Remove Bug Guts From Car
It’s a famous saying, that you can assume how much a person travels by seeing the condition of his car bumper, especially by the bug litter on the front. Also, we all know how daunting it can be to remove that sticky residue that does not go away even after going through a car wash.
The importance of preserving the paint job of your car by taking precautionary measures against bugs is as vital as cleaning them.
It’s not like you can stop bugs from crashing into your windshield but you can protect your car by applying a rich coat of wax and by removing the bug splatter as soon as you hit the garage instead of letting it get baked in the sun.
Things You Need To Know About Bug Splatter Removal
Before we dive deep into the best strategies to remove bugs from cars it’s vital to know about a few crucial aspects of bug splatter removal. Many people are not aware of the fact that bugs hold acidic fluids in them.
While trying to clean the bug splatters with basic PH-balanced car wash soap might not be an ideal choice. As it might require you to put in more arm grease while the results may not be great.
An efficient choice is to get the best bug and tar remover for cars that are alkaline based to neutralize the acidic concentration of bugs and to efficiently clear the paint job of your car without lots of effort.
Methods To Remove Bug Splatter From Your Car
Following is the step-by-step guide to removing stubborn bugs from your car to restore the shiny paint job of your car.
Wash Your Car
Before you adopt any method for bug removal it’s convenient to pretreat your car by washing it with your favorite or the best snow foam or car wash shampoo as it will eliminate the litter to some extent.
Use a soft towel or microfiber cloth to scrub and remove road grime, dirt, and other contaminants but make sure to be gentle when scrubbing. After that, rinse with water and dry your vehicle using a dry cloth or towel.
Use Detergent To Remove Bug Stains
Next, you should use some detergent to remove as much bug litter as you can. A good heavy-duty detergent can get the job done to some extent without damaging the clear coat or paint job.
Apply it onto the microfiber mitt and rub the surface as much as you can applying some arm grease. The chemicals from the detergents react with bug guts and it will help you clear your car surface to some extent.
Rinse with water and dry the surface using gentle gestures and a dry towel or car wash mitt.
Use Bug & Tar Remover
Using some alkaline-based bugs and tar remover can be a bit harsh on the paintwork of your car. Hence to minimize their contact with the car surface it’s beneficial to clean most of the bugs using a good detergent.
Now on those remaining stubborn bugs, you can use specialized bugs and tar remover. Spray it onto the affected area and let it dwell for a few minutes. The strong solution of the remover will dissolve the acidic nature of the bugs and it will be simple to remove them afterward.
Now after a few minutes start wiping off with a microfiber mitt and you will see all that baked stubborn bug guts and litter coming off from the surface of your car.
Apply Clear Coat Or Car Polish
At this stage, all the hard work is done and all you have to do is to restore that shiny appearance of your car. You can do that by applying some top-quality car polish or a clear coat that gives your car the glossy appearance that bug splatter has taken away.
But at this stage, if you still spot some bug guts that signifies that they have done severe damage to your car polish. Hence going for a new coat of polish would be the most reliable choice in this scenario.
In this regard, you can use any hybrid solution of the lowest intensity to give your car a sparkly shine that everyone envies. Continue to apply gently with a microfiber cloth on the affected areas unless you achieve that clean shiny appearance.
Create A Hydrophobic Barrier By Applying Wax
As you know you have polished your car, but a significant step remains which is to wax your car. Throughout the process of bug removal and using bug removal sprays containing harsh chemicals you have washed off all the wax from your car.
So it’s time for a new wax coating to create a hydrophobic barrier against bugs in the future while the wax will also make their removal easier in the long run.
So get a good quality wax and cover your car nicely. If you do not know how to wax your car, let us brief you about that as it’s not that complicated. Just apply a little wax onto the towel and rub it gently onto the surface. Make sure not to go overboard and only apply as much as necessary.
Let the wax dry on the surface for a few brief moments once you witness that it’s all dry you can start buffing it off with a clean towel and microfiber cloth. It will be done in a moment and you can breathe easy now as almost all the work is done.
How To Get Bugs Off Of A Car?
There are several ways, strategies and DIY techniques to remove bugs from your car and all of them are applicable and beneficial to some extent. But you will have to find a method that best suits you and bring maximum results for your vehicle.
Here we have mentioned a few reliable techniques of bug removal that will not only eliminate the bug guts and splatters from your car but also it will bring you the peace of mind that comes with a squeaky-clean car.
- Simple Water & Soap Solution
Often when the bug splatter is not engraved in your car’s clear coat and you had taken precautionary measures beforehand like a good wax coating or you have installed a bug deflector. It might not cause you that much effort or an expensive cleaning solution to clean your car.
And all you have to do in such a scenario is to get a bucket of warm water and add the best car wash soap to it, you can also use some dishwashing soap as it also works efficiently. Apply it onto the surface with a bug-cleaning sponge and keep scrubbing.
The soap will loosen the bug guts from your car and the scrubbing with a sponge will make it come off in no time.
Fascinating isn’t it? We all have never assumed it to be that simple but it does require some hard work in car protection that brings out fruit later.
- Use Baking Soda To Remove Bugs From Your Car
Using baking soda can also work wonders as it’s an efficient alkaline formula that substitutes soap or other cleaning chemicals. Just take a bucket of warm water, add four tablespoons of baking soda, stir and dunk a microfiber cloth into it.
Do not rub the dirty areas with bug guts with a microfiber cloth in a circular motion unless all the dirt comes off. It will also clean the dirt or that acidic bug residue effectively without lots of arm grease.
Wash off your car with a water hose and dry it with a microfiber cloth to get back that slick shiny appearance.
- Use WD40 To Remove Bug Splatters From Your Car
As WD40 signifies multi-purpose use, people think that it’s the alternative to all their automotive-related issues. But when talking about bug removal from cars, without any doubt we can consider WD40 as a good alternative to bug and tar cleaners.
WD40 can efficiently remove acidic bug splatters, guts, and other stubborn marks from your car without any damage to the surface. It can penetrate deep into the dirt to loosen it but be cautious with its use and try not to use it often on your car surface.
- Bugs Removing Using Oils
Do you know that you can remove those acidic bug guts from your car using oils? Yes, it’s possible and pretty much easy too but make sure to wash your car beforehand to remove as much dirt as possible before applying oil.
You can use any oil like baby oil, cooking oil, or even lamp oil in this regard. Spray a little onto the microfiber cloth and rub gently the affected area in a circular motion.
The bugs will come off from the surface onto the microfiber cloth. You can apply more oil if needed and repeat the process unless all the bugs come off. Then simply wash your car using soap water and let it dry to restore its shine.
- Use Dryer Sheets To Remove Bug Remains
Another efficient and reliable way of removing bug remains from the car is to use dryer sheets. Though its repetitive use can damage the surface or paint of your car, one or two uses won’t harm that much.
Regarding its usage, you will have to put one dryer sheet in a spray bottle and fill it up with water. Spray it into the dirt-loaded area and use the second dryer sheet to scrub the surface. Do it gently and make sure to not apply a lot of arm grease.
Keep repeating unless all the dirt and bug remains come off and bring you peace of mind.
- Use Magic Eraser To Remove Bugs
Ever heard of the term magic eraser? Yes, it is a thing and no doubt very effective too that can clean the acidic bugs residue from your car like magic.
All you have to do is to dunk it in water and rub the surface gently without exerting too much force. Make sure it’s fully wet otherwise the dry eraser can cause surface damage.
- Apply Bug Deflectors To Prevent Bug Splatters
Applying bug splatters on your car surface can also be a great idea as it will serve as a protective shield against bugs and it will make the future cleaning sessions of your car brief and more rewarding.
Apply a good-quality deflector onto the front bumper of your car, carefully following the instructions. And it will make all the bugs and other dirt that hit your car bumper sweep up over the surface and away.
Hence the next time you will be removing the bug splatters from your car the whole process will be super easy as a piece of cake.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Need any more information about bugs removal from the car surface or regarding the best bug or tar remover? Here we have answered a few significant queries that might be the answers you seek. Hence give the below-mentioned queries a read for a better understanding of the whole process of bug splatter removal.
Q.1. Does WD40 efficiently remove bugs from your car?
Yes, WD40 is an efficient all-purpose cleaner that can serve as the most reliable alternative to bugs and tar remover. WD40 penetrates deep into the dirt and bug remains and breaks their acidic bond making it easier to remove them from the surface. It will not only save you time but also money as you do not have to buy separate bug cleaners.
Q.2. Can dryer sheets efficiently remove bug guts from cars?
Yes, a dryer sheet can do a wonderful job in terms of bug and tar removal. We have mentioned a detailed process above but you can also simply wet the surface with water and scrub the surface with a dryer sheet gently unless the remains come off. Don’t apply too much pressure as you can risk damaging your car paint job.
Q.3. Does Vinegar remove bugs’ guts from cars?
Vinegar can serve as an efficient cleaning agent in terms of removing acidic bug residue from your car’s surface. Add vinegar to the warm water and dunk microfiber cloth into it. You can also spray it onto the surface and wipe it off with a towel. Ensure that you do not add vinegar in huge quantities as it will be too acidic for the car’s surface. Read More.
Q.4. Can I use Hydrogen Peroxide to remove tar and bugs from cars?
Yes, using hydrogen peroxide with a good bug-removing sponge can bring tremendous results. Spray the solution onto the sponge, and avoid directly spraying it onto the surface. And gently rub the bumper, windshield, or the affected area to clean off all the remains. You can also repeat the process if any residue remains unless your car is squeaky clean.
Q.5. Do bugs after the clear coat or paint job of a car?
The bug splatters, inspect innards, tree sap, road grime, and tar can severely damage your car’s clear coat and the paint. If the bug remains get dried on the surface acidic substances penetrate deep into the surface causing irreversible damage to the car. Bugs can also cause bacteria on the surface which is not an ideal situation for your paint job.
Final Words
Hope you have all the necessary details and techniques on how to remove bugs from your car without causing any damage to the surface. We have also tried to briefly mention the process of car cleaning after bugs removal to avoid any complications and we are hoping that our tested methods could serve a significant role in making your life easier and your car even cleaner and shiny! Peace Out.
