Love Bug Splatter on Your Car

If you have traveled south of Birmingham during certain weeks in the Spring and Fall, you may have ended up with a lot of bug splatter from “Love Bugs” – the insect, not the car. They usually hit me south of Montgomery.

You might think this is no big deal. Surely it will come off the next time you wash your car. But guess again. This stuff is not easy to get off your car, especially if you leave it your car on for several days.

I’ve researched and personally tested how to deal with this and here is what I’ve learned:

1. The sooner you follow these steps after getting splattered, the easier it is to remove the leftovers.
2. Start with a bucket of hot water and plenty of mild dishwashing detergent. I’ve used Dawn and it hasn’t caused any problems with the finish on my car.
3. Hose down your car in the areas affected. This is usually the front end, grill, headlights, windshield and the back of your side mirrors.
4. Dip you sponge or towel into the hot water/detergent mix and rub down the affected areas. You don’t have to scrub but make sure the splatter is wet and soapy.
5. Give the soapy water a few minutes to loosen.
6. Using a moist dryer sheet, rub the splatter spots until they melt away. The fresher the splatter, the less you will have to rub.
7. Wash the affected areas with what is now warm soapy water and rinse again to remove the soap and splatter. While you’re at it, go ahead and wash the rest of your car because you will find other residues that will come off using this formula.