Drove from Chattanooga down to Destin, FL, this past Saturday for a convention for work. Hit the love bugs a couple of hours north of Destin. Windshield and front of van covered, wipers and washer fluid do almost nothing. Got gas in Destin last night and tried to wash them off with the washer/squeegee at the gas station. Can’t even tell I used anything. What’s the secret to getting the windshield clean?

The recomendation is dryer sheets. Wife had the same problem. Locals told her to use dryer sheets.

Yup. Dryer sheets, like Bounce.

We get them twice a year (love bugs, not dryer sheets), May and September.

Yep, third recommendation, wet the car and dryer sheets and then rub the bugs off, works great, no need for expensive bug-b-gone automotive cleaners.

Rinse, rub, rinse...

Thanks, will get some on the way back from dinner.

Mix peroxide and water 50-50, and squirt them with that first. Then dryer sheet wetted with the same solution. Usually come right off. The peroxide really makes them foam up if they are fresh. Be advised that this also removes any wax.

That's one thing I don't miss from living in South Florida...

Also common (without the name) in the Central Valley of CA. If you think it's fun cleaning them off your car, try a motorcycle helmet face shield.

 
After graduating from high school (1965), a buddy and myself took a trip from Austin TX to New Orleans to celebrate. All across southern LA we ran into those bugs. Stopped at a gas station to clean them off, and asked the owner what they were called. He said they called them "telephone bugs", because they say hello and hang up.

One thing I learned, clean the Love bugs off your car as soon as possible. The first time I encountered them I did not know better and waited a few weeks and it was to late.
By the time I cleaned them off they had damaged the clear coat on the paint.
I was from New Jersey and had never seen them before moving to Florida.

Dryer sheets worked as mentioned above.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGfourme:
The recomendation is dryer sheets. Wife had the same problem. Locals told her to use dryer sheets.

I gotta try that next time. Those stupid love bugs can get bad in Texas and you kill a million of them driving somewhere. Never heard about dryer sheets.

quote:

Originally posted by StorminNormin:

quote:

Originally posted by SIGfourme:

The recomendation is dryer sheets. Wife had the same problem. Locals told her to use dryer sheets.

I gotta try that next time. Those stupid love bugs can get bad in Texas and you kill a million of them driving somewhere. Never heard about dryer sheets.

They really do work.

Bounce dryer sheets also remove Tree Sap from your hands...

I live about 20 minutes north of Destin and I get the love bugs bad. I concur with dryer sheets as everyone has mentioned but with caution. Dryer sheets can be abrasive. I browse watch forums and a suggested method to remove AR coating from a watch crystal is to use dryer sheets.