Remove Bugs From Your Grille With These Tips
Posted on: 13 April 2017
Cleaning bugs from your car's exterior can be difficult, but it can be even harder when the bugs are smashed into the grille on the front of your vehicle. Try these tips to remove caked-on bugs.
Start With a Commercial Bug Cleaner
For the best results, start with a commercial bug cleaner. Spray this liberally on your grille or any other areas of your car that have bugs caked on. The spray will moisten the bugs, making it easier to remove them. Alternatively, you can also use a product like WD40.
Use a Bug Sponge
Just as there are special cleaners, there are also special bug sponges. These are similar to a kitchen sponge with an abrasive pad on one side. Start moving the sponge gently around the bugs to remove them. Don't use steel wool as it may scratch the car's paint or the grille.
Try a Bottle Cleaner
If you find it difficult to get the sponge inside the gridwork of your vehicle's grill, you may want to try a bottle cleaner. These brushes are designed to get inside of baby bottles, but they can also work between the parts of your grille. Similar tools that can also work include cleaning brushes for saxophones and clarinets.
Use a Fabric Softener Sheet
If you don't have any cleaners or special brushes on hand, you can spot clean bugs with a fabric softener sheet. Wet the sheet — that brings out the liquid fabric softener on the dryer sheet. Then, rub it over the part of your car that needs cleaning. Only use this approach on grilles with gridwork patterns. If you use a fabric softener on a mesh grille, the mesh may rip the sheet and fragments of it may get caught in the mesh.
Remove the Grille and Soak
In some cases, you can remove the grille on your vehicle. It's often easier to remove aftermarket grilles than original manufacturer's grilles. Once you have the grille removed, soak it in a solution of water and bug cleaner or another type of cleaner designed for use on metal. When the bugs are fully moistened, they will be easy to remove.
Don't Use a Power Washer
Although a power washer may seem like a tempting solution to your bug issue, you shouldn't use a power washer on your grille (unless you have removed it first). The grille is designed to protect your motor and shooting water at high velocity through it may lead to damage.
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