Love Bugs and dryer sheets

[Irish2]

Yesterday we drove from Mayo, Florida to Mobile, Alabama and when we arrived the front of our 5er was covered in smashed Love Bugs. This morning I was out attempting to get them all off with elbow grease, liquid RV wash and a brush when the campground owner, Angela, came by and asked if I had ever used a dryer sheet to get the bug carnage of the front cap. Armed with a wet dryer sheet she started to do a demo on the front of our fifth wheel and amazingly the little critters just came off easily. Within 15 minutes the front of the fifth wheel was sparkling again. Dryer sheets, water, small circles and the wash off. First I heard of this. Thanks Angela of Relaxing RV Resort.

[2manytoyz]

Please do NOT USE PAM! A family friend sprayed the front of her BMW with Pam. It softened all the plastic, and made it sticky. Ruined the finish. I used a white terry cloth towel, and a little Armor All, but the top surface of the black plastic came off on the rag. The bumper/grill had a matte finish when the last of it came off. Very expensive lesson.

[Chiefcpo]

Look up lovebug.com good product

[Retired_JSO]

Irish2 wrote:
All great ideas! I am going to give the Pam trick a try as we head west tomorrow. Thank you all.

Don't leave it on when the heat is high. The Pam will cook onto the front of your truck, trailer and then you will really be Pi---d off. We still live here and I remove them every evening using a used dryer sheet and water. When on the road and the campground doesn't allow washing vehicles, I use a small bucket of water and a dryer sheet and remove them real easy.

[otrfun]

justme wrote:
X3 on the Dobie. Also I have seen some people squirt baby oil on their rig before travel and hose it off at destination. they claim it works great. I have never tried it but seems like a good idea.

Thin coat of vaseline works well, too. Probably take a few jars to cover a 5th wheel cap though--lol!

[tomkaren13]

Florida Love Bug seasons are May & September.

[bad99ram]

They just hatched in south Texas. After towing today, the front was covered. I used your tip with the dryer sheets and they came off with little effort. Well done, a great tip

[Murphsmom]

Allworth wrote:
google "University of Florida, Love Bug Research"

Thanks! Nope, we don't have them here. This time of year we see a lot of Box Elder bugs assuming the position, but they just crawl around most of the time, rather than flying while attached.

We do get occasional swarms of Mormon crickets that cause a traffic hazard when they migrate across roads.

[pcm1959]

I have used and agree the dryer sheet work but found it very messy requiring immediate rinsing of the dryer sheet residue.
For the last 3 years I use the Wash Wax All products and nothing else on my truck and RV. Their "scrubber" (similar to the Dobie) and with the Wash Wax All product easily removes the bugs while adding a layer of protection all at once with no water needed. A layer of the product makes bug removal easier to begin with.
Whatever one chooses to use, use it right away. The longer the bugs are on the finish the harder they are to remove PLUS they will damage the finish.

[justme]

X3 on the Dobie. Also I have seen some people squirt baby oil on their rig before travel and hose it off at destination. they claim it works great. I have never tried it but seems like a good idea.

[N-Trouble]

Tiger4x4RV wrote:
A dryer sheet will fit on a Swiffer, which makes reaching much easier. And yes, wet dryer sheets do remove bugs.

I've also tried dipping my soft RV wash brush into bug-removing windshield washer fluid and that works pretty well.

Whatever you use, be sure to rinse the cleaned surface thoroughly.

Great idea on the swiffer mop!

[Allworth]

google "University of Florida, Love Bug Research"

[Murphsmom]

OK...I'll bite. What are "love bugs"? I don't know that we have those here in Idaho. Maybe we do, but call them by another name?

[backlater]

We lived in Florida for over 50 years, the Dobie sponge works the best.
Just wet down the bugs, let sit, wet down again and scrub off with wet Dobie sponge and rise off.

[rockhillmanor]

2manytoyz wrote:
Love bugs are all too common in FL. The absolute best method I've tried, which did include dryer sheets, is a 3M Dobie cleaning pad. It's made to scour glass, and non stick cookware without scratching. I've been using these for over 20 years, and never damaged the clear coat or windshields on any of my vehicles. I keep one in all my vehicles, and another in the camper. They are available at Publix, etc.



A little soapy water, it removes ALL bug debris quickly, yet glides across the clear coat without scratching. It has a heavy duty nylon mesh on the outside. I've even tried automotive sponges with netting on the outside, which are an absolute waste of time.

X2 > on how to clean with the Dobie sponge.

GREAT picture of what those darn bugers look like all over a car. :B