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OK, I know this really isn't a Knoxville question; however, I know there are several of you here that are from or have lived in Florida.
That said, I went two weeks ago to visit my Mom in Florida. On the way there, as soon as we got to southern Georgia and then all through Florida we encountered these bugs. There were two of them, they were attached and they were creeping me out!!
My Mom said they were called "love bugs", that they only came out for a brief time in the spring and then right before fall. She said nothing eats them, they stink when you smash them and they stain your clothes if you smash them. Yikes!
Of course we had to wash our vehicle when we arrived in Florida at our destination and then when we got back home in Tennessee. I have never seen such a massive amount of bugs on cars or windshields in my life! There were so many hitting the windshield on the way home that it sounded like rain!
My question, now that I've shared a bit of background, is how in the world do I get the leftover 'death' stains off my windshield?? I tried the car wash; it got the vehicle clean but not the windshield. I tried Windex, which got a bit off but not all. I can't reach the very middle of the windshield, my arms aren't that long!!
Please please, share your secret...how do I get these leftover guts off my windshield??
If you ask in the FL or Louisiana forums I'm sure you'll get more help. Someone that I know lived in FL for 5 years and complained about them every year until he moved. If I remember correctly one of the "tricks" to removing them was using dryer sheets. Here's one of the first places I cam across when looking it up to see if there was a certain type or way to do it.
The WD-40 and dryer sheet have always worked for me. You can also buy a commercially available Bug & Tar remover. Love bugs are for sure a royal pain in the butt. If you leave the guts on the paint too long it will "eat" the finish.
WE get the Love Bugs here in Texas too. For the paint WD40 works great with a soft nylon bristle brush. For the windshield, plain ol' Coke and paper towel takes 'em right off.
Fill a bucket with hot water, soak a dish towel and hold it over the bugs for a minute (a bug scrubber sponge works even better). The heat and moisture will soften the bugs and they'll wipe right off. No need for chemicals.
Use denaturate. Cleans almost everything and is gone in seconds. Along with razor, as that scrapes everything off glass. When cleaned, Rain-X the heck out of your windows and keep it Rain-Xd routinely.
I am sort of surprised you claim being from Knoxville and not familiar with bugs. TN, where I lived for 6 years, will toss solid clouds of bugs out of nowhere at your windshield, to the point, car becomes inoperable. Regular bugs everywhere is a norm. Also, ask locals about 13 year bug run. That's something.
You can also look into 3M protective film for the car front/headlights. Better than eaten paint. See, bugs are full of organic acids and that eats into paint surely though slowly.
Those teflon safe scrub pads work well for bugs. I just use soap and water, then run the car through a regular car wash.
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