Bug Remover Comparison Test

Todd@RUPES

Todd@RUPES

Just a regular guy
Bug Remover Comparison Test

The Subject: A Blue Toyota Tundra littered with 3 weeks of bug remains.

Products Tested:

Two of the products in this test, the Pinnacle SafeScrub Bug Sponge and Chemical Guys Bug Bugger are both used with agitation and are not sprayed on to the bugs or residue. The remaining products can be sprayed and allowed to soak, or sprayed and agitated. The goal was to test each product in each way to reveal as many unique attributes as possible.


Starting Condition:

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I started the test by tapping off each test section and laying the products out in front.

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From left-to-right, the starting condition of Pinnacle SafeScrub side.

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The starting condition of the Chemical Guy's Bug Bugger.

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The starting condition of Poorboy's Bug Squash.

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The starting condition of Dodo Juice Super Natural Tar & Glue Remover.

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The starting condition of Diamondite Bug Eraser.

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The starting condition of CarPro Tar-X.

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Test One- Test one was to test the non-agitated strength of the spray products by spraying each product on the bug covered paint and allowing to dwell for the length of time recommended per the instructions of each. For the non-spray products I simply used according to the directions. Note: Each of the products recommended spraying the paint with water prior to applying the product. In order to keep a maximum amount of residue on the surface and eliminate variables only a light stream of water was used to wet the surface and create the proper dilutions.

Test One: Pinnacle SafeScrub Bug Sponge.

The SafeScrub was allowed to soak in a solution of Pinnacle Body Shampoo and water for five minutes prior to use.

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An ample amount of soap solution was applied to the paint by squeezing the paint. Then the sponge was lightly rubbed across the paint. Approximately 30% of the bug remains were removed immediately. The sponge was rinsed in the wash bucket and then lightly rubbed across the paint again. The extra dwell time made a world of difference as almost all bug remains came off on the second wipe with no pressure.

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After rinsing clean.

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Test One: Chemicals Guys Bug Bugger

Chemical Guys directs to dilute 3 cap-fulls of Bug Bugger to 1 gallon of water then apply it with a sponge, applicator, or microfiber towel then rinse clean.

First dilute Bug Bugger into 1 gallon of water.

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I chose to use a general purpose microfiber, which was allowed to soak in the Bug Bugger solution for several minutes.

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Then the solution was lightly wiped across into the paint. The bug remains released quickly. After approximately 30 seconds of dwell time, a second wipe removed the remaining bug remains completely.

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After rinsing clean.

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Test One: Poor Boy's Bug Squash

Poor Boy's recommends applying Bug Squash straight up or diluted 1 part to 3 parts waters. For this test I applied it undiluted. They also recommend letting dwell for 30 seconds then agitating or rinsing off. In Test 1 I wanted to test each product with out agitation.

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A view of Poorboy's Bug Squash dwelling. It has lots of tiny suds and good clinging power.

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Rinsing revealed that most of the smaller remains were removed.

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Test One: Dodo Juice Supernatural Super Natural Tar & Glue Remover.

Dodo Juice doesn't have a recommended time to allow Supernatural Tar & Glue Remover to dwell, instead instructing to allow the product to saturate the residue. A thick coat was sprayed on and allowed to dwell from approximately 3 minutes.

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There was no suds but the Dodo Juice had really strong clinging ability with little running. It has a strong citrus smell.

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After rinsing clean.

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Test One: Diamondite Bug Eraser

Diamondite recommends letting Bug Eraser sit for 30 seconds before rinsing off.

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The sprayer on Diamondite delivers the most volume per spray, making it easy to coat the area quickly.

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Diamondite Bug Eraser creates the highest amount of suds although the solution tends to run off the paint.

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After rinsing clean.

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Test One: CarPro Tar-X

CarPro recommends allowing Tar-X dwell for 2-3 minutes for maximum effect. Tar-X has a strong citrus smell similar to Dodo Juice Supernatural Rubber & Tar Remover.

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The product sprays easy and covers evenly.

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The green tracers make it easy to see where Tar-X has been applied although it can be hard to distinguish on this blue paint. Tar-X quickly displaces the water around it and slowly slides down the paint.

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After rinsing completely.

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Test Two: For test two each of the products (minus the Pinnacle Bug Sponge and Chemical Guy's Bug Bugger which both required agitation) where agitated after being allowed to dwell for the amount of time on the directions.

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Then each product was rinsed off. Instead of showing pictures of a general purpose microfiber towel on each section lets jump to the final results.


Pinnacle SoftScrub Bug Sponge.

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Chemical Guy's Bug Bugger.

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Poorboy's Bug Squash.

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Diamondite Bug Eraser.

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Dodo Juice Supernatural Tar & Glue Remover.

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CarPro Tar-X.

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Final Notes by Product:


Pinnacle SoftScrub Bug Sponge- Removed the majority of bug remains quickly when the soap solution was allowed to dwell for just 20-30 seconds. Some tougher remains likely needed increased scrubbing (at the risk of marking the paint) or one of the chemical cleaners used in this thread.

Chemical Guys Bug Bugger- Removed the majority bugs on the first application. After being allowed to dwell for 30 seconds the remaining bugs came off with minimal effort. Extremely effective solution that requires mixing in a separate wash bucket.

Poorboy's Bug Squash- Good sudsing and clinging when applied to bug solution. It is much stronger when used with light agitation.

Dodo Juice Supernatural Glue & Tar Remover- Strong citrus based cleaner removed some fairly stubborn remains with out agitation. Lightly wiping with a microfiber quickly removed the remainder. Strong citrus smell.

Diamondite Eraser- Likely had the worse, most soiled area to work on. Was able to remove a lot of stubborn remains with out agitation although some was needed for complete removal. High suds action makes it easy to see where it has been applied.

CarPro Tar-X- This mild manner cleaner is easy to spot with its green tracers and strong smell. It definitely needs to be agitated, not only to remove the bug residue but also to rinse completely free.
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Great test, thanks for taking the time to put it together! It looks like I'm gonna have to pick up some of the supernatural cleaner!
 
Great write up, Todd. Do we get to hear which you prefer or any weaknesses? Sounds like all are effective, as would be expected. Any standouts?
 
Great review and write up Todd on these fine products, I myself been using Poorboy's Bug Squash for many years with the Safe Scrub Bug & Tar Pad.
 
Nice review Todd. I have been using PB's with decent results plus I had been using DG as well.
 
Thanks for the review.
I wonder how effective the CG stuff would be mixed in a spray bottle? Would save you having to mix it up in a separate bucket, which doesnt seem very practical unless you are doing several vehicles at a time. Would probably work better at allowing it to dwell a bit as well.
 
Always a bit concerned if a chemical is so strong that it doesn't need agitation. Looks like most did a decent job but from the pix I sense the Dodo Juice & Tar X with a little mustard added did a very nice job.
 
Nice review Todd! :bigups I have used the Poorboy's World Bug Squash and I really like it. Might have to give CG Bug Bugger a try. By the way, is that Jason's truck you're working on?
 
Very impressive. I have got to pick up one of the bug sponges for when I get the vehicles that have the bugs baked on. Thanks for taking the time to do such an extensive write up and nice job on the photography!
 
Dear Todd

Thanks for going to the trouble of doing this comparison and documenting and reporting your results.
 
Great review Todd.



Any of the above products + pressure washer = win!


...add Opti-Coat into the mix and it's win win! :D
 
Flannigan said:
Great test, thanks for taking the time to put it together! It looks like I'm gonna have to pick up some of the supernatural cleaner!
Click to expand...

It's a really unique product, let us know how you feel!

dwgcmc said:
Great write up, Todd. Do we get to hear which you prefer or any weaknesses? Sounds like all are effective, as would be expected. Any standouts?
Click to expand...

I didn't find any of the products to be week. The CarPro was a little more difficult to wipe off the paint because it seemed like the green 'tracers' adhered to the paint quickly. Ultimately, with agitation, they all worked great.

theamcguy said:
Looks to me like the Chemical Guys have a very nice product.
Click to expand...

Agreed, it worked extremely well!

CieraSL said:
Nice review Todd! :bigups I have used the Poorboy's World Bug Squash and I really like it. Might have to give CG Bug Bugger a try. By the way, is that Jason's truck you're working on?
Click to expand...

It could be.... :D

Dr Oldz said:
Very impressive. I have got to pick up one of the bug sponges for when I get the vehicles that have the bugs baked on. Thanks for taking the time to do such an extensive write up and nice job on the photography!
Click to expand...

Your very welcome!

Paul S said:
:inspector: So Todd after the test, which one is in your arsnel ?
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I currently have Tar-X, but I like to switch and try other products often. Anybody who has ever read my post history knows that I experiment. I am not sure which one I will migrate towards next.

Jaddie said:
Dear Todd

Thanks for going to the trouble of doing this comparison and documenting and reporting your results.
Click to expand...

Your very welcome!

RaskyR1 said:
Great review Todd.



Any of the above products + pressure washer = win!


...add Opti-Coat into the mix and it's win win! :D
Click to expand...

Thanks Chad!
 
Nice test Todd. I've used PB for a while now and I've been happy with it. I just got the bug sponge to try but haven't used it yet I have a sample of Tar X i need to try out also.

I like trying different stuff for bugs because I hate using too much agitation.
 
I've been using Bug Bugger for over a year now. I dilute it in a quart size sprayer with a foaming tip. After initial rinse, I foam the affected area and allow it to soak while washing the top of car, then wash the buggy area after that. I've never had a trace of guts left behind.

BTW, thanks Todd!...If that's what Max makes you do for a paycheck, you're way underpaid. :)
 
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