Poorboy`s World Bug Squash
- Thread starter Fskof
- Start date
SGM2008
New member
I use it at the suggested dilution rate of 3:1 with great results and no, it doesn’t come with a sprayer.
briarpatch
New member
TroyScherer
Ummm.... Ya.....
The 16oz bottle I ordered was a concentrate so it doesn’t come with a sprayer or the mixing bottle. I grabbed an extra I had used it.
For my coated vehicles i am actually using it at 4:1 and even 6:1. I find if I stay up on it the need for stronger dilutions is not as needed and then my bottle lasts much longer. In fact based on that I don’t see the need to ever buy more than a 16oz bottle since it went all of last season and is still over half full.
Fskof:
As briarpatch has suggested, the sprayer nozzle and the dilution ratio (water to product) make a big difference in how much Bug Squash is used. I use it at 3:1, but 4:1 might be OK if the bug splat is not heavy or baked on (IE, it has not been there for a week in the hot Wisconsin sun. Grasshoppers are the worst! That splatter WILL etch your front bumper/grill and hood paint. Or if you live near Lake Winnebago or the Bay of Green Bay, a lake/bay fly mid-spring hatch that you drive through. Or ANY insect hatch by Wisconsin`s waterways!)
Let it dwell (2 or 3 minutes) on bug splatter, but I would not suggest doing this in the hot sun, even though Poor Boy`s World products are "designed" to be used in the sun. I use a bug pad to help "rub off" the bugs, but some say they are too abrasive and will scratch your paint, which it will do it you rub too hard. But then that is why you are using Bug Squash, so you will not have to!
I would suggest to buy a gallon of it. Depending on how many vehicles you wash or how frequently you wash your own, you`ll find yourself using this product with EVERY late-spring/summer/early fall vehicle wash. You know what bugs are like in Wisconsin, as mentioned above. Cannot wait for spring`s warm weather, until the bugs come out; then cannot wait for fall`s first hard frost to kill them!! Edit: PLUS, I am sure your friends and family will be asking for "samples" of this product that works so well on bugs, so you`ll need a "little more" to go around and share (or if you are the entrepreneurial type, to trade for venison jerky or a "limited edition" micro-brewed beer with them. Hey, nothin` is FREE.)
I would suggest a good chemical-resistant nozzle, but one that is NOT a high volume. Do NOT use the nozzle from a Spray Master bottle. I bought these from Mills Fleet Farm (you know the store, since your are in Wisconsin) but they spray WAY too much product. Bottle is OK, the nozzle is not, especially if you use it with an acid-type wheel cleaner; it gets eaten alive and will not last. This is the one I suggest from the Autopia Store:
https://www.autopia-carcare.com/chemical-resistant-trigger-sprayer.html#.XMMKNTBKj3ghttps:/
OR
https://www.autopia-carcare.com/acid-resistant-sprayer.html#.XMMKeDBKj3h
Another suggestion: keep the a small spray bottle of this product mixed 3:1 in your vehicle for use on the front windshield when you fill up your vehicle with gas and use the gas station`s bug squeegee to clean off the front windshield (or headlight covers if they get heavily splattered) between vehicle washes. Makes it a lot easier to remove that bug splatter.
As briarpatch has suggested, the sprayer nozzle and the dilution ratio (water to product) make a big difference in how much Bug Squash is used. I use it at 3:1, but 4:1 might be OK if the bug splat is not heavy or baked on (IE, it has not been there for a week in the hot Wisconsin sun. Grasshoppers are the worst! That splatter WILL etch your front bumper/grill and hood paint. Or if you live near Lake Winnebago or the Bay of Green Bay, a lake/bay fly mid-spring hatch that you drive through. Or ANY insect hatch by Wisconsin`s waterways!)
Let it dwell (2 or 3 minutes) on bug splatter, but I would not suggest doing this in the hot sun, even though Poor Boy`s World products are "designed" to be used in the sun. I use a bug pad to help "rub off" the bugs, but some say they are too abrasive and will scratch your paint, which it will do it you rub too hard. But then that is why you are using Bug Squash, so you will not have to!
I would suggest to buy a gallon of it. Depending on how many vehicles you wash or how frequently you wash your own, you`ll find yourself using this product with EVERY late-spring/summer/early fall vehicle wash. You know what bugs are like in Wisconsin, as mentioned above. Cannot wait for spring`s warm weather, until the bugs come out; then cannot wait for fall`s first hard frost to kill them!! Edit: PLUS, I am sure your friends and family will be asking for "samples" of this product that works so well on bugs, so you`ll need a "little more" to go around and share (or if you are the entrepreneurial type, to trade for venison jerky or a "limited edition" micro-brewed beer with them. Hey, nothin` is FREE.)
I would suggest a good chemical-resistant nozzle, but one that is NOT a high volume. Do NOT use the nozzle from a Spray Master bottle. I bought these from Mills Fleet Farm (you know the store, since your are in Wisconsin) but they spray WAY too much product. Bottle is OK, the nozzle is not, especially if you use it with an acid-type wheel cleaner; it gets eaten alive and will not last. This is the one I suggest from the Autopia Store:
https://www.autopia-carcare.com/chemical-resistant-trigger-sprayer.html#.XMMKNTBKj3ghttps:/
OR
https://www.autopia-carcare.com/acid-resistant-sprayer.html#.XMMKeDBKj3h
Another suggestion: keep the a small spray bottle of this product mixed 3:1 in your vehicle for use on the front windshield when you fill up your vehicle with gas and use the gas station`s bug squeegee to clean off the front windshield (or headlight covers if they get heavily splattered) between vehicle washes. Makes it a lot easier to remove that bug splatter.
nickclark08
New member
I use it at 4:1 - works great as a pre-wash too. I just re-purposed a Windex bottle (I`m cheap) - which I guess is in the spirit of PB products 
EDIT - Lonnie has some great tips, and forgot to mention the mesh MF bug towels are a god-send as well. Add a splash or two to the windshield washer fluid reservoir to get some extra cleaning power during bug season.
EDIT - Lonnie has some great tips, and forgot to mention the mesh MF bug towels are a god-send as well. Add a splash or two to the windshield washer fluid reservoir to get some extra cleaning power during bug season.
Oneheadlite
New member
Thanks Fskof for posting, I’ve been searching history for more info on bug Squash as I just picked some up.
Thanks all for the info on dilution ratios.
Does this work well as a post-winter road grime cutting presoak?
My daily’s still in a sad road warrior state as all my free time has gone to cleaning up the Mrs’ car. It’s (still) due for a full correction, but I just haven’t been able to get the time to dedicate to it. Current plan is to do a thorough decontamination wash/mitt and hit it with a coat of something slippery to get me by until I have a weekend to set aside to do it right.
Originally I was going to go with the Griot’s Surface Prep foam, but I can’t bring myself to buy a gallon of the stuff (I’d have a supply to pass down to my grand kids based on how fast I go through the regular surface wash...). Also too antsy to wait for the 35oz bottles to come out, so I grabbed a bottle of the Poorboys.
With the Bug Squash, What ratio do you have to start worrying about it affecting sealants/light Sio2 products? I know that question is largely dependent on the LSP; a generalization is just fine.
Thanks all for the info on dilution ratios.
Does this work well as a post-winter road grime cutting presoak?
My daily’s still in a sad road warrior state as all my free time has gone to cleaning up the Mrs’ car. It’s (still) due for a full correction, but I just haven’t been able to get the time to dedicate to it. Current plan is to do a thorough decontamination wash/mitt and hit it with a coat of something slippery to get me by until I have a weekend to set aside to do it right.
Originally I was going to go with the Griot’s Surface Prep foam, but I can’t bring myself to buy a gallon of the stuff (I’d have a supply to pass down to my grand kids based on how fast I go through the regular surface wash...). Also too antsy to wait for the 35oz bottles to come out, so I grabbed a bottle of the Poorboys.
With the Bug Squash, What ratio do you have to start worrying about it affecting sealants/light Sio2 products? I know that question is largely dependent on the LSP; a generalization is just fine.
nickclark08
New member
3:1 is max "safe" for LSPs... I would look at that as an upper limit IME. Even at 3:1 (3 water :1 BS), I`ve noticed some degredation on SiO2 products like Hydro Blue.
I live in TX so no comment on Winter grime / salt, but does the trick on cutting through grime and film after driving in the rain, etc.
I live in TX so no comment on Winter grime / salt, but does the trick on cutting through grime and film after driving in the rain, etc.
Desertnate
Active member
When I still used sealants, I would notice bug squash would slightly degrade the LSP if I had to use it heavily. In those cases I`d simply hit the area with a spray wax after washing. Now that I`m using coatings I don`t see any effect at all.
ShaneB
New member
For maintenance of a protected vehicle I use 3:1, and that`s only if really necessary as a pressure washer will get most fresh bugs off pretty effortlessly from my experience
most of my work is a clean slate detail so im not worried about any LSP. I use it straight when theres a lot of bugs and they pressure wash right off after soaking for 3-5 mins. I try to get as much crap off a vehicle without touching it so this works well for me. I could probably be a little more economical and use a bug sponge or special towel or whatever, but that`s just more work. Id rather spend a few extra pennies on something that will allow me to work smarter not harder
most of my work is a clean slate detail so im not worried about any LSP. I use it straight when theres a lot of bugs and they pressure wash right off after soaking for 3-5 mins. I try to get as much crap off a vehicle without touching it so this works well for me. I could probably be a little more economical and use a bug sponge or special towel or whatever, but that`s just more work. Id rather spend a few extra pennies on something that will allow me to work smarter not harder
Accumulator
Well-known member
Has anybody even used a Bug Sponge that did *NOT* mar autopaint? I`ve CD-tested a few (seemingly identical, but who knows?) different ones and *every single one of them* marred, visible without magnification too.
[INSERT acknowledgement of CD-test`s imperfection HERE but it`s better than nothing and IME errs on the side of caution]
Others I know have used them, and said "no problems!", but when I looked at their cars, well....no thanks.
I do use them on windshields, almost daily during the summer, but never paint.
[INSERT acknowledgement of CD-test`s imperfection HERE but it`s better than nothing and IME errs on the side of caution]
Others I know have used them, and said "no problems!", but when I looked at their cars, well....no thanks.
I do use them on windshields, almost daily during the summer, but never paint.
briarpatch
New member
I`ve always avoided then for the same reason......just the word `scrubber` made me cringe
Accumulator
Well-known member
They are great for windshields though.
Accumulator:
I agree they are great for windshields to remove bugs, but glass IS much harder than clear coat (REALLY, Captain Obvious?). I still use them on from bumpers/fascias of vehicles. Even with Bug Squash, our Wisconsin grasshoppers that end up on such vehicle surfaces during a hot summer day bake onto those surfaces and are extremely difficult to "abrade" off, hence my use of a bug pad during a 2-bucket wash before they etch the clear coat. I`ll deal with minor swirls: etching I cannot.
As a side note, I have seen vehicle owners literally wash their entire front fascias of their vehicle with the bug squeegee at gas stations while they fill up to remove such bug splatter. Those things are quite nasty, as is the bug juice/water mixture in those buckets. Cannot imagine how many swirls and such they impart to their vehicle. It is even worse during a bay/lake fly hatch in mid-spring (see above post). I do not make snide remarks about doing that like "Hey friend, there ARE automatic car washes for that!", as we live in a state where EVERYONE hunts and carries guns, hence my better judgment of silence to maintain my personal safety. (AKA, life)
"You might be a Red Neck if you wash your entire truck with the gas station bug squeegee", according Jeff Foxworthy.
I agree they are great for windshields to remove bugs, but glass IS much harder than clear coat (REALLY, Captain Obvious?). I still use them on from bumpers/fascias of vehicles. Even with Bug Squash, our Wisconsin grasshoppers that end up on such vehicle surfaces during a hot summer day bake onto those surfaces and are extremely difficult to "abrade" off, hence my use of a bug pad during a 2-bucket wash before they etch the clear coat. I`ll deal with minor swirls: etching I cannot.
As a side note, I have seen vehicle owners literally wash their entire front fascias of their vehicle with the bug squeegee at gas stations while they fill up to remove such bug splatter. Those things are quite nasty, as is the bug juice/water mixture in those buckets. Cannot imagine how many swirls and such they impart to their vehicle. It is even worse during a bay/lake fly hatch in mid-spring (see above post). I do not make snide remarks about doing that like "Hey friend, there ARE automatic car washes for that!", as we live in a state where EVERYONE hunts and carries guns, hence my better judgment of silence to maintain my personal safety. (AKA, life)
"You might be a Red Neck if you wash your entire truck with the gas station bug squeegee", according Jeff Foxworthy.
Desertnate
Active member
I`ve used the hard yellow bug scrubbers/bug sponges for years now, but I`ve not noticed any marring of the paint. When I do use them, it`s after an application of Bug Squash which has hopefully softened everything. I`ll simply run them over the surface without any real pressure and always after being soaked in my wash bucket to add some lubrication from the wash soap.
My big complaint was they would always break down after a season or two, so this year I`m trying the bug sponge from SONAX. We`ll see how it holds up.
My wife`s job takes her through the corn fields of south easter Illinois. The volume of bugs is ferocious, and there is no way I`d get them all off the front of her car without a bug scrubber of some sort. Ditto for my car when it road trips anywhere in this area. There are times when I have to pull over at a gas station and wash my windshield because the bugs are so bad I can barely see.
My big complaint was they would always break down after a season or two, so this year I`m trying the bug sponge from SONAX. We`ll see how it holds up.
My wife`s job takes her through the corn fields of south easter Illinois. The volume of bugs is ferocious, and there is no way I`d get them all off the front of her car without a bug scrubber of some sort. Ditto for my car when it road trips anywhere in this area. There are times when I have to pull over at a gas station and wash my windshield because the bugs are so bad I can barely see.
Accumulator
Well-known member
I still find my avoidance of bug-issues really odd, but I`m sure not complaining! I mean..gee, we travel all over in our vehicles and they do indeed get plastered with bugs during the summer. It was a terrible issue with UPP, and/but I figured it was just a [crappy] LSP.
Lonnie- Heh heh, I quit caring what others do to their vehicles a looong time ago
And I kinda figure that anybody who makes snide remarks to strangers might get the Darwinism lesson he deserves As the man said, "an armed society is a polite society".
Wonder what makes your grasshoppers so much worse than ours?!? I can`t be correcting anything much any more or I`ll be having things fixed with a paintgun, so I guess I`ll just count my blessings.
Desertnate- Yikes, sounds like they`re just awful in your area too!
That`s interesting that you don`t get marring from `em, mine (Pinnacle, forget the other brandname but I suspect they`re as identical as they appear) marred up the CD something awful, could see it with my naked eye.
I got a "Bug MF" as a freebie from, uhm....somebody...and it works fine with a little 1Z Anti-Insekt. Just gotta watch I don`t let the 1Z dwell too long or I"ll be reLSPing.
Lonnie- Heh heh, I quit caring what others do to their vehicles a looong time ago
And I kinda figure that anybody who makes snide remarks to strangers might get the Darwinism lesson he deserves As the man said, "an armed society is a polite society".Wonder what makes your grasshoppers so much worse than ours?!? I can`t be correcting anything much any more or I`ll be having things fixed with a paintgun, so I guess I`ll just count my blessings.
Desertnate- Yikes, sounds like they`re just awful in your area too!
That`s interesting that you don`t get marring from `em, mine (Pinnacle, forget the other brandname but I suspect they`re as identical as they appear) marred up the CD something awful, could see it with my naked eye.
I got a "Bug MF" as a freebie from, uhm....somebody...and it works fine with a little 1Z Anti-Insekt. Just gotta watch I don`t let the 1Z dwell too long or I"ll be reLSPing.
holland_patrick
New member
Ahh... Bug Squash
I am a HUGE fan of this for all the above.. And to the person who asked about the winter salt removal... Yes, it does help with that aspect of winter driving..
I use it some were between 1:2-1:4 demending how much is in the bottle as I fill up from the 5-gallon Jug I get (yes I like it that much)
I use a Bg MF and it works great. I also work for an ambulance company who uses it for their bug removal.
I`ve tried others.. But this stuff just works
I am a HUGE fan of this for all the above.. And to the person who asked about the winter salt removal... Yes, it does help with that aspect of winter driving..
I use it some were between 1:2-1:4 demending how much is in the bottle as I fill up from the 5-gallon Jug I get (yes I like it that much)
I use a Bg MF and it works great. I also work for an ambulance company who uses it for their bug removal.
I`ve tried others.. But this stuff just works
WaxAddict
New member
I use Bug Squash as a road film remover, 4 or 5 to 1. Rinse the car, then use all over the side panels. Dwell, and rinse. It helps to loosen gunk before that first swipe of the mitt.