Test and guide: Which insect remover?

It’s particularly bad in spring and midsummer: both the windscreen and the front apron are extremely dirty with mosquitoes after long journeys on the motorway. They are difficult to get rid of at the self-service washing station, especially if they have been “burned in” by the sun for several days or weeks. The best way to get insects off the paintwork and glass is to drive through a car wash. Before the car wash, you should spray the insects with an insect remover and soak them. We tested three products for several months:

1st place: Michelin “Green Concept” insect remover (Amazon Link)

The Michelin Green Concept insect remover is still relatively new on the market and has a special unique selling point: it is mainly made from regenerative raw materials. It is sprayed on directly as a nice foam and should take effect for 2-5 minutes. We both rinsed it with a high-pressure hose (detailed test here on Motoreport) and used it in the car wash before washing: in both cases the result was very good. Almost all insects have been removed, something that car washes rarely manage to do on their own. With only 11 euros is the Michelin insect remover not only the best, but also relatively cheap.

2nd place: Alclear insect remover (amazon link)

With its special composition, the Alclear insect remover removes protein residues so that they can then be easily removed with a garden hose and cleaning cloth or, more simply, with a steam jet. To avoid streaks, it is important to always rinse with plenty of water. Alclear’s insect remover can also be added to the windshield washer fluid to prevent chitin residue from accumulating in the first place. After the application, we had a good view through the windshield again and the front apron was also easy to clean. Price: Barely €12 for a liter.

3rd place: Surf City Garage Road Trip Grime Destroyer (Amazon Link)

Meguiars and Surf City Garage are two American professional brands that we also recommend for professional car washing by hand. The Road Trip Grime Destroyer is included almost 20 euros By far the most expensive product in our test, but not quite as effective as the Michelin spray. The Grime Destroyer is sprayed on as a gel, which turns into a foam when rinsed off after a few minutes. It should also be suitable for removing tar residues and other dirt particles, for example.

4th place: Sonax Insect Remover (Amazon Link)

The Sonax insect remover does not smell particularly good, is applied thinly to the dirt and has to soak briefly. You can then rinse it off with a high-pressure hose, for example. Of our three products, however, the Sonax Insect Remover had the weakest effect. The spray bottles themselves are also made by Surf City Garage and Michelin to a much higher quality and are more stable. At 8 euros, however, it is the cheapest in the test.

It is better to clean the windscreen with windscreen spray!

The sprays shown here are suitable for removing dead flies from paint or glass, but they do not leave a clear view of the windshield. For this we recommend the window cleaner from Meguiars, which has served us well for years. The Perfect Clarity Glass Cleaner, 473 ml has also been enough for many years, since only a few sprays are needed per windshield. It also leaves a fine layer that allows water to roll off for a while when it first rains.