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Cleaning Bugs with Hydrogen Peroxide Solution?

Dan Langhout

Well Known Member
Continuing to look for better ways to clean the inevitable bug mess off of leading edges, prop blades and, well . . . practically everywhere. Apparently, a common thing the motorcycle and car crowd uses is a diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide - typically 2% or 3% further diluted by mixing it 50/50 with water in a spray bottle. Foams up and dissolves the bug matter. I gave it a limited try after the last flight and it appears to work great! Much better than other products I've used.

Question is - does anyone know of a reason NOT to use this (any chemists out there)?

EDIT: Based on the FAA study (see post 8 below) there doesn't appear to be any real reason not to use H2O2 on aircraft. My experience so far has been very positive - pretty much spray on and wipe off. I have the solution in an opaque spray bottle since H2O2 likes to be stored in the dark. And, although this was not really an original objective, this stuff is CHEAP! I believe I am going to continue using it for awhile at least - we'll see how it goes.
 
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if it's bare alum you may consider hydrogen embrittlement but I don't think it is a problem for what you are doing but definitely keep it away from any steel.... like landing gear.
 
just someting.

Everyone does there own thing and that is us too. We have found that the aircraft friendly Simple Green, "cut with a little water" sprayed on and let sit for a few seconds "maybe 20-30" works well. Sometimes you use your finger nail a little, but if you let it soak just a bit the bugs come right off.
Just want we have found so far. Yours, R.E.A. III # 80888
 
Usefull cleaning product

About 5 years ago a gentleman in Mississippi told me about a product sold by HONDA called "Spray Cleaner & Polish". He used it on his motorcycles for decades. I started using it on the plane and it works great! I walk around the aircraft spraying it on the bugs and by the time I get all the way around I start wiping with a cotton cloth and the airplane is clean and shiny, like it was waxed. I've tried several expensive dry wash products from Spruce and this stuff works much better at a more reasonable cost. Bugs on prop wipe off like cleaning water droplets off a wing once they have been sprayed and soak for 2 or 3 minutes. The more I use it the easier the plane is to clean and wipe down after each flight.
 
I have flown and cared for several show type planes and just plain water works fine for bugs if you do it relatively soon after flying.
Spray it on or soak a rag and run it down the leading edge. Give it a second to soak in to the bug guts and then wipe it off with a soft rag.
Never heard of adding H2O2.
Do what we used to do when testing a new cleaner. Pour some in a bottle, cut a square of aluminum then suspend it in the solution for a month. Pull it out and see if it attacked the metal.
 
Be careful

Be VERY careful which Simple Green you choose. The regular simple green is NOT compatible with aluminum...
 
FAA Document

I may have answered my own question. Found an FAA document:
"Evaluation of the Effects of Hydrogen
Peroxide on Common Aviation
Structural Materials"
from 2009. Basic conclusion is that it does not affect any of the aluminium or stainless parts. I does have some effect on carbon fiber and FRP if soaked for extended periods of time (168 hrs). The testing was being done with 35% Hydrogen Peroxide - so I suspect my wimpy 1.5% or so bug solution applied with a spray bottle is a non issue. In any case, I am applying mine to polyurethane clear coat which appears to be completely impervious to it. Sure does a great job melting away those bugs!
 
I have found that the absolute very best chemical for removing dried on bugs is good old Dawn dish soap mixed with water. Apply liberally to the bugs, then wait a couple minutes for them to get soft. Then just wipe off the bugs with a microfiber cloth.
 
If you have protected your paint with a good product, all you need to remove dirt and bugs is water and a terry cloth.........
 
The best thing I?ve found and cheapest is Behold furniture polish. A can is less than two bucks and does a real nice job of cleaning off bugs.
 
If you have protected your paint with a good product, all you need to remove dirt and bugs is water and a terry cloth.........

Gasman makes a great point - if you have a good protectant on your paint, the bugs will just wipe away.

Our customers have had very positive things to say about just how easy bug removal is after using our "Paint Sealant" product:

SUPERBIRD Paint Sealant:
https://www.superbirdclean.com/coll...ation-system/products/superbird-paint-sealant

This product can be easily applied using a clean, high-quality microfiber towel. It is environmentally-friendly and a low-VOC (volatile organic compound) formulation. On top of the easy bug removal, it provides excellent long-lasting UV protection from the sun's harmful rays.
 
The best thing I?ve found and cheapest is Behold furniture polish. A can is less than two bucks and does a real nice job of cleaning off bugs.

Similarly, I find lemon pledge works well, after each flight. It leaves some grease behind that really helps the bugs come off the next time.

Bryan
 
There's no way I'm wiping or spraying my airplane with a strong oxidizer. Too many cracks to seep in, paint chips, etc. Nope, not gonna do it.
 
I use plain water on a microfiber cloth. The works 99% of the time. For the 1% where the bugs are old and don’t easily come off, I soak a paper towel in water and lay it over the area for 10-15 mins to loosen the debris then wipe with a wet microfiber cloth. Works every time.
 
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Why is that?

Thanks,
Dave

Many have espoused Pledge as an excellent cleaner for canopies, so I, too, am interested to hear this response.

(I use Plexus on my canopy, but that's personal choice.)

I'm deep in the "mist with water, let soak in, then wipe off" camp for bug removal. Then again, we don't have Texas-sized bugs here, only gazillions of every other biting insect known to man! :D
 
I?ve used lemon pledge for over 10 years (on my own plane and FBO rentals) with no apparent ill effects. I remove bugs with water but do general cleaning with the pledge.
 
Just did a test of Hydrogen Peroxide (3% solution) and my go to cleaner (Water) on my very dirty bug covered wing. Sprayed both on and waited 1-minute. Then wiped. The 3% Hydrogen Peroxide cleaned a little nicer but not sure it is worth the extra cost over water.

After 20-years of RV-6 flying, I am still looking for something better, easier, and not a lot of money. Have found several products that cost a lot more than water that work better BUT not worth the extra cost considering what I pay for water.

When I get bugs that are hard to remove with microfiber cloth and water, I will go to my backup bug remover, a "Clay Bar" that I use on my ground bound vehicles. I never use the "Clay Bar" on plexi but I do on my paint.
 
I just ordered the Honda Spray Cleaner & Polish mentioned in post #4. I liked what he had to say about it. I've always used just a spray bottle of water. Of course the critters are easiest to remove right after landing but...... I do get lazy sometimes and wait a few days. They are dried on tight by then requiring a good bit of the elbow grease to remove. I like the idea of the polish keeping the surface of the aircrafts leading edges cleaned/polished. Seems the bugs would come off easier. We'll see!
 
I use the Honda cleaner as well, but don?t everyone go out and buy it! It?s still fairly cheap.
 
Plain water works fine, especially if used immediately after flying. Wet one end of a bath towel with water, and use the rest of the towel to wipe off the water.

If you apply Rejex (available from Aircraft Spruce and elsewhere) to the leading edges, usually the bugs will wipe off with one pass and almost zero effort. You won't believe how easy it is to remove bugs till you try it after using Rejex.
 
Aero Cosmetics Wash/Wax All

https://www.amazon.com/Aero-Cosmetic...waterless+wash

I use this stuff, sprayed on liberally and then go over it with the small scrubby they include in the kit to get the crusty bugs off...safe for the aircraft, does a good job and cleans/waxes all at the same time. “No oxidizers” sounds like a good idea to me, too...


I had used this product 10+ years ago and it worked good. the issue I had was the cost after shipping. I always had to order it. I just couldn't drive to a local business and purchase some. The other small issue I had was the extra rubbing it took to get the product to shine, kind of like waxing. Still a good product though.

Like I said in the prior post, the Honda Product is just exceptional and can be purchased at any Honda motorcycle shop. No mail order required.
 
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Is the Honda stuff OK for windows/plexi? The description says safe for "all plastics" but...
 
Griots garage dry wash or quick speed shoe both work wonders and do not scratch if used with a good microfiber tool. The Dry wash has been around for a while and is great on any painted finished will work on plexiglass.

The proper way to use it is wet down the surface and wipe with one cloth and polish with second. I have a friend who is a multi year winner of the Porsche club concours prep. He uses this and it works very well. This is especial true if water is not available. Griot's micro cloths are the best I have seen. You can get deals with the cloths and the speed shine or dry wash.
 
I never used The Honda Cleaner & Polish on my canopy. Believe it or not I use Rain-X window cleaner on my canopy. Been using that for at least 10 years. My plane doesn't have all the fancy stuff like you RV guys. I don't have windshield wipers (-:! Never even tried using the Honda stuff on the canopy?
 
I never used The Honda Cleaner & Polish on my canopy. Believe it or not I use Rain-X window cleaner on my canopy. Been using that for at least 10 years. My plane doesn't have all the fancy stuff like you RV guys. I don't have windshield wipers (-:! Never even tried using the Honda stuff on the canopy?

I bet the Rain-X works very well. I use their windshield washer fluid in my cars and I almost never use my wipers, the water just beads and runs right off with Rain-X. I wonder if it would work for bug cleaning.
 
A few days ago I ordered the Honda Cleaner & Polish recommend by Phil Camarda in post 4. The leading edges and the canopy, (inside and out), with nothing but a spray and wipe feel super slippery like they were just waxed. I had used pledge furniture polish on the leading edges and canopy in the past and it worked well. Only thing with the pledge, especially on the canopy, it would streak easily requiring a good deal of wiping before the streaks were gone. This new stuff isn't like that at all. A spray and super easy wipe off... left with shiny, slippery leading edges and the canopy clear, slippery and streak free.

I like it!
 
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I'm glad it worked for you. I think it is about the best cleaner I've used considering price, polished finish and cleaning ability.

Just used up my last can of the stuff. Need to visit the HONDA Motorcycle dealer tomorrow and get a few more.
 
Furniture polish

I owned a Bonanza after a guy used furniture polish on the leading edge back to the spar. The leading edge started showing signs of wear from upteen years of use. His mechanic and painter recommended he repaint just the leading edge back to the spar. After I purchased the plane, I noticed the paint was sheeting off of the leading edge back to the spar. Evidently furniture polish has silicone which does not allow paint to adhere. I discussed it with my professional painter of my RV-4 in Salinas, CA. He said that he does not allow any product with silicone in his paint shop because if ANY of it gets in his spray area, it will cause paint to fish eye. I stopped using silicone on anything around my hanger in case I wanted to repaint or touch up anything. I will not use wax with silicone in it. In the case of the bonanza, I just let all the paint fall off. The leading edge was not that bad.
 
Re: Silicone

If I made add to combsd?s post...

...high-quality waxes/polishes do NOT contain silicone. Silicone does help provide a nice shine...but it doesn?t last very long (some cleaning products companies use it because it is cheap). Our SUPERBIRD aircraft and automotive cleaning products do not contain silicone as we only use the highest quality/low volatile organic compound (VOC) formulations that provide long lasting shine and protection.
 
I have found that the absolute very best chemical for removing dried on bugs is good old Dawn dish soap mixed with water. Apply liberally to the bugs, then wait a couple minutes for them to get soft. Then just wipe off the bugs with a microfiber cloth.

Car guys will tell you that Dawn (or other dish soaps) will strip any wax from a car. Just so you know, in case you waxed your plane.
 
they key is to soak them to make them squishy again. Water and a bit of time is all you need.

I use Wash 'n Waxall dry cleaner from Spruce. The local warbird collection, Vintage Wings, uses that. They have an army of detail cleaning people that descend on each airplane when it comes in. They use that stuff and micro fibre clothes and elbow grease and their airplanes look amazing. Also, the wax in the product makes the bugs a bit easier to remove - they don't stick as well.
 
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