I haven't had to clean it because dead bugs haven't collected on it, but I know it's working because I hear it zapping constantly in the evening and the number of bugs had decreased significantly. My neighborhood is rather boggy the spring and summer and has been particularly bad this year due to more rain than usual. The mosquitoes are normally awful and I get chewed to bits even in the house with double screens. This year, they're indescribable. Since I started running this light from dusk to dawn, I've hardly been bitten, even out on deck on the evening. I wish I had gotten one of these years ago.