Glass Cleaner Help

[nfpgasmask]

OK, what is the best car glass cleaner? I can't tell you how annoying it is, to wash my VX, and then wipe the windows with glass cleaner (various brands of streak free glass cleaner have been tried, including a product called "Invisible Glass" - invisible my-***), which looks nice at first, but then the next morning as I am driving to work I can see streaks on the inside and out.

Typically, I spray a micro-fiber cloth with the cleaner, wipe down window real good, and then buff with a larger, dry towel.

Anyway, what do you clean freaks out there recommend? I need a new, better window polish to try.

Bart

[circmand]

Mix up a little vinegar (1 cup) in a quart spray bottle with water and a drop or two of dishwashing liquid to clean rinse it off and wipe dry with newspaper.

[rowhard]

What I found is it's not so much what you use, but how you use it, or I should say remove it. What I do, what ever spray you use, clean the glass with a terry cloth THEN use a micro fiber cloth.

[JHarris1385]

Mix up a little vinegar (1 cup) in a quart spray bottle with water and a drop or two of dishwashing liquid to clean rinse it off and wipe dry with newspaper.



Going to have to try this myself. I have always been a fan of at home remedy's.

[johnnyapollo]

I've got huge windows on my house. The commercial cleaners just don't work - like you said the streaks start appearing in a day or two. I've found this recipe very effective:

1 cup rubbing alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon ammonia

Using isopropyl alcohol and white vinegar together makes a quickly evaporating spray glass and mirror cleaner that eliminates streaks. The vinegar adds a mild acid and the ammonia a general cleaner and grease cutter. Use lint-free towels (I scab all the left over coffee filters at work).

-- John

[circmand]

Looks like Johny Apollo reads Heloise to I forgot the amonia in my recipe

[nfpgasmask]

Thanks guys, I will try some of these options. I actually liked the shine Rain-X created, but I find my wipers stick and rub and make all sorts of noise when I actually do need to run them, which sucks. So now I just use the Rain-X on the side windows. But for the front window, on the inside and out, I gotta get a streak free method down pat.

Thanks - Bart

[Scott Harness]

Bart,I wasn't sure if you were talking inside or out, tinted or not. The vinegar is good on non-tinted windows. Iwould use a silicon based cleaner on the tint works wonders. I had my tint basically ruined at a carwash using a windex type cleaner. It looked like they used steel wool on my tint. I got out the silicon based cleaner, It took a while but now look brand new. I guess it fills in scratches and bonds with the tint. The brand I use is called Solar Solutions. Hope all is well!! Later Scott

[circmand]

Bart I am not sure but I think I may have discovered your problem. Rain X is NOT a cleaner is is more of a glass wax. You need to thoroughly clean and dry your windows before applyng and removing. Done this way it does an awesome job of repeling rain from the windows.

[nfpgasmask]

Hey Scott, thanks. I will try that on the tinted side for sure!

Bart


Bart,I wasn't sure if you were talking inside or out, tinted or not. The vinegar is good on non-tinted windows. Iwould use a silicon based cleaner on the tint works wonders. I had my tint basically ruined at a carwash using a windex type cleaner. It looked like they used steel wool on my tint. I got out the silicon based cleaner, It took a while but now look brand new. I guess it fills in scratches and bonds with the tint. The brand I use is called Solar Solutions. Hope all is well!! Later Scott

[nfpgasmask]

Well, when I was using Rain-X, I would typically wash the truck with normal car washing soap, including the outside windows. Then, after the drying is done, the cladding and tires are shining, I would then use some glass cleaner (like Invisible Glass) and wipe and dry that, and then apply the Rain-X.

But I stopped using Rain-X, and now I just want my Windows to shine and stay that way for a while, with no streaking. I will try the vinegar solution next time around and see how that works.

Thanks - Bart


Bart I am not sure but I think I may have discovered your problem. Rain X is NOT a cleaner is is more of a glass wax. You need to thoroughly clean and dry your windows before applyng and removing. Done this way it does an awesome job of repeling rain from the windows.

[VehiGAZ]

Bart,

It's not always the cleaning solution, it's what you wipe with. I have two suggestions for you, both of which I learned in the detail shop of a car dealership I worked at for a summer in college:

1) Glass cleaner + newspapers - yes, wadded-up newsprint (B&W preferred) leaves no streaks with regular window cleaner. It comes apart pretty quick when you rub it along rubber weatherstripping, but it really works. My wife uses it on the sliding glass doors, windows, and mirros in the house, too.

2) Damp chamois - this also works, and it's probably handy if you've just washed your car, but from what I remember, it was best when used on off-gassing residues.

Speaking of off-gassing (hee-hee), if you use any interior products on the upholstery or the dash when you do your windows, such as Armor All, prepare to see streaking in about 48 hours. That stuff will evaporate to some extent and settle on the inside of your windows, most noticeably on the windshield. Whenever I use those, I wipe the surfaces down with a clean terrycloth towel after a few hours of soak time. I think this helps, but who knows. If your windows appear very clear after all your hard work but look streaky or cloudy after a day or two, this might be your main problem.

Good luck and happy detailing!

[JHarris1385]

Why does newspaper work so well?

[Cobrajet]

My approach to windshield cleaning is very simple. I use plain tap water -- warm. I wipe with a damp wash cloth (almost dripping), wipe once with a dry terry cloth towel, and then buff completely dry with a second terry cloth towel.

No more glass cleaner for me since both of my previous favorites (Meguire's Final Inspection and Cinch Window cleaner) starting streaking. Every couple weeks I apply Rain-X, using a paper towel to remove the haze, and then the above method to polish the windows clean.

I even carry a damp cloth, in a zip-lock baggie, in my detailing bag to clear the bugs and road spray I frequently get during my hour-long commute (which always seems to be directly into the sun.) I hate dirty, streaky windows! I sometimes wonder how the person in the car in front of me can see out their windshield. They probably can't.

[circmand]

I doubt there is study on why newspapewr is so effective but my guess would be that due to high press speeds dust is removed, It is bleached so it is very clean, and it is pretty absobent when you consider what it soaks up versus what it weighs. It also makes a decent hand towel but avoid using it as toilet paper unless very desperate. It also does not flush very well.

[nfpgasmask]

Interesting, and you are probably right. The streaking is usually apparent after the next day or two. And yes, I use ArmorAll on my dash, and the streaking seems to be on the inside of the windsheild. Maybe next time I will try not using the ArmorAll.

Newspaper eh? That sounds strange, but I will give it a shot! My first thought is that the ink would come off on the windshield and make a big mess...but then again?

Thanks! Bart




Bart,

It's not always the cleaning solution, it's what you wipe with. I have two suggestions for you, both of which I learned in the detail shop of a car dealership I worked at for a summer in college:

1) Glass cleaner + newspapers - yes, wadded-up newsprint (B&W preferred) leaves no streaks with regular window cleaner. It comes apart pretty quick when you rub it along rubber weatherstripping, but it really works. My wife uses it on the sliding glass doors, windows, and mirros in the house, too.

2) Damp chamois - this also works, and it's probably handy if you've just washed your car, but from what I remember, it was best when used on off-gassing residues.

Speaking of off-gassing (hee-hee), if you use any interior products on the upholstery or the dash when you do your windows, such as Armor All, prepare to see streaking in about 48 hours. That stuff will evaporate to some extent and settle on the inside of your windows, most noticeably on the windshield. Whenever I use those, I wipe the surfaces down with a clean terrycloth towel after a few hours of soak time. I think this helps, but who knows. If your windows appear very clear after all your hard work but look streaky or cloudy after a day or two, this might be your main problem.

Good luck and happy detailing!

[rowhard]

Bart, newspaper works very well, but it's ackward to work with. am sure you have some microfiber clothes around, so give them a try.

Insert 2 cents
My spin on Armorall, it's full of ph, can't spell it, the **** frogs sat in in biology class, it dries out the vinyl, get some good stuff. They are like Fram, they spend all their money on advertizing and not on the product.

[etlsport]

i like f21 for my interior...

for my windows i like this stuff made by 3M its aptly named... "Glass Cleaner" it comes in an aeresol can the same size as invisible glass... except the can is light blue at the bottom and fades to white at the top with a blue lid... works awesome... for leftover streaking like what you are describing, i use distilled water in a spray bottle.. always with microfiber cloths

[johnnyapollo]

The window cleaning recipe I put up there came off of an about.com post, slightly modified. We tried about 10 different homemade recipes before putting two together and coming up with that one. The basic recipe didn't have the ammonia and wasn't getting all the pollutants off the outside of the glass (Atlanta is pretty murky) - the addition of the ammonia was the trick.

Another note - if your wipers are making noise against the glass, it's usually caused by the armature angle - Joe Black clued me in on this one. Basically, if you've ever had your car through a carwash, the rollers (or even the air pressure on touchless car washes) mash the wiper arms down causing the blades to touch the windshield at a poor angle - this can cause them to shudder (my case) or make noise as they pass over the glass. The trick is to slightly bend them back to the proper angle (and stay out of car washes!).

-- John

[geshaw30]

I've been told the problem with the "Bounty's" of the world has to do with the chemical used in the binding process of the "two ply" towels. Old retail friend told me that story and the other posts are correct- newspapers are your best/cheapest bet (but I dunno why).

Here is something to consider when using Rain-X. Any small crack/chip repair to your windshield (as in one of those "two free a year deals") at a repair shop is gone out the window. Ask most repair places of quality, not those in car washes or gas stations, and they will tell you that they wil not warranty their repair work if you have Rain-X on the glass. My wife had her Frontier glass patched and the first question the repairman asked me if whether I had the stuff on the windshield and when did I put it on last. When I told him I applied it a month prior he said he would make the repair but added that chances are the crack run would continue anyway. He was right- we replaced the windshield 4 months later after the run went nearly from side to side.

[VCrossfan]

I can't remember the brand (Bounty,Scott etc??) but at wal-mart one day I picked up a roll of paper towels made for glass, streak free style. Light blue and white. I've had good luck with it....

[psychos2]

I use rainx glass cleaner. And yes the newspaper is the way to go. I use the window washer fluid from rainx and it has the same effect as the rainx you wipe on. shawn