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GR8MR2 · 09-12-2007, 06:48 PM

I've cleaned a lot of glass and have found two OTC products that are superior at cleaning oil and film. The first is Stoners Invisible Glass. The second is Meguiar's NXT Glass Cleaner. When used with short nap micro-fiber towels they provide excellent cleaning with streak free results. There is a third product I'll mention that is extremely good but it is only available from Meguiar's direct. It's their Detailer Line Glass Cleaner concentrate. This gallon of concentrate gets mixed with water at 1:10 ratio. So the gallon turns out 11 gallons of a most remarkable cleaner. For those who detail a lot of cars this is worth getting.

Some Do's and Don'ts.

• Do clean your windows in the shade when the glass is cool.

• Do use a microfiber dampened with the glass cleaner and wipe dry with a separate dry miocrofiber using light strokes until the glass is dry and slippery smooth. If you feel any drag on the dry towel, the glass is not yet clean and you need to redo it until it feels slippery.

• Do use a product on your interior dash and vinyl that doesn't emit a lot of film or oils. I use Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer. It isn't shiny, provides UV protection and doesn't seem to outgas.

• Don't use a glass cleaner with ammonia in it. This will leave a film and ammonia might just ruin a tint.

• Don't use newspaper. This used to work back when the newsprint was printed on high rag paper with real inks. Today they will usually just leave oily streaks. Microfibers work much better.

• Don't let your microfiber towels get anywhere close to any cotton towels. MF towels draw up cotton fibers like a damp sponge draws up water and you will have a major lint problems with them forever after.

These products and microfibers work well on both the inside and outside. Occasionally you might find that the exterior glass might need more agressive cleanning. When I detail a vehicle, I begin by washing and claying. After claying the paint I clay the exterior glass. Clay will safely remove a lot of really tough road grime on the glass, especially the windshield.

Some newer vehicles come with a permanent water repelling coating on the side glass so be sure you know what your are doing before using any abrasives on this glass or you will damage this coating. Using steel wool, for example, will cut right through this coating.

I've also known people who wax their glass but I've found that this usually causes poor visibility at night in the rain.

Glass is hard and doesn't need wax to protect it unlike your paint. Wax clearly degrades over time and especially under harsh environmental pollution and sunlight. Why put something on your glass that will degrade your visibility. It's simply not needed. If you want the water to rush off the glass it's probably better to use a product designed for glass like RainX or Aquapel. I prefer clean glass as any coating you put on the glass may cause wiper chatter or visibility issues.

09-12-2007, 06:48 PM	#1 (permalink)
GR8MR2 MR2 owner since 1990 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Wisconsin/Florida Posts: 53 Thanks: 2 Thanked 21 Times in 12 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Glass Cleaning I've cleaned a lot of glass and have found two OTC products that are superior at cleaning oil and film. The first is Stoners Invisible Glass. The second is Meguiar's NXT Glass Cleaner. When used with short nap micro-fiber towels they provide excellent cleaning with streak free results. There is a third product I'll mention that is extremely good but it is only available from Meguiar's direct. It's their Detailer Line Glass Cleaner concentrate. This gallon of concentrate gets mixed with water at 1:10 ratio. So the gallon turns out 11 gallons of a most remarkable cleaner. For those who detail a lot of cars this is worth getting. Some Do's and Don'ts. • Do clean your windows in the shade when the glass is cool. • Do use a microfiber dampened with the glass cleaner and wipe dry with a separate dry miocrofiber using light strokes until the glass is dry and slippery smooth. If you feel any drag on the dry towel, the glass is not yet clean and you need to redo it until it feels slippery. • Do use a product on your interior dash and vinyl that doesn't emit a lot of film or oils. I use Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer. It isn't shiny, provides UV protection and doesn't seem to outgas. • Don't use a glass cleaner with ammonia in it. This will leave a film and ammonia might just ruin a tint. • Don't use newspaper. This used to work back when the newsprint was printed on high rag paper with real inks. Today they will usually just leave oily streaks. Microfibers work much better. • Don't let your microfiber towels get anywhere close to any cotton towels. MF towels draw up cotton fibers like a damp sponge draws up water and you will have a major lint problems with them forever after. These products and microfibers work well on both the inside and outside. Occasionally you might find that the exterior glass might need more agressive cleanning. When I detail a vehicle, I begin by washing and claying. After claying the paint I clay the exterior glass. Clay will safely remove a lot of really tough road grime on the glass, especially the windshield. Some newer vehicles come with a permanent water repelling coating on the side glass so be sure you know what your are doing before using any abrasives on this glass or you will damage this coating. Using steel wool, for example, will cut right through this coating. I've also known people who wax their glass but I've found that this usually causes poor visibility at night in the rain. Glass is hard and doesn't need wax to protect it unlike your paint. Wax clearly degrades over time and especially under harsh environmental pollution and sunlight. Why put something on your glass that will degrade your visibility. It's simply not needed. If you want the water to rush off the glass it's probably better to use a product designed for glass like RainX or Aquapel. I prefer clean glass as any coating you put on the glass may cause wiper chatter or visibility issues.