Glass Cleaning

[GR8MR2]

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.

[Mister2.2]

I second the Stoners, works great.

[runabout93]

Good info on a topic that is always overlooked. I'll be looking for the Meguiar's or Stoners. For now I have to clean my filthy windows with my dollar store crap... that streaks like hell.

I have a question: Is there a method for cleaning windows when it is really humid and especially when it is cold with dew. It makes it a lot harder to get it to stop streaking. Or maybe that's because of the cheap stuff I've been using?? Seems like it is always in these conditions when I realize I need to clean mine... but, it is always a PITA if I try to do it.

[GR8MR2]

Originally Posted by runabout93

Good info on a topic that is always overlooked. I'll be looking for the Meguiar's or Stoners. For now I have to clean my filthy windows with my dollar store crap... that streaks like hell.

I have a question: Is there a method for cleaning windows when it is really humid and especially when it is cold with dew. It makes it a lot harder to get it to stop streaking. Or maybe that's because of the cheap stuff I've been using?? Seems like it is always in these conditions when I realize I need to clean mine... but, it is always a PITA if I try to do it.

You might try adding some Isopropyl alcohol to the glass cleaner when you have these conditions. It should force faster drying and less streaking. I'd try one part IPA to four parts glass cleaner for starters.

[Davis]

Yeah Stoners is awesome.

[blue-sun]

nice write up!

Stoners is awesome! When my 3 bottles are done, i'm gonna have to look into that Pro grade Meguiars stuff you mentioned. . .

[runabout93]

Originally Posted by GR8MR2

You might try adding some Isopropyl alcohol to the glass cleaner when you have these conditions. It should force faster drying and less streaking. I'd try one part IPA to four parts glass cleaner for starters.

Thanks... I'll try that tonight. It's been cold and damp for a week now. Kind of off topic, but close... do you do anything special to the windshield washer fluid? I usually buy whatever I can find and add almost a full bottle of the cheap window cleaner. Works okay... but, is there anything better? It's buggy up here almost all summer.

[GR8MR2]

Originally Posted by runabout93

Thanks... I'll try that tonight. It's been cold and damp for a week now. Kind of off topic, but close... do you do anything special to the windshield washer fluid? I usually buy whatever I can find and add almost a full bottle of the cheap window cleaner. Works okay... but, is there anything better? It's buggy up here almost all summer.

I know RainX makes a product to add to the washer fluid but I haven't used it. I don't want anything that might compromise my sealant getting on the paint so I stick with just the glass cleaner.

If bugs are a problem you might keep one of those nylon covered sponges in your trunk with a bottle of glass cleaner.

Another bug related tip. If you have a lot of bugs getting stuck to your paint look for Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detailer. This goes on and off easily without streaking and leaves the paint really slippery. Most bugs will wash off with just the hose pressure. This is unlike any quick detailer I've ever used. In fact, I've often thought of it as being like RainX for the paint.

[runabout93]

Thanks again... I have the Meguires Quick Detailer. I'm not sure if it is the Ultimate? I got a bottle of it in a detailing kit I bought a few months ago. Anyway, I use it all the time. It's damn good to finish things up. I also agree with the rainx stuff.... I dont trust it on the paint. I'm actually not a fan of the rainx stuff. I think it makes streaks when using the wipers. It's good if you never use your wipers though.

[ToyotaTechGeek]

if your ww are streaking when using rainx, it's because you haven't applied/removed it properly. wiping the windshield wiper blades with isoprpyl alcohol helps a bunch with keeping the blades good and tends to extend the life.

when using the quick detailer, a really good trick is to spray it on before wiping the car down. it goes much further and applies much more evenly.

[blue-sun]

A small trick for Rain-x users:

Clean your glass before you wash the car.
Apply the rain-x as recommended.
Then wash your as normal.

This will eliminate any streaking from cleaning the rain-x off. I do this when I used rain-x on customer cars, when they ask for it.

[runabout93]

^ You have to admit... it is pretty fussy stuff. Either it works great or it's a PITA. I was bitching about this stuff to my parents last weekend when I saiw it in a dept store. My mom said they use it all the time and love it. I guess I'm just a glass cleaning idiot! LOL

[blue-sun]

Originally Posted by runabout93

^ You have to admit... it is pretty fussy stuff. Either it works great or it's a PITA. I was bitching about this stuff to my parents last weekend when I saiw it in a dept store. My mom said they use it all the time and love it. I guess I'm just a glass cleaning idiot! LOL

definately!

But the technique I posted actually works really well for me, no streaks afterwards on the glass, etc.

[David]

I've heard of some people using PAM cooking spray so the bugs come off easy. Is that safe for the paint?

[MX450248]

Stoners every time. runabout, you can get it at autozone.

[eckoman_pdx]

I used to detail professionally for over 5 years. We did high end mobile detailing (I stopped so I could go back and finish up my bachelors). There are 2 glass cleaners I prefer over most others. I've used a lot of stuff over the years, and Stoner was one of the best glass cleaners IMO. I've used other cleaners over the years, and stoner was one of the ones which didn't leak a film, didn't streak and cleaned well. Another good glass cleaner is Sprayway Glass Cleaner. It doesn't streak, rips right through dirt and doesn't leave a film like cheap cleaners do. It's also Ammonia free, so it's safe on tint. Those would be the 2 cleaners I recommend. If you can't find Sprayway, I know home depot carries it. Stoner is everywhere (Autozone,Shucks/Kragen/Checkers, etc).

Also, a tip I didn't see listed here. Some people have a hard time telling if streaks or missed spots are on the outside or inside of the windows. A trick to help with this is to wipe the outside glass in one direction (Horizontal) and the inside glass in another (vertical). This way it's easy to tell which side of the glass the streaks are on. If they are horizontal, they are on the outside, if they are vertical, they are on the inside.


Definitely use the 2 microfiber towel system mentioned above when you clean windows, as this will help a lot.

Also, I've never had issues with RainX streaking on a car, as long as I applied it to the windows per the directions exactly (which means wiping it off with a damp cloth). I'd always go over it with a dry cloth after I wiped it with a damp one. It would come out clear with no streaks.

[ToyotaTechGeek]

Originally Posted by runabout93

^ You have to admit... it is pretty fussy stuff. Either it works great or it's a PITA. I was bitching about this stuff to my parents last weekend when I saiw it in a dept store. My mom said they use it all the time and love it. I guess I'm just a glass cleaning idiot! LOL

all it is is a clear, liquid polymer wax. you CAN just wax your windshield...


i LOVE the Stoner product and also the old Eagle One glass cleaner. the best, most cost-effective glass cleaner (to me) has been 65/35 rubbing alcohol [isopropyl]to water solution in a sprayer bottle. doubles-up as a hand sanitizer.