Glass Cleaning
Cleaning automotive glass is tricky, but well worth doing. Clean, clear glass looks beautiful next to clean, waxed paint. Plus, clear glass will give you optimum visibility when driving. That’s a safety feature you can’t afford to overlook. Just a few extra minutes will add the finishing touch to your vehicle and give you a clear view of the road ahead.
Glass Cleaners
Most glass cleaners contain ammonia, which is a good cleaner but it has some disadvantages. It releases fumes that should not be inhaled in enclosed areas, like the inside of your vehicle, and it can dry out plastic, rubber, vinyl, and leather. Overspray is not an option with an ammonia cleaner. Plus, you cannot use ammonia on tinted windows. Chances are, if a glass cleaner does not contain ammonia, it will say “ammonia-free” or “safe for tinted windows”. If the label doesn’t say one way or the other, assume the worst and find another cleaner. Avoid using household glass cleaners, which almost all contain ammonia. An example of a window tint-safe cleaner is PRO C-13 Super Glass Gleam.
Some people prefer to use plain water to clean their windows. While this is a very safe method, it may not be effective on stubborn spots, like bug splatter. However, a glass-cleaning microfiber towel, like the 16 x 16 Plush BlueTowels will provide a gentle scrubbing action to help remove contamination. Dampen this towel lightly and clean the glass. Then, buff the glass dry using a dry microfiber towel. High quality microfiber does not produce lint and is extremely absorbent to prevent streaks.
Clean by numbers
- Detail your vehicle. Glass should be the last thing you do to avoid re-contaminating it during the detailing process.
- Work out of the sun on dry windows. The sun can cause glass cleaner to evaporate too quickly and leave streaks.
- Spend some extra time on your windshield because you look at it more than the rest of the glass. Lightly dampen your microfiber towel with your cleaner of choice. Wipe up and down and then side to side using long strokes. Then immediately buff it with a dry microfiber towel, like the Plush 16 x 16 Blue Microfiber This will prevent streaks. Do the same on the back window.
- When you clean your windows, be sure to roll them down to clean the top edge.
- Whether you clean all your inside glass first, all the outside glass, or window by window is up to you. The advantage to cleaning one window at a time is that you’ll immediately see any streaks you left on the outside when you get in to clean the inside.
- You can’t always get it right the first time. It may take a mist of glass cleaner to remove stubborn film and then another cleaning with plain water to remove any streaks created by the film. It all depends on exactly what is on your glass. Don’t be afraid to use more than one cleaner on the same window, if that’s what it takes.
- When you clean the inside of the back window, it may be helpful to use the backside of your hand to hold the towel against the lower edge of the glass. This technique will allow you to reach the bottom of the glass with greater ease.
Removing Water Spots
Water spots are mineral deposits that have etched their way into the paint. When a drop of water evaporates, all the minerals contained in that water remain on the paint. Etching is a gradual process, but it sneaks up on you before you know it. The best way to avoid them is to dry your vehicle each and every time it gets wet. If that sounds ambitious, at least dry it after washing it and after a rain shower. If it’s already too late, here are some tips for removing those cloudy spots.
Glass can be polished just like your paint. A gentle glass polish like PRO C-27 Q Glass Polish will remove most water spots and cloudiness to restore perfect clarity to your windows. You can apply it by hand or with a polisher, but set your machine on a low speed (1000-1200 RPM on a rotary or 5000-6000 OPM on a dual action) and use a polishing pad. Do not apply pressure; the pad will do the work for you. When the polisher starts to dry, stop polishing and buff the residue away with a microfiber towel.
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