Clean Windshields

[Deltona_Dave]

Here is a low cost way to clean windshields and windows. I used to clean office/residential windows during my college days. Windex with a paper towel will not cut it with the fumes from dashboard plastics/cigarette smoke/general pollution. Here is my recipe for a clean windshield and prolong wipers.

Use a 5 gallon bucket with a gallon of de-ionized water (available at your grocer, look at the label, or distilled water). Squirt a little dawn (the blue stuff) in the bucket. Put about 3-4 capfuls of Unger "easy glide" in the bucket (available at Home Depot). Use a "mop" or window scrubber "available at ACE or HD". Soak the mop in the bucket and then get rid of the excess water so that it is not dripping. Scrub the inside of the windshield, then use a good squeegee, starting from the top and A pillar, working towards the middle of the windshield. Have a shop rag or paper towel on the dash to catch the drips.
There should not be any "halos" or swirls on the glass. Once the inside and outside are clean, Use distilled water, a commercial windshield cleaner, and a squirt of Unger or Dawn in the reservoir. Commercial window soap like Unger, will lubricate your wipers (which are basically squeegees) and clean off the debris.

PM me and I will give you the source for soaps.
Here are some pictures of the tools needed. Less than 20 bucks at ACE hardware.

 

[CharlieJ]

What is that bottle on the left?

 

[JT1]

I LOVE my stoners invisible glass. Sorry One step for invisibility is too easy.

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: CharlieJ
What is that bottle on the left?


Same thing I was wondering..

 

[Deltona_Dave]

bottle on the left is Glass Gleam 4 available here http://www.windows101.com/shop/index.php. Good stuff. Need 2 capfuls per gallon of water. Unger is 4 per gallon.
Dave

 

[Deltona_Dave]

Originally Posted By: JT1
I LOVE my stoners invisible glass. Sorry One step for invisibility is too easy.

the aerosol/foamy stuff? Tried it and it left streaks on my windshield. If you clean with soap/water/scrubber/squeege, your windshield will stay clean for over a year, for about 50 cents.

Dave

 

[Deltona_Dave]

To clean the outside windshield on a budget: Go to the grocery, get a gallon of drinking water, dawn dishwashing liquid, and a sponge with net on the outside or a mr. clean magic eraser (white scotch-brite pad). mix the water and dawn in a spray bottle. scrub the windshield with the scotch brite and water mix/dawn. Use a squeege to clean the glass. The squeege does the cleaning. The soap just lifts the dirt away from the glass. Keep a wet edge on the squeege and go from top to bottom.

Pour about 2-3 OZ in the windshield washer reservoir. The wipers are like squeegees. this works great during warm weather. During cold weather, use a windshield washer fluid for cold weather.

Any questions, please ask. I live in FL where the LoveBugs will cover your windshield in hours. This works really good to keep the guts off the windshield.

Dave

 

[Deltona_Dave]

Real cheap way to clean the inside of the windshield and windows. Dawn blue stuff, distilled water (1 gallon or de-ionized water), squeegee and a micro fiber towel. All are available at a grocery or wally world. Mix Dawn and distilled water in a bucket. Need about 2 tablespoons of Dawn per gallon of water. Mix. Submerge microfiber towel in soapy water and wring out until damp. Wipe down inside of windshield. Not so much that water is running into the defroster vents/or dash. Use sqeegee from top going from A pillar to center of windshield. Wipe off Squeegee blade. Keep blade in a wet edge. The soap lifts the dirt/smoke/contaminates. The squeegee removes the dirt.

Dave

 

[kkreit01]

Originally Posted By: JT1
I LOVE my stoners invisible glass. Sorry One step for invisibility is too easy.


That's what I was going to say...."or you can go to Walmart to buy Stoner IG for $4"..."Carquest to buy DG Rain Repel Glass Cleaner for $7 (exterior)."

But I also like DIY. Thanks for the tips on the products. I think I will try some Easy Glide in my washer fluids. Seems like a good idea.

 

[RacerE7773]

This is going to my favorites so I can try it when/if it gets warm here.

 

[RTexasF]

Seems like a great deal of mixing and work to me. This has served me well for over a decade...........

On the interior you may have to use it twice but it's so simple there's nothing to it. Spray & wipe with a quality microfiber towel, and it's dirt cheap at WalMart. I'll stick with simple.

 

[camaro10]

Pure water will clean anything. By pure I mean filtered water and reverse osmosis. Put some vasolene on your microwave door and then take a paper towel and pure water and watch it come off with no residue. Also, using this on the inside of your car windows will prevent them from fogging. That's all I use and it's better than anything I have tried. Of course if you don't have a purified water system then Aquafina is the only store bought water that is pure. Superior Water Works has certified that Aquafina is the only pure water out of 25 or so samples that were tested. All the other tested samples had something besides water in them. Drink, clean and be merry.....

 

[RacerE7773]

I bought/charged some last night at H Depot and it's supposed to be warmer tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to trying it. I still have 2 cans of Sprayway also; I was thinking of getting my windows tinted though.

 

[Deltona_Dave]

With tinted windows, stay away from anything with ammonia in it. The ammonia will discolor the tint over time. Some alcohol will loosen the adhesive. I just use a spray bottle with a little Unger Easy glide and a microfiber towel to clean my tinted windows.

If you use the easy glide with Peak or Rain-x windshield washer fluid works great. The easy glide will last a long time. The rain-x stuff costs more than the standard blue windshield washer fluid, but it does help bead off a light rain and in florida, helps keep the love bugs off.

Dave

 

[Deltona_Dave]

Originally Posted By: JT1
I LOVE my stoners invisible glass. Sorry One step for invisibility is too easy.


Stoners is what I use for quick touch ups on my windshield. I use the foam, as it lifts the dirt off and suspends it. The pump-spray bottle not so good.

Stoners is also what I use to clean my entry way lights and dining room chandelier and bathroom mirror. I hate using windex or something of that nature.

 

[grampi]

They need to make windshields "openable." The angle at which you have to position yourself to clean it is awkward as [censored]!.

 

[ahoier]

I bought the generic "Windshield Wonder" from Dollar Tree yesterday. After my local news did a Consumer Review on it, "Free Windshield Wash" at a local gas station, they deemed the product a good buy.

It's basically a sponge on a stick. makes cleaning the interior very easy.

Squigee and elbow grease will work good enough for the outside

 

[Quattro Pete]

For me, Eagle 20/20 applied with one cotton cloth and wiped dry with a microfiber towel always used to work. Somehow it does not work anymore... I keep seeing smears in direct sunlight which is driving me nuts. Gonna have to try something else, like what Deltona Dave described.

 

[matt922]

the best repellent out there, by far.

 

[marcre]

I cleaned the inside of my windshield yesterday. Did it twice. Went out this morning and it is smeared. Looks like I'll be doing it again. Interior windows are my least favorite part about detailing.