Cleaning windshields

[Brian Deakin]

My father told me about 45 years ago that contractors who replaced windshields used a small amount of Johnsons talcum powder on an old sock to clean the glass and this was the method my father used

I have used this method and had good results

My question what do other members think of this approach

[Jim Koepke]

Another one of the old ways to clean a wet windshield was with a pack of Bull Durham cigarette tobacco. The tobacco juice would dissolve a lot of the grime on the glass.

jtk

[Ed Aumiller]

Pouring a bottle of Coca-Cola cuts grime also... still do it when traveling occasionally

[Bruce King]

Invisible glass works better.

[mike stenson]

It depends on what is on it, and potentially how long it's been there. Invisible glass doesn't work well on established water spots. I haven't used talc, because I have Barkeeper's Friend, which just adds a mild acid to the mild abrasive.

[Michael Weber]

I use whitening (finely ground chalk) when restoring my windows. Mainly to remove linseed oil smears from the glass but it also cleans glass generally. Sounds like most any soft ground mineral like talc would work.

[Kev Williams]

Pouring a bottle of Coca-Cola cuts grime also... still do it when traveling occasionally

--Phosphoric acid--

[John K Jordan]

My father told me about 45 years ago that contractors who replaced windshields used a small amount of Johnsons talcum powder on an old sock to clean the glass and this was the method my father used

I have used this method and had good results

My question what do other members think of this approach

I haven't tried the talcum powder but I do have some genuine (billiards) talc powder and I'll give it a try. (I read that some products sold for human use contain cornstarch)

Fine steel wool take off almost anything stuck to the surface and will make any glass shine. Won't scratch the glass. I've used it on windshields and window glass in the house. I use Liberon 0000.

JKJ

[Mel Fulks]

I like the Rain X product. The stuff sheds water so well , just flys off. Unless there is a really hard rain the intermittent
setting is all you need.

[Frank Pratt]

I haven't tried the talcum powder but I do have some genuine (billiards) talc powder and I'll give it a try. (I read that some products sold for human use contain cornstarch)

Fine steel wool take off almost anything stuck to the surface and will make any glass shine. Won't scratch the glass. I've used it on windshields and window glass in the house. I use Liberon 0000.

JKJ

Really? I scratched up an aquarium something terrible using steel wool to clean of the hard water deposits. I was just a dumb kid at the time & didn't know that vinegar would do the trick much easier.

[John K Jordan]

Really? I scratched up an aquarium something terrible using steel wool to clean of the hard water deposits. I was just a dumb kid at the time & didn't know that vinegar would do the trick much easier.

Yep, really. Been using it for years. Note that I always clean the glass first with glass cleaner and use the steel wool for stubborn places or streaks. Maybe you got some hardened steel or used some type of steel wool pad with an abrasive added. Or more likely, could some hard mineral in the aquarium (sand?) have gotten picked up and scratched the glass. I certainly would not try steel wool on windshield glass that possibly had dirt and grit from the road - that could contain particles of some very hard minerals. I once put a scratch on the inside of a windshield by swiping at some fog with the back of my gloved hand. That glove must have had a single particle of grit in the fabric. Diamond polish to the rescue.

From this page: https://expandusceramics.com/qa/what-mineral-can-scratch-glass.html:

Does steel wool scratch glass?
Please be advised: while steel wool and brass wool will not scratch glass, other cleaning abrasives, such as S.O.S. pads, will absolutely scratch it and must never be used to clean it.

Some wise advice:
https://info.glass.com/steel-wool-clean-auto-glass/

JKJ

[Aaron Rosenthal]

I've cleaned my windshields with Fantastic - spray it on, during the rain (common in this area) fall, and the bacterial coating on the 'shield is gone. It works for cars, but I'd never use it on the motorcycle,

[Frank Pratt]

Yep, really. Been using it for years. Note that I always clean the glass first with glass cleaner and use the steel wool for stubborn places or streaks. Maybe you got some hardened steel or used some type of steel wool pad with an abrasive added. Or more likely, could some hard mineral in the aquarium (sand?) have gotten picked up and scratched the glass. I certainly would not try steel wool on windshield glass that possibly had dirt and grit from the road - that could contain particles of some very hard minerals. I once put a scratch on the inside of a windshield by swiping at some fog with the back of my gloved hand. That glove must have had a single particle of grit in the fabric. Diamond polish to the rescue.

From this page: https://expandusceramics.com/qa/what-mineral-can-scratch-glass.html:

Does steel wool scratch glass?
Please be advised: while steel wool and brass wool will not scratch glass, other cleaning abrasives, such as S.O.S. pads, will absolutely scratch it and must never be used to clean it.

Some wise advice:
https://info.glass.com/steel-wool-clean-auto-glass/

JKJ

I'll bet there was some abrasive in the steel wool. It might have been an SOS pad.

[Al Launier]

The best thing I've used so far is white vinegar. It not only cleans, but also eliminates haze For a few days anyway.

[Scott Winners]

I have been using isopropyl alcohol for a while. With the 'rona my windows aren't looking their best lately.

When isopropyl is plentiful squirt it right out of the bottle onto a rag and just kind of wipe it around. Alcohols will dissolve or break up, waheter, alcohols will ruin wax in a hurry, so keep it off the paint.

With a visibly dirty window just use the alcohol to loosen the dirt and kind of wipe up the wet dirt mush without using a lot of pressure to avoid causing scratches. Once it is visibly clean, then scrub with a clean rag and isopropyl.

I used to buff with wadded newsprint. There used to be a fair bit of obsidian in newspaper ink, but I haven't done that in probably 20 years. I used RainX on my glass for a long long time, have been trialing other products without finding a new clear favorite lately.

One other tip, for the windshield on the outside I stroke/wipe up and down, for the inside of the windshield, wipe side to side. That way if there is a streak I know what side of the glass to work on.

For the side windows I go left right on the outside of the vehicle, up and down inside. Basically wipe with the airflow on the outside, and then turn 90 degrees for the inside.

[John K Jordan]

...
One other tip, for the windshield on the outside I stroke/wipe up and down, for the inside of the windshield, wipe side to side. That way if there is a streak I know what side of the glass to work on.
...

Now that's a clever idea!

[Jim Koepke]

Really? I scratched up an aquarium something terrible using steel wool to clean of the hard water deposits. I was just a dumb kid at the time & didn't know that vinegar would do the trick much easier.

My guess is the aquarium was plastic instead of glass. Many plastics are softer than glass.

jtk

[Frank Pratt]

My guess is the aquarium was plastic instead of glass. Many plastics are softer than glass.

jtk

Nope, it was glass. I know this because I later broke it & it was definitely glass.

John nailed it for me. I'm sure it was an SOS pad I used & it apparently had other abrasives in it.

[Thomas L Carpenter]

Household ammonia followed by vinegar.

[Alan Lightstone]

Mr Clean white Magic eraser pads. Then good non-ammonia window cleaner (ammonia ruins window tinting.)

[Bill Dufour]

I read decades ago that Bon Ami is what the car companies and car magazines used before a test drive or photo shoot to insure any imperfections in the windshield were the glass and not dirt. It was the industry standard.
I read in the USSR one of the leading causes of airplane crashes was the mechanics drinking the windshield deicing fluid and replacing it with water. Windshield would ice over, pilot could not see to land, crash.
In lowland California I can not find windshield fluid rated for below 32 degrees! In big letters on the bottle they say rated to 32F. Like that is a good thing.
Bil lD
Bil lD.

[Myles Moran]

I've tried the anti-fog wipes and while the work, they also make for a lot of streaks no matter how well I buff out after using them. So I've switched back to windex and a microfiber to clean mine. It sucks in the winter (can't fit my truck in the garage) so I end up playing on my phone for a few minutes until the defrosters can do their job. Sucks, but at least I can see with a few minutes of waiting. I'll be curious to try some of the other methods in this thread now that cold mornings are here.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Another one of the old ways to clean a wet windshield was with a pack of Bull Durham cigarette tobacco. The tobacco juice would dissolve a lot of the grime on the glass.
jtk

This was the trick I learned from my grandfather who was an incredible woodworker and boat builder and born around 1900. (It was a major treat to be 5-6 years old and be lifted up and held so I could wash the windshield for him.) The brand of tobacco did not matter, but it was kept in the little linen pouch with drawstring. By the time I was 16, I carried my own tobacco pouch around in vehicles for years, but unfortunately it eventually disappeared out of my (topless) Jeep. I haven't seen tobacco sold in linen pouches in 20+ years. Will have to try Bon Ami and Barkeepers Friend. We use those all the time but never thought to try it on windshields.

[Brian Elfert]

I used to buff with wadded newsprint. There used to be a fair bit of obsidian in newspaper ink, but I haven't done that in probably 20 years.


My mother also loves to use plain newsprint to clean glass. A lot of newspapers use soy based ink now. The big local paper has been using soy based ink for 25+ years.

[Kev Williams]

Vinegar works because the 5% acid in it dissolves calcium. Want more power, find some 6% 'cleaning' vinegar. And HD sells a 30% acid version... holy crap! Coke/Pepsi dissolves calcium because of the phosphoric acid in them, but the colored sugar water won't clean much else ;)

I've laser engraved probably 5000 wine glasses in the last few years, I clean off the shards & other residue with 0000 steel wool, and it's never left a hint of a scratch. Green 'kitchen' scotchbrite pads on the other hand, because they're impregnated with aluminum oxide will scratch the bajeezus out of glass. And don't even dare use the red 'metal' scotchbrite!

Off the 'glass' path a bit speaking of abrasives, while Magic Erasers will remove paint, scuff up plexiglass, and screw up the protective finish on boat upholstery, the things won't scratch stainless steel... But I've never thought to even try magic erasers on glass... ;)

[Rob Luter]

My mother also loves to use plain newsprint to clean glass. A lot of newspapers use soy based ink now. The big local paper has been using soy based ink for 25+ years.

One of the reasons that works so well is the clay content in the paper. It's a mild abrasive. One of the best windshield cleaners going is Turtle Wax. Scrub off all the bugs and dirt first and rinse well. Apply the wax, let dry, and buff out. There are aerosol products that do a similar job

[Alex Walter]

Another trick is vinegar. Dilute with water, it works perfectly.
I use a clay bar for the outside, and a magic eraser on the inside if there is no aftermarkt tint. I use a specific glass towel for tinted glass. Stoners glass cleaner (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Stoners+Glass+Cleaner&i=garden&ref=nb_sb_noss) works (https://printsbery.com/planner-templates/daily-work-schedule) well.

[Frank Pratt]

Well folks, this has been an informative & interesting thread. Who knew there was so much to glass cleaning?

[Rob Luter]

Well folks, this has been an informative & interesting thread. Who knew there was so much to glass cleaning?

Looking through a sparkling clean windshield gives me the same joy as the first shavings off a freshly honed plane. Both take a little work to achieve.

[Brian Deakin]

The information below is taken from the msds sheets for commonly available glass cleaners available in the USA and United Kingdom Please note manufacturers do not state exact concentrations and only give an indication of concentration ranges Further some products are ready to use others are concentrates which require dilution

Rain x glass cleaner 2-BUTOXYETHANOL 1 - 5% Isopropanol 1 - 5%



Rain-X 2-N-1 Glass Cleaner + Rain Repellent

WATER 60 - 100 % ACETONE 3 - 7%



Rain-X 2-in-1 Glass Cleaner + Rain Repellent (Aerosol)

WATER 60 - 100 % ACETONE 3 - 7 % Liquefied Petroleum Gas 1 - 5 %



Rain-X Washer Fluid Additive (NB Need to check if you dilute this product before use )

2-Butoxyethanol 1 - 5 % Isopropanol 1 - 5 %



Rain-X Automotive Glass Cleaner (Aerosol)

Isopropanol 1 - 5 % 2-Butoxyethanol 1 - 5 %



Rain-X Glass Cleaning Gel

ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL 1 - 5 % SODIUM HYDROXIDE 0.1 - 1 %



Halfords Screenwash

ETHANOL 10-30% METHANOL .5-1.0% PROPAN-2-OL 0.5-1.0%


Screwfix
No Nonsense Glass Cleaner spray

PROPAN-2-OL 5-10%

Jangro - GLASS & MIRROR CLEANER

PROPAN-2-OL 10-15%



Simoniz Glass Cleaner

PROPAN-2-OL 10-30% Ammonia <1%



POLYGARD CONCENTRATED ARCTIC SCREENWASH

METHANOL 10-30% PROPAN-2-OL < 1%



No Nonsence concentrated screenwash

isopropyl alcoohol 10 -30%




koch Speedglass cleaner

2-Butoxyethanol >1% <10 %


Please note you need to check usage instructions for products


2-Butoxyethanol is a glycol ether with modest surfactant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfactant) properties (and it can be used as a mutual solvent). In use since the 1930s, glycol ethers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycol_ethers) are solvents that dissolve both water-soluble and hydrophobic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrophobic) substances. Glycol ethers consist of two components, an alcohol (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol) and ether (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ether). According to the nature of alcohol, molecules of this class can be divided into two groups: E series and P series which correspond to ethylene and propylene respectively. Glycol ethers are selected for specific purposes, such as solubility (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solubility), inflammability (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflammability), and volatility (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatility_(chemistry)).[11] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-Butoxyethanol#cite_note-11)

Isopropyl alcohol (IUPAC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Union_of_Pure_and_Applied_Chemistry) name propan-2-ol; commonly called isopropanol or 2-propanol or propanol ) is a colorless (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparency_and_translucency), flammable (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammability) chemical compound (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_compound) (chemical formula (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_formula) CH3CHOHCH3)

[roger wiegand]

Does any of this stuff actually remove the film of plasticizer that forms on the inside of car windows in the heat? I've tried many of these approaches and dozens of products and it seems that most of them at best allow you to smear the schmutz around, not actually get it off. The talc idea seems interesting if it actually provides a better surface for the molecules that make up the film to bind to. It seems they love glass.

It seems to me to take about a decade before I can get car windows clean; it takes that long for the off-gassing of all the plastic to slow down to the point where regular cleaning can actually get ahead of it.

[Ron Selzer]

NAPA has aerosol cans of windshield cleaner, blue Mac can. Have real good luck with that
Ron

[Paul Brinkmeyer]

A Truck driving friend once told me that he uses coffee
I've tried it, and it work pretty good. Just hate to give it up, especially in the morning, or diving late at night.

[Chris Fairbanks]

I clay bar my windows when detailing the cars. It works to remove hard water spots and other grime just like it does on paint. Autogeek is a pretty popular store selling car detailing tools and chemicals but they have a great discussion forum as well. I am not sure if a link to another forum is allowed so just google autogeek forum and you will find it. A ton of great car detailing geeks there ��