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Thread: Cleaning windshields

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Winners View Post
    ...
    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!

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Pratt View Post
    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
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    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.

  4. #19
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    Household ammonia followed by vinegar.

  5. #20
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    Mr Clean white Magic eraser pads. Then good non-ammonia window cleaner (ammonia ruins window tinting.)
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  6. #21
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    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
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  7. #22
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    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.

  8. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    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.
    I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and I think, "Well, that’s not going to happen."

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Winners View Post
    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.

  10. #25
    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...
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  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Elfert View Post
    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
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  12. #27
    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 works well.

  13. #28
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    Well folks, this has been an informative & interesting thread. Who knew there was so much to glass cleaning?

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Pratt View Post
    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.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  15. #30
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    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 properties (and it can be used as a mutual solvent). In use since the 1930s, glycol ethers are solvents that dissolve both water-soluble and hydrophobic substances. Glycol ethers consist of two components, an alcohol and 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, inflammability, and volatility.[11]

    Isopropyl alcohol (IUPAC name propan-2-ol; commonly called isopropanol or 2-propanol or propanol ) is a colorless, flammable chemical compound (chemical formula CH3CHOHCH3)







    Last edited by Brian Deakin; 10-28-2020 at 6:47 AM.

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