cleaning glass

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whatsupadrian

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ok i really suck at cleaning things without making them streak, two things in particular are glass and chrome. I use windex and paper towels, i mist* windex on lightly then use a papertowel to screw the gunk, sap, bird crap whatever, then i use a dry paper tower to dry the window off. I am left with a dust/crap/lint/sap free window with streaks...? This can't be this complicated what am i doing wrong. And also when i scrub my rims with soap and water then rince then rinse them off then get a dry cloth and dry them off shash wipe off whatever wouldn't come off from the rinse i either get an
A) Endless waterspotted chrome wheel.
B) Clean wheel with streaks.
I must be really lame...
 
whatsupadrian said:
ok i really suck at cleaning things without making them streak, two things in particular are glass and chrome. I use windex and paper towels, i mist* windex on lightly then use a papertowel to screw the gunk, sap, bird crap whatever, then i use a dry paper tower to dry the window off. I am left with a dust/crap/lint/sap free window with streaks...? This can't be this complicated what am i doing wrong. And also when i scrub my rims with soap and water then rince then rinse them off then get a dry cloth and dry them off shash wipe off whatever wouldn't come off from the rinse i either get an
A) Endless waterspotted chrome wheel.
B) Clean wheel with streaks.
I must be really lame...
Click to expand...
Hey there.......you're not lame. You're simply not good at cleaning windows and thats ok as most people are. Cleaning windows/chrome isnt that hard to be honest with you as long as you do these steps exactly the way I say to do them. Go to a parts store and buy some glass cleaner (not windex because windex is the worst thing on the planet) You will need one towel and one soft terry cloth or microfiber rag. What you want to do is spray the window with your cleaner (one shot per window on each side of the glass) Wipe the cleaner in with your towel and then take your soft terry cloth or microfiber and wipe it down again without cleaner. There won't be any streaks and you'll be happy im sure. One thing to consider here with the glass cleaner..........MORE IS NOT BETTER. I detail cars for a living and streaky windows are lame so it pays to do them right. Let me know if you need any more pointers. Also, no matter what anyone says......windex is crap. Hope this helps. Oh yeah, same applys for the chrome.
 
DLS8K said:
Let me know if you need any more pointers. Also, no matter what anyone says......windex is crap. Hope this helps. Oh yeah, same applys for the chrome.
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Windex is great if you have tinted windows and want to turn them purple in a short time. :)
 
lsbit said:
Windex is great if you have tinted windows and want to turn them purple in a short time. :)
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sh!t

thanks for the help, i have microfiber and it says i don't need any spray to clean the windows, but then it doesn't really get clean it just moves dust around and it feels like i am sanding the windows. What glass cleaner do you recommend?
 
Look for Sprayway Glass Cleaner

whatsupadrian said:
thanks for the help, i have microfiber and it says i don't need any spray to clean the windows, but then it doesn't really get clean it just moves dust around and it feels like i am sanding the windows. What glass cleaner do you recommend?
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I know the microfiber cloths are supposed to be able to pick things up without water, and I know some people swear by them, but I'm entirely too skeptical to try it.

Your best bet would be to call a local glass shop and ask them what they use--they'll probably be glad to sell you a can, or tell you where you can buy it. The local shops around here use the same stuff that the guy who tinted the windows on my Ranger: it's called Sprayway Glass Cleaner. It's an ammonia-free foam in an aerosol can (the label looks like something out of the '50s); it's incredibly slick, and works really well. It doesn't streak like the others do, even when I use plain old kitchen paper towels.

I just Googled Sprayway Glass Cleaner, and came up with several links, including the following (which appears to be selling the stuff): http://www.properautocare.com/spglclae.html (I don't know anything about ProperAutoCare.com, other than that it appears to be a Yahoo shopping site; I just found them through Google, and they have a decent picture of the can.)

At work, we have a very similar product for cleaning the glass on the workstations in our computer labs. The monitors are inside the desks, under glass with a non-reflective coating, plus they still have CRTs, and ammonia-free cleaners help keep the static down. It's a white-label product from the custodial supply house, but it looks, smells, and behaves like the Sprayway product.

One show I saw recommended using BonAmi powder (the same stuff you use in the kitchen and bathroom) for cleaning the windshield. It's very mild abrasive that will help you get all of the gunk off the glass without scratching it.

FWIW, the stuff I use on my glasses (polycarbonate lenses) is a ~50-50 mix of water and isopropyl alcohol. In conjunction with an old t-shirt, it cleans the lenses well, and doesn't scratch them or leave a residue.
 
That aerosol foaming glass cleaner stuff is the best, it's available just about everywhere and there are many brands. For streak-free wiping, use newspaper instead of paper towels.
 
Dutch said:
That aerosol foaming glass cleaner stuff is the best, it's available just about everywhere and there are many brands. For streak-free wiping, use newspaper instead of paper towels.
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Yeah, I'd heard the newspaper thing, too. Never tried it myself, though. The Scott "shop towels on a roll" are pretty good for this, 'specially since you can get them in a big box for not too much--and they're really useful around the shop, too. :)
 
years ago when i worked at a dealership all of the new cars were cleaned with the then new foaming glass cleaner and fresh newspapers.
the reason is a fresh newspaper is completely lint free and will clean off the gunk. :L
 
Stoners Invisible Glass works great and you should be able to find in a local auto parts store. The micro fiber towels work and so does the newspaper I have used both.
 
armor all wipes. just keep wiping till the cloth turns dry and presto! quick and painless
 
BigT said:
Stoners Invisible Glass works great and you should be able to find in a local auto parts store. The micro fiber towels work and so does the newspaper I have used both.
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I agree i use stoners glass cleaner it works awesome. I use it with microfiber cloths and have never had a streak, for some reason this stuff is hard to get it to streak and actually cleans the glass awesome, and its safe to use on the inside with tinted windows. I will use this on the outside first before i put the rain x spray on..
 
My son is a professional window tinter, this is what he use's. I've tried it several times, it works great.. Rubbing Alcohol 70-90% with water. Go with 30% Alcohol to 70% water. Give it a try it really works.
 
Fordman said:
My son is a professional window tinter, this is what he use's. I've tried it several times, it works great.. Rubbing Alcohol 70-90% with water. Go with 30% Alcohol to 70% water. Give it a try it really works.
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cool. I am going to mix mine tonight... on the rock or frozen. Oh you mean on the widows :) . I use 20/20 by Eagle One, I think it is Eagle One, but I keep a micro fiber towel in the car to touch up the inside and mirrors between details.
 
eL eS said:
cool. I am going to mix mine tonight... on the rock or frozen. Oh you mean on the widows :) . I use 20/20 by Eagle One, I think it is Eagle One, but I keep a micro fiber towel in the car to touch up the inside and mirrors between details.
Click to expand...

frozen of course!! :Beer
 
The one thing i neaver really thought of which stoners actually has on the bottle is to clean the glass 2 or 3 times. Before I cleaned it once and it looked fine then the next day or at night you see streaks. So this time I used stoners twice and ure enough it got the unseen residue just like the instructions said might be there. As for micro-fiber it cleans better than a reg cloth but it won't get real dirt off. I tried a laptop/lcd micro cleaning cloth didn't work besides dust. Got the moster lcd cleaning solution and micro cloth worked perfectly.
 
At my job they use extra coffee filters to clean the windows works pretty good as for the glass cleaner ....ahem............... windex :Bang ... :tmi:
 
All depends on the car, what kind of carpet cleaners, leather cleaners, dash treatments if you smoke etc... as fumes and whatnot get onto/into the surface of the glass. Also everybody has a differnt opinion of clean with regards to most sufaces that can be cleaned.
 
Glass Cleaner

Do not laugh, but Gin makes an excellent glass cleaner. Use a little and apply with newspaper and you will not believe how clean the windows get!!
 
Mikekoz said:
Do not laugh, but Gin makes an excellent glass cleaner. Use a little and apply with newspaper and you will not believe how clean the windows get!!
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My father seems to think Gin fixes CD players too.
After a Mardi gras parade his indash wouldn't play so he figured it needed a drink.
Didn't work, but it made for a great light and smoke show. :slam
 
Mikekoz said:
Do not laugh, but Gin makes an excellent glass cleaner. Use a little and apply with newspaper and you will not believe how clean the windows get!!
Click to expand...
Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol is cheaper, and you don't have to be 21 to buy it. Plus, that leaves the gin available for a better use, like spraying the flowers and bushes--gin is an excellent bio-friendly pesticide. Only the British would think of intentionally drinking poison for pleasure; on the other hand, anything would help the taste of quinine-laden tonic water... :)

Mix one part water and one part isopropyl alcohol, and you'll have pretty much what EyeMasters, et al, sell as cleaner for your glasses. And it's ammonia-free, so it won't destroy your tint (if you have any).
 
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