Thread: Cleaning interior car glass

I just use the cloth from an old sloppy joe [heavy cotton] and rub firmly, no sprays at all....
Needs doing every few months...keep in the drivers door pocket....
Cheers crowie


PS - In the past I've used CRC Window Cleaner when it was also used at work but many years ago!

Mostly I just used a dry microfibre cloth on the windscreen. If I've filled the back of the wagon up with a lot of garden stuff that has been left to build a sticky deposit on the glass I've been know to use car strength windex occasionally.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Is there anything that just flashes off without leaving stuff behind?

Isopropyl alcohol or if you can't get that use ethanol (vodka).

I usually just use a dry microfiber (keep one in the car) but after a while a film builds up that won't come off dry.

I'll try the alcohol

Another vote for isopropyl alcohol.
I wonder if the haze is from spreading the film around - you need to do one wipe, then turn to a clean section.
I use (lots of) newspaper for the initial passes.

Dry newspaper.

Do you use armourall in your car? ie to make the vinyl shine? If you do chuck that rubbish in the bin and use something like 303 Protectant. the armourall releases a gas when exposed to the sun that makes removing the haze an absolute pain.

As to removing the haze that is currently there grab yourself some window cleaner (not windex) i personally like using the Meguiars brand one.

I use a multi step approx particularly when the glass hasn't been cleaned in a while.

Materials:

min 2 x microfibre cloths
Glass Cleaner of choice
newspaper

Step 1: Clean glass with glass cleaner and 1 of the microfibre cloths, after you've removed most of the glass cleaner. Use the dry one to give it a good once over. Keep track of which one is the "wet" and "dry" ones. If the dry one becomes wet get another microfibre cloth.
Step 2: Repeat with remaining windows
Step 3: Move the car into direct sunlight and squat down and peer through each of the windows any windows with haze, give it a final wipe with some scrunched up (important) newspaper. Typically i find front and rear windscreens are the worse as they are hardest to get to.
Step 4: Stand back and admire your completely clear see through windows (if they're not tinted expect a few face marks as people don't realise you have your window up).

I find this is by far the quickest method of getting rid of the haze, if you clean your windows regularly its much easier to remove.

You shouldn't use newpaper to clean glass. The printing inks contain oil which is deposited on the glass as you wipe it. The best material is paper towel and only wipe in one direction. If you reverse direction you deposit whatever you have just cleaned off on to the glass and the next wipe smears it.

Originally Posted by tonzeyd

Do you use armourall in your car? ie to make the vinyl shine?

Nope. A detailer did once and it looked disgusting so I wiped it all off as soon as I got home.

The windscreen is the only one I'm concerned about, the side and back windows aren't there 95% of the time
I suppose the car not technically having an "inside" is also part of the reason it goes hazy regularly

The passenger side and front windows of my van, and the rear window of the station wagon, are constantly covered in doggie nose prints. To remove this we use a bit of vinegar diluted with water and a bit of old cotton T-shirt and although it does smells a bit like a chip shop it evaporates away quickly and leaves a very clear finish.

We use to use 0000 superfine steel wool on glass (NOT THE COURSE STUFF)when I was a panel beater.
Works a treat.

But ,be careful around window heater elements.
Also ,some front windscreens unfortunately ,get misty due to the glues used in modern dashboard still venting(gassing of) I think that’s the turn.

Cheers Matt.

The best I've found is "Stoner Invisible Glass" from SCA. It comes in a spray can and does a better job than all those other products you're tried. But it's still not perfect and the haze will eventually return. What I found even more helpful though was the applicator that I bought with the spray. It allows you to easily get to areas on your front and back windows only a contortionist could otherwise reach. I think together they cost $25 but judging by how much I've used of the spray so far they'll outlast me...

I have also used 0000 steel wool on my windows (exterior) to great effect.

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I have to vote for the "Invisible Glass". Although I would go for the spray bottle rather than the pressurized spray can.

The thing that you have to remember is that the haze does not necessarily come from the cleaner but rather all the vinyl out gassing in the vehicle. The dash is the worst offender. The hotter the vehicle gets when parked in the sun, the worse the haze. My pickup truck (F-150) is never parked out of the sun. As it gets older there is less haze but it still gets there.