Glass my bane!

[dennish2024]

I'm totally frustrated with cleaning my glass. I wash the towels with an extra rinse and no fab softener. I've used multi glass cleaners even mixed my own, distilled white vinegar, alcohol and distilled water. I go over the glass 3 -4 times clean towels every pass still when I back out of the garage and the sun hits it just right, streaks! without the direct sun hitting it the glass looks fine...

[jfelbab]

Re: Glass my bane!

Things that work for me...

-Get some new Huck towels.
-Use a fairly wet towel to scrub away oil, film and grime and other huck towels to buff dry.
-If streaking remains try using some UQW.

[Joe Dragon]

Re: Glass my bane!

^^ What he said, except I never used UQW so don't know about that. Huck towels are the blue surgical towels.

[The Guz]

Re: Glass my bane!

Doesn't really say but are the streaks on the inside or outside?

[dennish2024]

Re: Glass my bane!

I'll look for huck towels. Streaking is both inside and out. My regiment is doing the windshield with Dawn and water with 0000 steel wool then glass cleaner, then glass cleaner on the inside. every time I wash the car. I don't smoke either. Thanks.

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Glass my bane!

I'll look for huck towels. Streaking is both inside and out. My regiment is doing the windshield with Dawn and water with 0000 steel wool then glass cleaner, then glass cleaner on the inside. every time I wash the car. I don't smoke either. Thanks.

Well there's your problem... I could maybe understand using the steel wool by itself, but using Dawn & water with it? Bad idea. Anytime you introduce anykind of liquid into the mix, all you're doing is making the steel wool more aggressive, which in this case is not only unnecessary but is also most likely responsible for your never ending battle with streaks.

Ditch using the steel wool everytime you wash the car... I can't imagine your car being so dirty in between washes that it's somehow necessary to use it all the time.

I'd recommend starting off with cleaning your glass with a Magic Eraser with whatever lube of your choice [as long as it isn't dish soap. Just use water to keep it simple] Next claybar the glass. Finally invest in a quality 70/30 blend waffle weave microfiber towel or 2 and a gallon of Meguiars D120 Glass Cleaner Concentrate. Mix as recommended with distilled water and you'll see great results.

[The Guz]

Re: Glass my bane!

Griot's and McKee's make a nice interior glass polish that will remove all the grime that a glass cleaner can not remove.

On the outside you may want to consider using the Perfect Clarity Glass Kit to make future cleanings easier.

Meguiar's Perfect Clarity Glass Care Kit

This is also a good video watch for some helpful tips

[Nick Winn]

Re: Glass my bane!

I have learned over the years that:

• applying glass cleaner liberally is not necessary
• clean microfiber towels
• When the glass cleaner is about to "flash dry" on the glass, flip to the dry side or use a separate dry towel for final wipe. This can help reduce the chance of streaks
• Many users will also wipe vertically on the exterior glass, and horizontally on the interior glass. This way if a streak does occur, it can be more easily identified whether on the exterior or interior.

[Blueline]

Re: Glass my bane!

I use something called Omnicloth for the inside of the windshield. Just wet it with warm or even hot water, clean normally, and walk away. No drying, no streaks, no nothing, just clean class. On the exterior, I just wash the windshield as I wash the car. Nothing special. No idea where you get these Omni cloths. My neighbor gave a few to me.

[CrazyVinny]

Re: Glass my bane!

Maybe from over there?

https://omnicloth.com/

[Genuinevermillion]

Re: Glass my bane!

Try wiping off glass cleaner with newsprint paper.
If you can find it without the print already on it, if not just try newspaper. It's an old method worth a try.

[mxracer635]

Re: Glass my bane!

Big fan of the waffle weave towel on glass, and I keep that towel just for glass, nothing else. I use just a little D120, like Nick mentioned, you don't have to kill it with product and then use one side to wipe down and the other to dry/buff essentially.

[ClarkWGriswold]

Re: Glass my bane!

I found years ago that much of the problem was caused by using too much glass cleaner. It seems counter-intuitive but less is more!

[theamcguy]

Re: Glass my bane!

For years I have read thread after thread on cleaning glass with no streaks. I have watched countless YouTube videos where they pitch one cleaner or a brand of towel; theynspitz a bit of cleaner on, hit it with 2 towels and proclaim it to be clean and streak free. It is not the cleaner or the towel it is the light that is the key. You can't polish your paint with a blindfold on. You can't polish your paint in the dark. You need the light to see the imperfections and you use the light to see when you have removed the imperfections from the paint. It is the same with glass. Glass that looks clean and streak free with overhead light looks terrible in direct light (light that is shining directly through the glass such as headlights at night or the rising or setting sun). You need that direct light to show you the imperfections still on the glass so you can remove them. You would not try to remove paint imperfections in the dark, why are you trying to clean glass in the "dark" without using direct light. It is the light not the product that is the key. Anybody can clean glass at high noon in the sun, or in a garage with overhead lights, but as soon at that "clean" glass hits the setting sun different story. Play around with your lighting and get that direct light that shows you the streaks then the job becomes a lot easier. It may take stand alone portable lighting directed directly at the glass or a strong paint inspection light hand held shined directly at the glass to see the streaks. They are there you just can't see them with overhead lighting. Just like you need the correct overhead lighting to remove imperfections from paint you need direct lighting to get your glass really clean and streak free.