Today we’re going to go into detail about how we properly deep clean glass on vehicles both inside and out. For example, this is a 32 year old BMW E 30. I’m sure the glass has never really been properly cleaned in those years, there are tons of water spots, bug grime, regular grime. Inside it also has that kind of hazy fog where you can tell someone’s been smoking inside the vehicle.
Whether you’re a professional auto detailer or just starting out, I can guarantee that the glass on a vehicle is one of your least favorite things to do. So whether you’re a professional auto detailer, a weekend warrior or just the average person who wants a cleaner windshield on their car, this article will help you!
Car Glass Cleaning Items
Glass Cleaner
But with today’s process, we’re going to eliminate all those steps. One step to get a perfect windshield inside and out with super household products. We’re going to be using some detailing specific products, but you can substitute these for things like
Windex Ammonia-Free Glass and Window Cleaner
and other household products that you probably already have under your sink.
Some other car-owners recommend using a foaming kind of a glass cleaner for an extra-thorough clean. We’re not actually going to be relying on the glass cleaner itself to do the cleaning, so it’s more so just for lubrication.
At the same time, the professionals reccomend apply specialised Glass Cleaners, designed Car Glass streak-free like
Invisible Glass Cleaner for Auto and Home Streak-Free
Microfiber Glass Towel
The second thing is a towel. icrofiber towels are great for cleaning because they’re super absorbent and don’t leave behind lint or streaks. I reccomend
The Rag Company – The Liquid8r – Absorbent 70/30 Blend Microfiber Drying Towel for Cars
This is the perfect towel to wipe up after we’re done agitating with the next tool that I’m going to be showing you.
Household Eraser
I’m sure most of you don’t expect here a household eraser! You use this for cleaning a number of things inside your home. Now, a lot of detailers are promoting using
SmilePowo 40 Pack Magic Cleaning Sponges Eraser,Multi-Functional Premium Melamine Sponge Foam Cleaning Pads
on various surfaces on the vehicle.
I’ve seen leather, vinyl, paint wear, bumpers, wheels, pretty much anything. The only surface I genuinely believe this thing belongs on, on the vehicle is the glass and that is because it is so hard that this grit of this magic eraser isn’t going to be able to scratch it without applying multiple hundreds of hands of pressure. So for glass, it’s safe for anything else.
Cleaning the Outer Glass of the Car
The process for actually cleaning the glass with the tools I just showed you is even simpler than the tools themselves. Here’s how to do it:
1. Spray your windshield with glass cleaner and let it sit for a few seconds.
2. Wipe the windshield down with your microfiber towel in a circular motion.
3. Use your household eraser to remove any tough stains.
4. Wipe the windshield down again with your microfiber towel to remove any residue, otherwise the streaks will be left as it dries.
So, pop up the windshield wipers just so they don’t get in the way. Take your glass cleaner, spray it directly onto the glass and then take your magic eraser so there’s no dripping water or a couple drips in this case, but so it’s not soaking wet. iit’s just damp and can slide across the surface, otherwise it’ll just get stuck and you could potentially dig in. But once it’s wrung out, you can take it and go up and down on the windshield, typically as you would with the micro towel. But in this case, we’re going to be using the magic eraser.
What about Tint Glass Cleaners?
The only caveat, the only thing you should avoid is window tint. If there is tinting on the inside of the side windows, or a banner on the windshield or the entire windshield, this should be avoided entirely. You can make the outside of this glass. Just don’t do the inside where the shade is actually done, as this process will ruin everything.
The general but effective cleaning tip is reading the cleaner label. Labels can tell you a lot about the cleaner itself. Products with tint-safe labels are ammonia-free which does not damage tint when applied to a window’s surface. Other types of glass cleaner contain ammonia which can cause damages to a tinted window and leave hard-to-remove streaks.
Tips on Car Glass Cleaning
If you’re using a cleaning solution with hard water, then wash your car windows in the shade to prevent streaks from forming as it dries.
Apply minimal pressure and just let the magic eraser do all the work. After a couple passes, take your clean microfiber glass towel and mop up the glass cleaner.
If you want the best possible result, use as little window cleaner as you can. Your towel shouldn’t be soaked with car window cleaner–a light spray will do. Then, apply the solution evenly to the surface.
While washing your car under the sun, the temperature of your vehicle heats up and causes your cleaning product to prematurely dry. This, in turn, leaves streaks when wiping down your glass.
So, pay attention to where you are washing your car, a cool surface can make all the difference when cleaning your car window. Due to the heat, the cleaning solution used on the window evaporates and leaves unsightly streaks behind. To avoid streaks, park it in a shaded area or garage an hour beforehand.
Video: How to Clean Car Windows Streak Free: The Nature of Car Glass!
Cleaning inside the Glass
So what I’ll do now is finish the other half of the exterior of the windshield, and then we’re going to move inside and I’m going to show you how this exact same process works on both the inside as well as the outside of your vehicle.
This is truly going to be one of the only processes where the inside is the exact same as the outside. So we’re going to spray it with our glass cleaner, agitate with our magic eraser and then mop it up with our glass towel.
Go ahead and do the interior windshield as well, just so there wasn’t any grime on the inside showing through making it look super bad. But it looks awesome and it’s really cool that you can do this on the side windows, the windshield, the back window, the sunroof, literally any glass service on the vehicle, this is going to work for.
Final Words
And we have really awesome results on glasswork with really simple tools. Whether you’re a professional or a DIYer, this is all stuff that we can all utilize and it’s super easy to do. Three tools and some afforts – and your glass is essentially perfect every single time!
