What do you use to remove the inside haze on your windshield and glass?

M

MikeWinLDS

New member
Now that it's Winter time, I've been noticing the haze on the inside of my windshield and the inside glass on the driver's side of the car. What is that gunk anyway? I don't ever remember putting my greasy hands and smearing it all over the inside of the windshield. And why does it go away temporarily when I turn on the defroster but comes back once it's no longer warmed up.



I was thinking about trying to use some rubbing alchohol to break down whatever greasy crap is on the inside of those glass panes, but maybe you guys have tried other products that work better. I don't want to spend like $20 for a specialty product, but I'd rather use household cleaners if I can help it. Do you guys have any tips of suggestions?
 
I've used Rain-X before on window interiors that were pretty gross and/or had a tough film on them
 
Have you ever used any glass cleaning product on the inside of the windows/windshield? I had that exact same problem. I used Stoners Invisible Glass on the inside of my windshield and would always see the haze at night in car lights and such, but if I turned the defroster on it went away. I already did this for the windshield, but I haven't done the back window. I used a 50:50 solution of ISA and water. After that you might wanna wipe it down with distilled water to get any ISA/W left on there. Regular water would work too, but make sure you completely dry it so there are no water marks left. Anyways, this worked perfectly for me. I'll put up pics of the back window in like 30 min.
 
A few years ago I bought a used 3/4-ton Chevy as a work truck. The previous owner was apparently a heavy smoker and wasn't much into cleaning glass! The inside of this windshield was disgusting and my glass cleaners were not helping much. I made a paste out of Bon Ami cleanser and water, and used it on a sponge to scrub the inside of the windshield. I used just enough water to keep it wet without dripping water or letting it run down into the base of the glass. Then I wiped off the cleanser residue with a damp towel, and followed up with my favorite glass cleaner. It worked perfectly! I love scrubbing glass with Bon Ami, both inside and out. It does not scratch, but will remove just about anything from the glass that shouldn't be there. The stuff is cheap too.
 
A good glass cleaner will do just fine. Invisible Glass cleaner is good, Megs NXT is great, either will do fine. Use a good quality towel and you should end up with some nice clean glass.



Sounds to me like youre experiencing fog more than anything. Use outside air in the winter as your breath has alot of moisture in it so it causes the windows to fog up.



Other than fog, the plastic in the vehicle out-gases and causes them to fog up. Smoking will make this 100% worse.
 
i use a small damp foam sponge and wipe/clean as much of the haze/grime off, and then go over with IG and mf towel...
 
If it goes away when you turn on the defroster, that makes me think it's more moisture than a film, just as someone else mentioned.



I would try running your fan at a higher setting and ensuring your air conditioner is engaged so that it can dehumidify the air (if it is warm enough to come on.)



I had a friend that had a vehicle that always had a spot in the corner of his windshield that had moisture and he mentioned that it aggravated him that he couldn't get it to go away. I suggested he turn on his AC (even though it was winter) and within a few minutes, the spot was gone.
 
Morris9982 said:
If it goes away when you turn on the defroster, that makes me think it's more moisture than a film, just as someone else mentioned.



I would try running your fan at a higher setting and ensuring your air conditioner is engaged so that it can dehumidify the air (if it is warm enough to come on.)



I had a friend that had a vehicle that always had a spot in the corner of his windshield that had moisture and he mentioned that it aggravated him that he couldn't get it to go away. I suggested he turn on his AC (even though it was winter) and within a few minutes, the spot was gone.
Click to expand...



I've noticed when there's moisture on glass smears and other marks that normally are not readily visible become visible. In other words, the moisture highlights imperfections. Think about the bathroom mirror after you have a shower: you'll see all kinds of "swirls" etc. from where it was last cleaned. So, the hazing may not "go away" when you defrost the windshield, it may just get "hidden" again.
 
For me this ‘haze’ seems to show up several days after a cleaning. I’ve been able to keep it at a minimum when I switched to ‘Stoner’s’ and a micro-fiber towel, but sometimes clean the windows twice a week. My girl and buddies never see’s this filmy-haze unless I wipe the inside window with my finger and show them – so I figured I was just too anal about this as no one else sees it – but it still bugged me.

I had asked a similar question on another post, without suggestions. I know there are some people on this site just as perfection minded as I am, and they didn’t give a response either. So I went looking elsewhere and stumbled into a scientific site that mentioned this (in my own words): There will be a minor “surface-staticâ€� build-up in relation to the type of cloth/material is used to clean a surface … (get this) … AND how fast the cloth is wiped across it! (As seen when cleaning a TV screen in the dark). This is equally related to the evaporation speed of the product which also causes a surface-static charge!

This ‘surface-static’ is just strong enough for air impurities (smog, dust, ozone particles, etc.) to be attracted to. These particles are hydroscopic, so in damp or humid conditions, you’ll see this ‘haze’ form, which seems to disappear with the defrosters on.

It went on to mention this light ‘static charge’ is how the “Ionic Breeze� works. I have two Ionic Breeze’s and they do take a lot of crap out of the air! When cleaning the Ionic Breeze, all the soot on it is damp and sticks to a dry paper towel. It all made sense to me.



Seems we clean a window with products and in a way that makes it attract the air’s impurities!



Last weekend, I purposely cleaned the windows with intentionally sloooow, loooong, strokes, and as of Friday neither the Ridgeline nor Merc is showing ‘as much’ of the haze I’d see by weeks end. The weather here in Jersey has been cold, snowy, sunny, rainy and damp, which is perfect weather for that ‘haze’ to form, especially with daily use. I think this may be some sort of an answer, but a few more weeks will make a better determination.

A lot of posts say the Surf City product has good results, but I’m 2 can’s of Stoner’s away from that product with my new procedure. I’ll let you know.

Long post I know … but everything I do includes the tiniest details.
 
After using Stoners Invisible Glass:

img3819dk0.jpg


After wipedown with 50:50 ISA:water:

img3823dv4.jpg
 
Wow, looks like you missed a spot with that IG there! You left some finger prints.



Ive never had trouble with IG.. But Ill probably be getting some Megs Detailer line cleaner since I can make 2.5gallons of cleaner with just the sample from ADS.
 
Nothing cuts through inside glass haze like vinegar.



If its an untinted window (meaning, no tint *film* ), you can use vinegar in conjunction with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (such as on the inside windshield and inside roof glass panels for those with sunroofs or all glass roofs, like my vehicle).



Then go through with your glass cleaner - I use Stoner's IG. Should work pretty well.
 
Anyone try DG FC&S on inside tinted windows? Works great (I actually use the marine version 521) on the outside and inside windshield--very clean and slick, but not sure on tint and not willing to try unless safety is confirmed. Right now it's IG and works nicely but always fascinated with experimentation...



Curiosity and OCD is a dangerous combo.
 
the haze is residue from the defroster. i use armor all window cleaner from target $3 to $4 hard to beat.
 
BlueLibby04 said:
Wow, looks like you missed a spot with that IG there! You left some finger prints.



Ive never had trouble with IG.. But Ill probably be getting some Megs Detailer line cleaner since I can make 2.5gallons of cleaner with just the sample from ADS.
Click to expand...



I've used this glass cleaner and I'll never buy it again. Being mobile, a lot of my work is in direct sun. This was the worst glass cleaner when it came to leaving streaks, etc. Just an FYI...



My favorite glass cleaner right now is DG Rain Repel. It's very slick and leaves a nice protective layer which is nice for the exterior windows, particularly the windshield.
 
BlueLibby04 said:
Wow, looks like you missed a spot with that IG there! You left some finger prints.
Click to expand...



Those aren't finger prints. I NEVER touch my glass with my hands unless its really necessary. No, that's a combination of my sucky glass cleaning skills and the streakiness of Stoners IG.
 
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