Which product for cleaning interior windshield and windows?

H

Howard4Lakers

New member
Does just windex work fine or does that do harm? I learned of a product named stoner shield i think but id rather not spend $10 on it.



i tried water with a microfiber cloth but it just smears and causes streaks.
 
I would stay away from Windex, it just sucks IMO. The best glass cleaner I have ever used is the Meguiar's D120 glass cleaner concentrate, but you would need to order it from somewhere. Alot of people like Stoner's Invisible Glass if you need something you can get in a store, but I never really liked it. A gallon of D120 will last you just about forever and is good for more than just car windows, it's all I use in the house as well.



This place has a 32 oz sampler of D120, which will also last quite a long time (10:1 dilution ratio):



Meguiars Glass Cleaner 32 oz.
 
1 oz of Optimum No Rinse Wash and Wax in a 32 oz spray bottle and microfiber towels has the been the mostly consistently goof-proof method I've found so far. The key to clean glass inside the car is getting the glass wet enough to lift the grime and film. If you just lightly spritz it, all you will do is smear everything around.
 
Honestly the best thing I've used for exactly the situation your asking about are our fast glass towels. They are very odd looking in person, not even sure towel is the right word for them but man do they ever work on interior glass. 1, 2, 5, and 10 packs. If its just for your car you can buy the two pack and they will rewash and last for a very long time. No chemicals you have to keep buying

Take a look near the bottom of the page.



http://www.carpro-us.com/microfiber-towels/
 
CEE DOG said:
Honestly the best thing I've used for exactly the situation your asking about are our fast glass towels. They are very odd looking in person, not even sure towel is the right word for them but man do they ever work on interior glass. 1, 2, 5, and 10 packs. If its just for your car you can buy the two pack and they will rewash and last for a very long time. No chemicals you have to keep buying

Take a look near the bottom of the page.



Microfiber Detailing Towels
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These look awesome, definitely going to get a few with my next order!
 
Scottwax said:
1 oz of Optimum No Rinse Wash and Wax in a 32 oz spray bottle and microfiber towels has the been the mostly consistently goof-proof method I've found so far. The key to clean glass inside the car is getting the glass wet enough to lift the grime and film. If you just lightly spritz it, all you will do is smear everything around.
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I would urge some caution with this. In dry environments there is no problem but in a wetter environment, where misting or fogging can be an issue, a product with a hydrophobic additive (in this case wax) will make the problem worse. Best sticking to a product which is not I tended to lea e a residue.
 
Almost word for word what I would have said.



Richard Grasa said:
I would stay away from Windex, it just sucks IMO. The best glass cleaner I have ever used is the Meguiar's D120 glass cleaner concentrate, but you would need to order it from somewhere. Alot of people like Stoner's Invisible Glass if you need something you can get in a store, but I never really liked it. A gallon of D120 will last you just about forever and is good for more than just car windows, it's all I use in the house as well.



This place has a 32 oz sampler of D120, which will also last quite a long time (10:1 dilution ratio):



Meguiars Glass Cleaner 32 oz.
Click to expand...
 
I use ONR for windows with great success, so far I have seen no need for a dedicated window cleaner. If I ever see the need I will try D120 as I have never heard a bad thing about it. I use ONR on cars and all the windows and mirrors in my house.
 
As Scott noted interior glass needs to get wet, not just spritzed, Stay away from glass cleaners as most just smear the VOC's from one end to the other.



I use mainly a damp mf towel to wet the glass, use a silicone squeege to remove excess and buff remaining with a dry waffle weave. If the glass is real bad then an alcohol/water mixture is used.
 
Anthony Orosco said:
As Scott noted interior glass needs to get wet, not just spritzed, Stay away from glass cleaners as most just smear the VOC's from one end to the other.



I use mainly a damp mf towel to wet the glass, use a silicone squeege to remove excess and buff remaining with a dry waffle weave. If the glass is real bad then an alcohol/water mixture is used.
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Glass cleaners should be spritzed. If you see smearing, then you have used too much.



The lack of a formulated product is probably the reason you are having to do a final buff. This should not be necessary, the dirt should be in your cloth first time round and the only thing left on the surface should be the volatile components which will evaporate away. In your case, without any chemical product present, the residue you are buffing away is nothing more than dirt which you moved around with your initial steps.



You would not apply your technique to paintwork - we will all agree that it would cause significant damage, whether scores, swipes, swirls, marring (etc.). Glass is not so different.
 
We use a diluted glass cleaner concentrate in our shop as well as Kia and Acdelco can glass cleaner(foaming) with the waffle weave towels (which i just discovered lol) with great success. If the widows have glue or are heavily soiled a few of my guys like using steel wool then wipe with the window towel. We also have the blue oil rag style window towels. Those window towels linked above intrigue me though :)
 
megs d120 is a great glass cleaner and an awesome bang for buck, it's what I use, eco touch window clean is a quality product, mothers glass cleaner is very good, chemical guys window clean is good, however the best bang for buck is megs pro line glass cleaner d120 hands down
 
PiPUK said:
Glass cleaners should be spritzed. If you see smearing, then you have used too much.



The lack of a formulated product is probably the reason you are having to do a final buff. This should not be necessary, the dirt should be in your cloth first time round and the only thing left on the surface should be the volatile components which will evaporate away. In your case, without any chemical product present, the residue you are buffing away is nothing more than dirt which you moved around with your initial steps.



You would not apply your technique to paintwork - we will all agree that it would cause significant damage, whether scores, swipes, swirls, marring (etc.). Glass is not so different.
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Well I disagree as liquid glass cleaners are mainly water with some surfactants added. Water, good ol water, is best used (albiet we do not use tap water) on glass, especially after market tint.



Your professional glass cleaners use a mixture of water, about 98% water in a bucket with a drop or 2 of dish soap.....maybe some alcohol, bleach or vinegar. Ammonia based cleaners are a no-no for after market tints.



Also we are talking about the interior glass not exterior so just what "dirt" are you expecting to see on your glass towel? When the interior of a car gasses off those gasses stick to the glass (VOC's) so in the old days newspaper was used but it was the solvent inks used back then that helped clean glass but modern paper uses water based ink so that trick doesn't work that well anymore. Something is needed to cut thru the film so if needed I'll add a drop of dish soap, lather up, squeege off and buff dry.



Buying a pre-made glass cleaner is a waste of money IMHO as you can make it far cheaper. This is why Optimum does not make a glass cleaner.



Lastly, I do in fact flood paintwork with water (3 gallons water to 3 ounce ONR) and wipe dry and it causes no damage.
 
Shane.belzers said:
We use a diluted glass cleaner concentrate in our shop as well as Kia and Acdelco can glass cleaner(foaming) with the waffle weave towels (which i just discovered lol) with great success. If the widows have glue or are heavily soiled a few of my guys like using steel wool then wipe with the window towel. We also have the blue oil rag style window towels. Those window towels linked above intrigue me though :)
Click to expand...



I would, personally, never allow steel wool on modern glass. Many of todays glass is of a plastic composite which can be scratched with steel wool and thus over time embed dirt in the microscopic lines. So in our shop steel wool has its place but not on glass.
 
Steel wool pads and sharp razor blades used to work on older car's glass. But no more. Found out the expensive way.



Those window towels caught my eye also. Ordered the 2-pk to try because everything I've tried on inside glass has not worked to my liking.
 
Anthony Orosco said:
Well I disagree as liquid glass cleaners are mainly water with some surfactants added. Water, good ol water, is best used (albiet we do not use tap water) on glass, especially after market tint.



Your professional glass cleaners use a mixture of water, about 98% water in a bucket with a drop or 2 of dish soap.....maybe some alcohol, bleach or vinegar. Ammonia based cleaners are a no-no for after market tints.



Also we are talking about the interior glass not exterior so just what "dirt" are you expecting to see on your glass towel? When the interior of a car gasses off those gasses stick to the glass (VOC's) so in the old days newspaper was used but it was the solvent inks used back then that helped clean glass but modern paper uses water based ink so that trick doesn't work that well anymore. Something is needed to cut thru the film so if needed I'll add a drop of dish soap, lather up, squeege off and buff dry.



Buying a pre-made glass cleaner is a waste of money IMHO as you can make it far cheaper. This is why Optimum does not make a glass cleaner.



Lastly, I do in fact flood paintwork with water (3 gallons water to 3 ounce ONR) and wipe dry and it causes no damage.
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I should clarify that I am a professional chemist. The majority of communications I have had on this forum indicate that the general reader is more than happy to have some light shone onto the chemistry behind the products they use and that is all I am doing here.



Your analysis of glass cleaners is not accurate. The basic outline you have given is not a product I would class as a glass cleaner, the solvent percentage is way too low and you should be looking at >10% in a quality glass cleaner. Bleach is an unknown one to me and I would never ever formulate a glass cleaner using it.



The soiling that can build on interior windows comes from a variety of sources including passengers, air conditioning, outside world (etc.). You won't see big lumps of dirt unless someone has been really remiss with their cleanliness but the dirt is most definitely there - if not, why are you trying to clean the windows? I should clarify that VOCs are volatile by definition - they evaporate into the atmosphere and this is why there are such efforts to reduce their presence in products. This inherently means that they do not tend to deposit on and adhere to surface such as windows.



Can you make products cheaper than you can buy them? Of course you can, my livelihood depends on it! Unfortunately it is much easier said than done and, although you do not accept it, there is much complexity involved with chemical formulation and manufacture. This may well be reflected in your having negative views on glass cleaners - there are undoubtedly poor examples on the market. Optimum is a business to make money. I would suggest this is likely their primary reason for not selling a glass cleaner.



Your final point is somewhat different to the one I initially alluded to - you have ONR in the water and that small amount makes a world of difference compared to your previous suggestion of nothing beyond a damp microfibre.
 
So what do you use steel wool for? And how do you remove heavy glue or stuff from windows without a razor or steel wool? Most glue removers or adhesive removers just spread or smear the stuff? And then you need 2 towels usually one for the glue remover then you glass towel..
 
lol glass cleaners are not 98% water, if so post a video of you drink a glass of glass cleaner (ironic to use a glass?) if its 98% or more and then 2% vinegar etc like you think, surely it'll be easy to get down. awaiting your youtube link :D
 
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