Archives for October 2007

Automotive glass cleaning is something that not many people enjoy doing. However, it is one of the things that make the biggest difference when it is done right. Let’s take a look at some of the different ideas about glass cleaning.

There is the old fashioned method of using newspaper to polish your glass. The newsprint acts as a polishing agent that gets grime off the window. This method actually isn’t a bad one, but it isn’t necessarily the best way to do things. If you have access to towels and glass cleaner, then there really isn’t any need to use ‘home remedy’ processes like newspaper. There are many other products that are better at cleaning your glass than newspaper.

You could grab a bottle of glass cleaner from your house cleaning bucket. The problem with those cleaners is that many of them contain ammonia. Ammonia is a great glass cleaner, but it is murder on vinyl and rubber seals around your windows. You certainly don’t want to damage your dash or door panels with your choice of glass cleaner. Your best bet is to leave that product in the bucket under the sink.

Something else you need to consider is your window tint. Make sure that your choice of glass cleaners is going to be safe on the mylar film that is used to tint your glass. There are many great home remedies for cleaning, but if you aren’t sure what the effect on your tint is going to be, then you should stick to product with ‘safe for tint’ on the label.

Your best bet is to stick with high quality automotive glass cleaners. You don’t have to worry about damaging anything if you are using products that have had years of research put into designing the best glass cleaners on the planet.

You will have better success with cleaning you windows if you do it in the shade on cool glass. Hot glass causes the cleaner to evaporate too quickly and streaks will dry faster. It is easiest to inspect your work in the sun, but do the work in the shade if possible.

Always use a flat towel to wipe your glass with. A waded up towel will give you nothing but trouble. Fold a microfiber towel into quarters and hold it flat against the glass with your hand. This is the best method for wiping down your windows.

Start at the top of the glass and work your way down. Remember to roll down you windows a bit or open your door (if you have frameless windows) and clean the tops of them. Do this first so that you don’t get water streaks on the glass from rolling it down.

One of the hardest places to clean on you car is the inside of the front and rear windshields. One has to practically be a contortionist in order to reach the far corners and be able to apply enough pressure to the glass to scrub away haze nad dirt. The Glass Master Pro Glass and Surface Cleaner is the best tool for cleaning those areas. You can avoid injury and dirty windows by using this tool. You may be getting those areas pretty clean now, but you will be amazed how much easier the job becomes when you have the right tool.

Always do the glass last. You don’t want to do the glass first and then get protectant on it while detailing the dash. You should do the exterior glass and interior glass at the same time. It is possible to get protectant on the glass while detailing rubber seals and trim around windows. Detailing the glass last will save you time from doing a job twice.
If you are using the right process and products then you will find that glass detailing isn’t as difficult as it might seem. Many of your issues might be solved simply by changing you tools and then detailing the glass after you are done with everything else. Always take time to evaluate your process and products when a job seems to be harder than it should be.