[Bostin'Mokka'tastic]

Hi All
A silly question - maybe, but what is the best and easiest way to clean the windows inside the car?

The side and rear windows seem to be less of a problem, but i always struggle to do a decent job on the inside of the windscreen - always end up with smears and missing the corners.

Could someone recommend a good cleaner and the best type of cloth to use.

Ta

BMt

 

[Harper31]

Normal glass cleaner wiped with a lint free cloth and dried with newspaper works for me

 

[Fatman]

I use two microfibers when i do the windows and you can use any glass cleaner. I use Megs window cleaner or Autobrite crystal glass.

I use one microfiber to clean and then i use the other to go over and buff off any left on you need to also make sure the second one is dry..

It is critical that you use clean microfibers when you do this. What happens is say if you use dash flash, or the like and as it is silicon based and rather oily, you can get some over spray on the windows and it will smear. Or if there is any old product apart from window cleaner left on the microfiber that will also smear.

So by using a good window cleaner it will help to break the oils down while cleaning your windows.

And if you still have no joy then repeat the process.

Hope that helps Andy

 

[Mokkadna]

The items that you normally use for cleaning the windows, are they the same as you would use for cleaning before putting a sealer like rainguard or similar on the windscreen Fatman.

 

[tetchmeister]

I use two microfibers when i do the windows and you can use any glass cleaner. I use Megs window cleaner or Autobrite crystal glass. 

I use one microfiber to clean and then i use the other to go over and buff off any left on you need to also make sure the second one is dry..  

It is critical that you use clean microfibers when you do this. What happens is say if you use dash flash, or the like and as it is silicon based and rather oily, you can get some over spray on the windows and it will smear. Or if there is any old product apart from window cleaner left on the microfiber that will also smear.

So by using a good window cleaner it will help to break the oils down while cleaning your windows.

And if you still have no joy then repeat the process.  

Hope that helps Andy

What he said. Megs is nice to use and smells great too.

 

[Fatman]

The items that you normally use for cleaning the windows, are they the same as you would use for cleaning before putting a sealer like rainguard or similar on the windscreen Fatman.

If im putting something like RainGaurd, Rain X orAquapelon the windows i clean the windows then i use IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) as wipe down. Youdon'thave to do this but it will help therepellentto bond and last longer as it gets rid of any oils and silicons on the windows.

 

[Mokkadna]

Thanks for that Fatman. I was brought something long the lines of rainguard but can't think exactly what it was. I will have to find it out in the garage. I never actually used it as I wasn't sure what to clean the windscreen with for best results.

 

[Fatman]

Put it on all your windows if you have enough. I do and it makesa lotof difference when going down the motorway.

 

[Mokkadna]

Will be doing that now Fatman. I am having the paint protection when mine eventually arrives. Do you know if they put anything on the windscreen when they do the paint protection.

 

[Fatman]

Don't know. Some do but it depends on the valeter and what tools he has got to do the job. Also how much pride he takes in his work.

 

[Blum]

Put it on all your windows if you have enough.

Even on the area the wipers use?

 

[Bostin'Mokka'tastic]

Thanks fellow forum members - off to further boost the profits of Meguiars and microfibre cloth manufacturers!

 

[tetchmeister]

Put it on all your windows if you have enough.

Even on the area the wipers use?

Yep, helps stop wiper judder if you get any, will also prolong the wiper blade life due to slightly less resistance and also due to not having to use them as often.
I rarely use my wipers as the screen stays clear due to rain beading and running away fast rather than spreading over the glass.

 

[Fatman]

Put it on all your windows if you have enough.

Even on the area the wipers use?

Yea here are a few Videos Of Aquapel which i think is the best out there for ease of application.

Applyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ0SULmJxPg

Before and afterhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyfwCdoQflc

Demonstrationhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mks0yLtb9Ck

you can get them off eBay

 

[Mokkadna]

When cleaning my car I have only ever used the shampoo supplied as part of my diamondbrite pack and have not used the conserver in the bucket of water on the front windscreen. Now the colder damp mornings are here the front windscreen looks terrible as though it is misted as though the is something on it on the outside that looks as though it has run down the windscreen, although it does clear when heated by the cars demister. Anyone got any idea's about the best way to clean this off before using a proprietary glass cleaner.

 

[Lemmy]

For the inside of my windows I use a wet chamois leather. I found that when using glass cleaner it was almost impossible never to get smears.

 

[Bandit]

Cleaning the inside of the windscreen has been the bane of my life for more years than I care to remember. I've used every cleaner known to man and none being 100% successful. However I bought a Karcher window vac to do my conservatory awhile back, then a LIGHTBULB moment! try it on the windscreen. So I use a cheap window cleaner solutionfrom B&Q, or washing up liquid will do on a microfibre cloth, and then use the Karcher window vac (which incidentally are the mutts nuts) and finish with a soft microfibre and have got the best results ever inside and out.

 

[Benjiesmum]

totally agree that the windscreen is the most challenging bit of a car to keep clean. Not so much outside but inside after a few weeks the road film seems to build up until you are looking through a mist. The Karcher sounds good but for those who want sparking windows every time with nil expense try..........


Damp newspaper.

It was a trick I learnt when as a student I worked at a filling station. Having been brought up on Windolene (other products are available!) with its powdery residue, I though the owner was just downright mean when he first told me to clean the forecourt window with damp newspapers but it does actually work!

My gripe is the angle of any screen and the contortions I have to perform to clean it right down to the bottom.

 

[Mokkadna]

When I took possession of my Mokka at the back end of April I was really pleased with the windscreen which was the clearest of any car I can remember owing. In July I had a paintwork problem which was at first polished out and the repainted. Since then though I have had a problem where the cars windscreen as it always seems to smear very easily especially when cold. I have tried various cleaners and also the old fashioned white vinegar but non have cleared the windscreen completely. The latest I have tried this week is a steam cleaner but again to little avail. I have spoken with a friend who for many years was a manager at a local windscreen company who told me that they had never really found anything that would clean the smearing off satisfactorily.The screen looks as though there has been a coating on it at some stage which is no longer all there and it is where the coating is that the problem is at its worst. The only thing that I haven't tried yet is new wiper blades but as there are portions of the screen which are really clear in an arch where the blades travel so I don't really hold out much hope there.
Has anyone also noticed now that the colder/damp weather has arrived that the cars screen takes longer to clear. Has anyone also noticed that the screen on the outside has a section at the bottom of the screen of about 3/4 inches which is below the internal screen as the dash is fitted quite high and that the heat from the heater vents are therefor higher than on many other cars. I am sure that this will cause a problem in the icy winter months to come, when the cold glass will not get warmed until a few miles are covered by the driver. Has anybody else noticed this who could add their thoughts on it.

 

[Benjiesmum]

Yes I must say that I have noticed it takes ages for the misting to clear both on the front windscreen but also on the side windows too. compared to my Corsa which clears in minutes it seems to be noticeably slower. Just been out to check both of them this morning and Mokka has steamed up on the front window and driver's side window overnight. Corsa clear.........

wonder if it is because it is new and has residual dampness in it from its life on the ocean waves?

Edited by: Benjiesmum