Still struggling with streaking- any suggestions?

[luckydawg]

I am still struggling with trying to get streak free glass.
Other than the stoners invisible and the Megs spray product- what have you guys found ? I have tried home remedies like ammonia & alcohol mixed and even some distilled white vinegar. I am using one of those "silk type" cloths especially designed for glass

[agarabaghi]

I use Sprayway aresol glass cleaner, spray it ontop a blue shop towel to apply and then "buff" off with a clean microfiber. Works really well.

[luckydawg]

I stopped using microfiber because it always leaves hundreds of little specks of lint

[Sleper]

Some use vinegar and water and use a newspaper to remove. You could have some sort of buildup. If its on the outside pour Coke on it then rinse well. You could also try waxing. Once hazed it will pull off the comtaminents. Good Luck

[SNP209]

What works for me is to use multiple towels. One for applying whatever product I am using at the moment and another for buffing off any streaks.

[LEDetailing]

The biggest suggestion is multiple towels and not using too much cleaner. I also use lint free glass specific microfibers. I even wash my glass towels separate. The last wipe can be done using a dry glass towel, but there cannot be any film on the window other than glass cleaner streaks. My last wipe is done with a fine mist of glass cleaner on a clean/dry glass specific MF.

Once you get the windows spotless they are easy to keep clean as long as you clean them a couple times a month.

I use Stoner’s Invisible Glass, great glass cleaner.

[Desertnate]

I found using paper towels to be less prone to streaking than MF towels or those thin silk-like ones you mention. I also found foaming window cleaner like Sprayway helped as well.

I still struggle with the inside of the windshield, but a combo of paper towels and Sprayway allows me to get streak free on all other surfaces.

[Mike Phillips]

This is from 2012, only 6 years ago.... some of the products have been discontinued or in case of the glass towels, there's different versions.

The key this is the INFORMATION. It's still just as accurate today as when I wrote it.


Mike's Glass Cleaning Tips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/49998-mike-s-glass-cleaning-tips.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/PlentyOTowels03.jpg



Mike's Glass Cleaning Tips
When cleaning glass or anything, you are removing "something" off the glass. On the inside this would be Vinyl Fog and/or Smoker's Film.

Chances are good you're also cleaning someone else's attempt to clean glass and removing their streaks and smears plus whatever chemical they used to try to clean the glass.

Depending on who's riding around in the vehicle you could also be removing fingerprints and even footprints from passengers sitting in the front seat and stretching their legs out onto the dash. Kids are notorious for touching the inside of glass with their fingers and hands and that means residues from whatever was in their hands including ketchup and mustard from their McHappy Hamburger, grease from their French Fries or Chicken McNuggets and anything else they're playing with in the back of the car.


So here's my tip on cleaning glass...
Anytime you're mechanically removing any type of film, oils or any other substances off the glass, they are being deposited onto your wiping cloth. Correct?

That means you should no longer use that wiping cloth on any other glass surface because all you'll be doing is transferring the substance you removed to a new section of glass.



Have plenty of glass cleaning towels
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/PlentyOTowels02.jpg


Plenty of Towels
The most important thing you can do to avoid streaks and smears when cleaning glass is to use plenty of clean wiping cloths and after making the initial wipe over a window or a section of a window, either turn or fold to a fresh clean side or switch to a clean, dry, unused wiping cloth to continue.

It doesn't take much to leave a smear on glass so your job is once you remove the majority of whatever was on the glass to start with to get that wiping cloth out of the equation and switch to a new, clean wiping cloth for your final wipe. Then after using the secondary or even third wiping cloth on a single window, set it aside and start on the next window with another clean, dry wiping cloth.


Glass Cleaners
Most glass cleaners work really well, especially if the name on the label has a good reputation to start with.


Glass Towels
Most quality microfiber towels and dedicated glass wiping towels also work really well.


Cross-contamination the true culprit
The culprit is re-introducing whatever it is you removed off the glass back onto the glass.


Glass Master Pro
I like using Glass Master Pro for front and back windows for the "Final Wipe" not for the first or even second wipe.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/PlentyOTowels01.jpg


Tips and Techniques - 3 Wipes for streak-free glass

1st Wipe
The first wipe is to remove the majority of any Vinyl Fog, Smokers Film, Fingerprints, Smudges and Smears. After you make the first wipe, take the towel now holding any residues previously on the glass and place it in your laundry bag or bin as it is no longer useful for cleaning glass.

2nd Wipe
The second wipe is to further remove any trace residues left behind by the first wipe, these will show up as smears on the glass. Use a clean, dry wiping cloth together with a quality glass cleaner. After this wipe the glass should be about 90% clear and streak-free or better.

3rd Wipe
For the third and final wipe, switch to the Glass Master Pro. The Glass Master Pro come with

After making your initial wipes for the inside of the windshield using a clean, dry glass cleaning towel, switch to a clean dry towel for a second wipe. After your initial wipe and follow-up wipe using clean, dry un-contaminated cleaning towels you're now ready to use the Glass Master Pro for the "Final Wipe".

Mist a little glass cleaner onto a clean, microfiber bonnet, this should be a very light amount of glass cleaner.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/PlentyOTowels07.jpg


Then make your final wipe for the inside of the front windshield and rear window, which are normally the hardest windows to clean.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/PlentyOTowels08.jpg



Check it out on Autogeek.net

The Glass Master Pro (http://www.autogeek.net/glass-master-pro.html)

Diamondite® Perfect Vision Glass Cleaner Aerosol (http://www.autogeek.net/dia-perfect-vision-aerosol.html)

Waffle Weave Microfiber Glass Towel (http://www.autogeek.net/ww1627.html)


:xyxthumbs:


:)

[Mike Phillips]

We carry a number of really good glass cleaners, here's one...


How to remove Smokers Film off inside of windshield - Review: BLACKFIRE Glass Cleaner (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/new-car-care-products/104526-how-remove-smokers-film-off-inside-windshield-review-blackfire-glass-cleaner.html)


BEFORE

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3199/Smokers_Film_001.jpg



AFTER

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=108482



Just like looking through glass....

In this first shot the focus in on the pack of cigarettes - the words Smokers Film are no longer visible because the glass is crystal clear and streak-free.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=108488



In this second shot the focus is on the back wall. Because there's no longer a film or any dirt on the windshield, my camera has nothing to focus on and that's a sign of perfectly clear glass.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=108489



:)

[Mike Phillips]

Remove the glare from where you stare (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/106566-remove-glare-where-you-stare.html)



Window Glare!

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_013.jpg



Both annoying as well as a safety issue
I don't know anyone that likes glare on their windshield. Glare is how light is diffused over the surface making it hard to see. It's also a safety issue because you need to see when you're driving.


Common problem
While writing a recent article about Griot's Fine Glass Polish I noticed the inside of my own glass had a film build-up. Over the years I've seen questions come up on our forum where people are having a difficult time removing really stubborn films and contamination off the INSIDE of their windows. Normally they tell a tale of how they've used every glass cleaner under the sun and every secret glass cleaning technique ever shared over the blogosphere.



Vinyl Fog
New cars have a lot of plastic and other freshly made man-made components and materials inside of them. These newly manufactured parts will tend to give off a chemical gas called outgassing as a natural process. This can also be accentuated when interiors become hot, for example parking outside in a parking lot in full sun with all the windows rolled up. The inside can become a sort of pressure cooker. The resulting outgassing deposits an oily film on the inside of the car. It's probably everywhere since it's not picky about where it attaches but it's only on the glass that you can see it.


Sometimes you need a mechanical solution (no pun intended)
I've come across difficult inside windows to clean in my lifetime and when I've exhausted normal spray-on glass cleaners I've switched over to polishes with great success. The idea being to use a glass polish to cut through the gunk on the glass and then wipe this residue off.


How it works?

The abrasives in the glass polish plus any chemical cleaners will cut through the film and then mix into the polish itself.

Then you wipe the whole mess off.



Next switch back over to your favorite spray-on glass cleaner to make the final wipes. While it can be awkward rubbing some type of applicator pad over the inside of your car's glass unless you're already a contortionist, with a little effort you can do it.


Capturing glare with a camera
I've taken thousands of pictures in my car detailing life documenting defects an all types of surfaces but when I went to take pictures of the glare caused by a film that has built-up on the inside of my truck I found it to be a little tricky. It was tricky to capture both the glare and film before and also after. But I think when you look at the pictures below you'll agree, somehow I did it.


The challenge of timing
First you have to get the pictures either early in the morning as the sun is coming up or late in the afternoon as the sun is setting. After looking at the glare at both times of the day I decided it would be better to capture early morning pictures.



Here's a shot looking out the driver's side of my truck's windshield...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_001.jpg



Here's a cropped out section from the above picture...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_021.jpg


Here's a full size image, 800 pixels wide cropped out of the original.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_022.jpg




Griot's Fine Glass Polish

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_002.jpg



Soft foam applicator pad...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_003.jpg



I applied to just a section of glass in the middle of the windshield.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_004.jpg



This morning, I arrived to work early to capture the before and after 50/50 shots as the sun was rising on the horizon....

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_005.jpg




Now you have to look carefully

The inside glass on the left side has been hand polished with Griot's Fine Glass Polish and the inside glass on the right side is untouched.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_006.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_007.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_008.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_009.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_010.jpg



The smear you see is where I took my finger and swiped it across the glass before I started writing this article just out of curiosity to see how bad the film on the glass was...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_011.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_012.jpg




Finishing the job...

Today I finished hand polishing the entire inside glass...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_014.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_015.jpg



Now that's a clear view!

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_019.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3280/Glare_018.jpg




Summary...

So if you find yourself struggling to really get the inside glass on your car clean... it might be time to take a new approach and hand polish the glass with a dedicated glass polish.



http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/Autogeeks_SCG.jpg



On Autogeek.com

Griot's Garage Glass Sealant 8 oz (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-garage-glass-sealant.html)

Griots Garage Glass Polish (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-glass-polish.html)


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3279/Griots_Fine_Glass_Polish_001.jpg



:)

[luvmyrv]

Thanks Mike....that's a real eye opener! Guess I gotta get me some glass polish! My wish list just keeps growing!

[luvmyrv]

Does it also work well on the outside of the glass?

[Eldorado2k]

Does it also work well on the outside of the glass?

For many years back in the days... I used to achieve my best results with the plain old squeegees at the Shell station. I finally decided to buy the exact same squeegee online and still to this day it works near perfect when I decide to just keep it simple and use it for the windshield. Streak free that’s for sure.

[Hammer77]

I have used the Stoners, for the last two years I have used Megs D120 with 245 gsm MF towels and have no streaking issues. As others said have multiple towels on hand. You may want to check out McKee's 37 20/20 Cockpit Glass cleaner, nice stuff and super easy to use.

[joecollectin]

With respect to the professional responses and solutions - I use a window cleaner to get the major stuff off and then a "Magic Eraser" and a bucket of clean, warm water (at least two iterations). Absolutely the best results of any method I've tried. As a bonus recommendation - turn around in the seat (face the rear of the car) and clean the hard to reach spots that way.