It’s All Clear To Me Now!

If there is one area of car detailing that I absolutely loathe, it has to be detailing the glass window areas of my vehicles.  The funny thing is that when the windows are sparkling clean, the vehicle absolutely looks its showroom best.

I think that what makes cleaning windows such a chore is that there are two surfaces that must be perfected at the same time, mainly the inside and the outside.  Any remaining finger prints or smudges will ruin the look of the glass.  Couple this with the fact that inside and outside glass surfaces are attacked by different things just adds to the complexity of achieving the ultimate goal of clean, clear glass.

“So Uncle Vinny, when is the best time to attack this mighty task of glass detailing?”  Tending to the glass is always best following cleaning the inside and outside of the car.  Washing the vehicle will get some of the outside dirt off the outer window surfaces.  These outer areas see things that won’t affect the inside window areas.  Things like road debris, tree sap, bug guts, bird poop, acid rain/pollutants, water spots and even windshield wiper fluid residues. All of these contaminants can become affixed to the front windshield and rear glass.

Similarly, inside glass areas see different chemical pollutants.  This inside glass “dirt-film” is often a mish-mosh of vinyl off-gassing, vapors from protectants and leather conditioners, moisture from breath and rain residues as well as tobacco smoke.  These films can be worse to deal with than any of the “garbage” stuck to the outside areas. Couple these film pollutants to areas inside of the car that a contortionist couldn’t reach to clean and you see why I hate cleaning windows.

You know, doing things that have to get done even though you don’t like it is just a fact of life.  So let’s just suck it up and get down and not so dirty and see how to get these windows clean.  My recommended products for the job at hand are two different window cleaners ( I’ll tell you why you ideally need both), preferably microfiber glass cleaning towels and a window cleaning instrument called a glass reach cleaning tool.  BTW all of these products can be found at our friends at Autogeek.net or ProperAutoCare.com as well as many other good car detailing store websites.

Window cleaning chemicals used in automotive applications are different from the garden variety used for home window cleaning.  Cleaners made for auto glass are ammonia free.  While ammonia is an effective grease cutter, it can damage a car’s window tinting film (aftermarket applied films).  With the EPA interested in eliminating Volatile Organic Compounds ( VOCs) from all chemical based products, this has forced auto glass cleaners to change their formulas.  This chemical formula change has taken the “teeth” out of these cleaners.  So in today’s world, glass cleaners are a compromise of solvents.  Some solvents may be good for cleaning bug guts and vinyl plasticizers while others may be more effective on leather oil films or road grimes.

The three best window products in my hands are Eimann Fabrik’s Clear Vision II, Stoner’s Invisible Glass and GM’s Auto Glass cleaner.  This last cleaner is available at any GM (General Motors) Dealer.  Be prepared to shell out about $8 for the can.  Eimann Fabrik’s cleaner is fortified with nano-cleaner molecules that act like little atom sized scrub brushes.  This stuff works great!  We’ll talk about Stoner’s product in just a bit but first a little about glass microfiber towels.

“But wait a minute, no paper towels or newspaper, my grandma will turn in her grave!”  Now, now …just give me a moment.  Microfiber towels, especially ones woven exclusively for glass care will save you time, aggravation and are environmentally friendly (no garbage created).  They also don’t leave ink residue like newspaper which could stain light colored dash or seat surfaces.  Most paper towels (and cheap microfibers for that matter) will almost always leave lint behind.  Oh, that’s just what I want….lots of lint on my hard to attain clean windows!!!

Remember when I told you not to wash the vehicle in direct sunlight due to the quick drying effects of the sun’s heat?  Well don’t clean windows in the sun either!  The chemical bases for these window cleaners contain chemicals like alcohols which are designed to clean and evaporate quickly.  You will create a heartache disaster if you attempt to under take this task in the baking sun.  So start your glass cleaning in a cool, shaded area that still has good lighting.  I will mist the inside glass with the Eimann Fabrik Cleaner (or the GM Glass Cleaner) and wipe off with a glass cleaning micro-cloth.  Remember that glass cleaning tool I mentioned?  Well two products that are readily available are the Stoner Invisible Glass Reach & Clean tool and the Glass Master Pro Glass & Surface cleaner.  These are basically micro-fiber cleaning pads that are attached to wand handles (see photo).  These tools allow you to reach into areas that are almost impossible due to long dash board areas or steep angle of low inclined windshields.

I will now mist the glass with the second cleaner, mainly Stoner’s Invisible glass product, and work the area with the window cleaning tool. Using these two different glass cleaners attacks the film deposits using different chemistries; each product has its strengths and its weaknesses. Some folks may be just happy with one cleaner and a once-over with the glass microfiber. Remember I’m Uncle Vinny and I’m picky. You will not likely need the reaching tool on side windows.  Some new vehicle designs do however have race-sloped back windows and these car owners will find using these glass cleaning reach tools a joy (and a back saver).  Even reaching the cabin end of my Corvette’s hatchback glass is nearly impossible without this tool.

Compared to inside glass, I find cleaning outside surfaces a bit easier.  Many times just drying the vehicle off following a car wash will leave the windows in good shape.  I’ll often give them a light spritz of any handy glass cleaner and a quick wipe with a clean microfiber and we’re good!  If there is a place to spend time, I guarantee you that it will be time spent on the windshield.  Depending where, when and how much you drive your vehicle, the windshield might be in quite a mess.  If the glass here is spotted with water marks (white calcium ghost spots) or embedded debris, a good glass restorer is perhaps what is needed.

Glass restorers are basically glass scrubbing cleaners.  They are often strong solvents with abrasives suitable for glass.  I often wear rubber gloves to prevent contact between my skin and the restoring chemicals.  Griot’s Garage, DP and Glass Science Glass Scrub are good products to help remove stubborn contaminants.  They are easy to use. Just follow the directions on the label (as always!!!).  Some can be applied with electric buffers but a number of these restorers are designed to be done by hand buffing. Please….remember those safety glasses!

Once the glass has been restored, go back and mist the windshield with cleaner and wipe. The glass should look the best it’s looked in weeks or months or ever!  If you have gone through restoring the windshield, my recommendation would be to seal the surface with a glass sealer treatment like Rain-X, Glass Science Rain Repellant, Aquapel or similar product.  We’ll talk more about these in our next blog!

Before we say we’re done, drop the side windows of the car down and clean the top 2-3” that might have been hiding away inside the door rail trim,  Put the windows back up and start the walk around the car.  A final inspection if you will.  Look not only at the glass but through it as well.  Look for any blemishes or finger prints.  Some may be on the outside, some may be inside. Locate them and eliminate them.  Onelast thing…check your side view mirror surfaces.  Give them a treat and clean them too.  Now step back and take a deep breath.  Look at those windows!  You can see clearly now and clearer vision brings with it a greater level of safety.  Uncle Vinny doesn’t want anything to happen to you (or your loved ones)!

So in my next blog, we’ll talk about window/glass treatments that can improve your vision of the road in wet weather and help the glass to stay cleaner for longer periods of time.  Thanks again for all of your comments. I truly appreciate each and every one.  I look forward to any of your questions or suggestions on future automotive topics.

Thanks again for stoppin’ by!!!!

Stay Safe out there!!!!

Uncle Vinny