I think I stumbled on the perfect way to clean glass.

[Don]

My wife`s Explorer is not exactly the most well cared for car. It`s old & very rusty and (IMO) not very detail-worthy. I`m not going to chance washing or waxing it and risking getting rust flakes in my towels and pads.

But my wife asked me to clean her windows, so yesterday in the morning while it was still cool and the humidity was low, I went for it. They were really bad, so I decided to use a three-step approach. First I used 50/50 IPA and moderately sprayed it on the glass. Step 2, I took a WET microfiber cloth and wiped/scrubbed the glass. Step 3, I used paper towels to dry and buff the still wet glass. When I was finished with the outside & inside, I sat in the car to do the rear view mirror. That`s when I noticed the door windows looked like they were down! They were THAT clean!

Then on the exterior glass. I misted T.W. Hybrid Solutions Spray Coating on and buffed it in, then using the same process, used a heavily dampened mf, I lightly wiped the glass, and immediately dried it off. The exterior glass is now extremely slick and the windows are all perfectly clear, no streaks or smears.

To make sure this wasn`t a fluke, I did the same to my Camaro`s windows, but this time I used T.W. Dash & Glass Cleaner instead of the IPA, and a WW microfiber cloth as the drying towel instead of paper towels on the Camaro, but otherwise the steps were exactly the same.

So It appears (to me) that it didn`t matter what glass cleaning product I used, that as long as I followed the 3 steps, the windows came out perfect.

Just some food for thought.

[William_Wallace]

Good to know that works. My favs for glass cleaning are ONR optiseal and Klasse AIO I would. The turtle wax ceramic is a nice glossy product I’ll try it soon.thx

[JustJesus]

Cool with low humidity might be important?

I got to try this process. I hate glass cleaning. Also got to try to do it earlier in the day.

Thanks Don

[Don]

Cool with low humidity might be important?

I got to try this process. I hate glass cleaning. Also got to try to do it earlier in the day.

Thanks Don

I did the wife`s car in the early AM (it was parked under a tree in the shade) and my Camaro in the evening when the trees in the back yard shaded the driveway. I think the cooler temps are important so the water & alcohol don`t evaporate too fast. I think it`s one of those "Don`t do in direct sunlight" things.

[Accumulator]

Don- Huh, I *NEVER* got decent results using RW/AIO/LSP/etc. on my glass. Sure not flaming that approach though, glad you found something that works for you.

Guess I`m most surprised that using a damp MF on the glass didn`t cause endless MF-lint headaches, especially that first time (before you switched to a WW, which usually still lint for me).

[Street5927]

I have used IPA before and it does work well for cutting through "greasy" windows. I recently purchased one of those magnetic gadgets from Amazon for about $40 that claims to clean both sides of the glass at once. It has 3 small pads and then a small squeegie on the end. Spraying the glass on both sides and starting at the top, working side to side and moving down to the bottom. To my surprise, it works, works well and cuts time down drastically. After using it, a quick buff with a mf towel to get any remaining liquid removed that may be left, and it is crystal clear. I love it, especially on those low angle rear windows and windshield. You can get right to the edges. Simply amazing!

It has a magnetic adjuster on it, so you can adjust how strong you want the magnetic field to be (for thicker or thinner glass).

I was skeptical at first, but it is one of the best $40 that I spent. Anyone who is interested, it is the Kokitea double sided window cleaner.

[Don]

Don- Huh, I *NEVER* got decent results using RW/AIO/LSP/etc. on my glass. Sure not flaming that approach though, glad you found something that works for you.

Guess I`m most surprised that using a damp MF on the glass didn`t cause endless MF-lint headaches, especially that first time (before you switched to a WW, which usually still lint for me).

The microfiber I used was VERY damp, almost to the point of dripping. It was so wet, there was no `drag` when wiping the glass that would have pulled the fibers from the cloth. On the Explorer, I used paper towels to mop up and buff the glass, so little to no lint. For my Camaro, I used a newer waffle weave towel. There is a LITTLE lint, but not enough to trigger my OCD.

This isn`t the first time I`ve used the TW Ceramic Spray Coating on glass, it`s just the first time I ever really DEEP CLEANED the glass first. I know what you mean about using an LSP on glass, it usually smears like crazy no matter what you do, but the TW Coating is somehow different... mist on the glass, wipe in, wait a few minutes, then wipe with a lightly damp cloth and immediately buff clean. FOr some reason, it`s never smeared or streaked for me and is decent at shedding water off the glass at speed.

[John U]

This isn`t the first time I`ve used the TW Ceramic Spray Coating on glass, it`s just the first time I ever really DEEP CLEANED the glass first. I know what you mean about using an LSP on glass, it usually smears like crazy no matter what you do, but the TW Coating is somehow different... mist on the glass, wipe in, wait a few minutes, then wipe with a lightly damp cloth and immediately buff clean. FOr some reason, it`s never smeared or streaked for me and is decent at shedding water off the glass at speed.

I had good results recently with it too! ��

[Coatings=crack]

I might try the 50/50 IPA in my process. stoner’s aerosol foam for me right now.

I wipe with a griots glass towel and then follow with a Zep cloth. Windows are super clear and streak free. The Zep cloth is the kicker. Didn’t think much of it but with the positive reviews gave it a chance..... great product


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Accumulator]

Don & John U- Hey, interesting! How does it hold up to regular cleanings?

Don- Lucky you that, wet enough, your MFs don`t lint (and that your others don`t do it enough to bother you)! It wouldn`t surprise me if your MFs are a lot newer than mine, and/or a lot better in the "linting" regard. My GG PFMs for glass don`t lint, so I know it`s possible

Coatings=crack- I have a love/hate relationship with foaming aerosol Glass Cleaners. I`d hate to be without my Zep40, but I simply hate the, uhm...imprecise application..and risk of overspray (especially if there`s a breeze where I`m using it).

[grovlet]

I`ve swapped to Spray Away (from Stoners) - it`s slightly more effective and cheaper....

My process is:
1 - Clear away loose debris / dust with leaf blower
2 - Thick layer of Spray Away on glass - clear / wipe away with paper towel (1/2 windshield size per towel folded into quarters)
3 - Wipe dry with waffle weave glass towel (dry towel) (TRC) (1st towel)
4 - Lightly dampen 2nd waffle weave with Spray Away
5 - light layer of Spray Away on glass - clear / wipe with dampened 2nd waffle weave
6 - Final buff with 3rd waffle weave (dry)

Seems like a lot of steps - but once you get the hang of it - it works pretty well - just requires quite a few towels for all windows.... You could try using the same set of 3 for a few windows but clean towels are key to clean glass.

I also do the front,then back windows (largest) before moving on to the sides.

[Accumulator]

grovlet- Doesn`t sound *too* extreme to me, I always do a few separate passes (with slightly different things) too.

I hear you on "quite a few towels", I go through a scad of the little PFMs for Glass

[Don]

Don & John U- Hey, interesting! How does it hold up to regular cleanings?

Don- Lucky you that, wet enough, your MFs don`t lint (and that your others don`t do it enough to bother you)! It wouldn`t surprise me if your MFs are a lot newer than mine, and/or a lot better in the "linting" regard. My GG PFMs for glass don`t lint, so I know it`s possible

Coatings=crack- I have a love/hate relationship with foaming aerosol Glass Cleaners. I`d hate to be without my Zep40, but I simply hate the, uhm...imprecise application..and risk of overspray (especially if there`s a breeze where I`m using it).

I really don`t have to clean my interior glass very often, kind of like monthly in the nicer weather, and the exterior, the TWHS Coating holds up really well and makes cleaning the exterior glass easy - soap & water during the wash followed by a slightly damp cloth after drying the car - done.

My microfibers are older (over two years) and are the cheap Sam`s Club ones. I really need to get some new, BETTER ones for glass and drying the car.

[Bill D]

Sprayway is my glass cleaner of choice for now but I’m gonna have to get PFMs for perfect results

[Accumulator]

I really don`t have to clean my interior glass very often, kind of like monthly in the nicer weather, and the exterior, the TWHS Coating holds up really well..

Ah, OK, thanks for explaining. I clean some glass pretty much every time I use those vehicles and sure wouldn`t want to be redoing anything in addition to that cleaning.

My microfibers are older (over two years) and are the cheap Sam`s Club ones. I really need to get some new, BETTER ones for glass and drying the car.

Noting that some of the MFs I use for Correction/LSPing/etc. are from the `90s....yeah, I bet you`ll appreciate the newer/better MFs. I`m surprised you`re Drying with those Sam`s Club ones as all of my, uhm...less expensive/older/etc....MFs leave lint and none of `em dry worth anything compared to my newer/better ones. IMO you`ll consider it money well-spent.

Sprayway is my glass cleaner of choice for now but I’m gonna have to get PFMs for perfect results

Have you ever tried Zep40? Just curious...Sprayway is available everywhere and undoubtedly cheaper, but it`s been so long since I`ve used it that I dunno how those two aerosol (boo, hiss) products compare.

I`m really curious whether you`ll like those PFMs for Glass, having learned that your experiences in that area differ from mine.