CieraSL's guide to streak-free windows

If you`re reading this thread, chances are you are either curious about the thread title, or you are having some problems cleaning glass. I mean, it sounds simple enough, right? Spray on some glass cleaner, wipe it off. Shouldn`t be a problem, right? And then there`s cost to think about. Should I buy an expensive glass cleaner and glass towels? I mean, there are other things I want to try out. What should I do? How can I get the best possible results at the lowest or most reasonable price?








Why, with Windex and paper towels, of course!














Nah, just messin`. Well, having been working on perfecting my window cleaning skills for about the past 6 years or so, I consider myself to be a bit of an expert on this subject. Please, no autographs or pictures. Yes, I have 4 different types of glass towels and about 10 different glass cleaners, but I`ve been wanting to write this article for a little while, and I wanted to show people that with the right technique and a little know-how, you can get even the best results with OTC products. Well, I was in Pep Boys recently and came across this:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...edium/0119.jpg

These are labeled drying towels but they are perfect for window cleaning. Only $7.10 for a 10-pack of 16 x 16 inch towels. They were actually in a corner on the opposite side of the store from the detailing supplies, so you may just have to walk around the store and look for them. They were in a rolling bin. I went ahead and picked up 4 packs of them.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...edium/0210.jpg


Pep Boys towel on the left, Cobra glass towel on the right. Both towels are an 80/20 blend, with the Pep Boys towel being made in China and the Cobra towel being a Korean microfiber made in China.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...edium/0313.jpg

close-up
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...medium/043.jpg

My tools of choice (please note that I make it a point to wash my glass and drying towels separate from the rest of my towels, and I only use Micro-Restore microfiber detergent, then dry on about medium heat for about a half hour. All glass towels were washed and tumble dried prior to use). I use two different colored towels - one for the initial wipe and buff and one for the final wipe. There are 5 different colors in the 10 pack of towels I bought (2 of each color): blue, orange, green, tan, and brown. Having two different colored towels lets me visually know which one is for which task. The Meguiar`s glass cleaner I purchased from Advance Auto. To really put my skills to the test, I used the outside glass of our Honda Odyssey, which were rather dusty from having sat in the garage for several weeks.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...medium/055.jpg

With the Meguiar`s Perfect Clarity glass cleaner, I switched out the standard sprayer head for a sprayer head that would better atomize the product - this is important for getting even coverage over the window without using too much product. Standard sprayer on the right, replacement sprayer on the left. Make sure your sprayer is to your liking.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...medium/061.jpg

Here you can see why I switched sprayers. Spray pattern from the standard spray head:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...medium/073.jpg

Spray pattern from the replacement spray head. The product is better atomized which means it is not all concentrated on one section of the glass:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...medium/087.jpg

A few sprays (4-5 depending on the size of the window), using a sweeping motion (don`t just point and spray; again, this concentrates more product on one section of the window) covers the window:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...medium/093.jpg

My technique is as follows:
1. Spray glass cleaner in sweeping motion on glass to cover (but not drench) glass
2. Take one glass towel (folded in fourths), go over the majority of the window, go back around the edges, go back over the main area one more time, flip over and buff
3. Do a final wipe with extra dry towel, being careful to cover the whole window
4. As initial towel becomes saturated, rotate out, rotate the final wipe towel in for use as your initial towel, and get a new final wipe towel. Don`t be afraid to use as many towels as you need

Using this technique, as well as the tips mentioned above, this was my result. Camera flash:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...edium/1010.jpg

Using the Brinkmann, no camera flash:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...edium/1111.jpg

I also went ahead and did the front passenger window inside and out using the same method. Camera flash:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...edium/1212.jpg

Brinkmann and camera flash:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...edium/1310.jpg

Use the Brinkmann to check for streaks. If it looks good under the Brinkmann, it will look good under the sun. It has been my experience that using the 4 step technique outlined above will get 95% of the window clean, then you can use the Brinkmann and your final wipe towel to clear up the last little bit. Once you get it down, it really doesn`t take long at all to get perfect glass. Thanks for looking! Comments, criticism (constructive, please) and additional suggestions welcome!

Nice tutorial Shane and lets make this one a Sticky!! :yourrock

Great write-up!!

Very nice write-up Shane, thanks for sharing!

Shane...great guide and write up !!! Thanks for putting it together.

Your process is very similar to mine. I like the Brinkman idea. I had read an idea about misting glass with distilled water and this will also reduce any smearing.

There some cleaners that are not alcohol based (CG`s and DP`s) that do not evaporate (flash off) so they must be wiped carefully.

Nice write up. Thanks!

Nice! I like the idea of using the brinkman to check for streaks. I also went to pepboys and picked up some towels. I want to try them out. I may keep a few in my car for misc clean ups.

Nice write up. I always do my windows inside the garage when there nice and cool. I also use my dual 500 watt halogens to shine through the windows making sure the glass gets as clean as possible inside and out that way there`s no going back over it when you pull it out in the sun only to find you missed a spot.

Well done, thanks!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Time 2 shine

Nice write up. I always do my windows inside the garage when there nice and cool. I also use my dual 500 watt halogens to shine through the windows making sure the glass gets as clean as possible inside and out that way there`s no going back over it when you pull it out in the sun only to find you missed a spot.

---

Halogens are a great tip to make sure the windows are streak free! :yourrock

This is what eats most of my batteries on the Brinkman LED. But it does work!

Great writeup! It is a good thing to know you can get some decent MF towels locally. Using the Brinkman to spot streaks is a good idea. Currently I use the mercury lamp in my driveway when I`m cleaning the inside glass, but that is not always convenient and cannot be used in the daytime.

Good to see that the Megs Clarity glass cleaner is readily available too.

GTO_04

This write up is amazing, I agree that halogens are the best for detecting streaks. You need coverage not "cut" per say with the light. I use a heat lamp 250 watt par par 40. The thing is amazing for detecting streaks and dries the glass at the same time.