What's your glass cleaning regimen?

M

Mindflux

New member
It seems no matter how much I try I can never get my windows streak free.

For instance. I'll be using S.I.G (Invisible Glass) with a lint free MF towel. I'll buff and spray and wipe until my windows are just IMMACULATE looking. But the problem is I'll get glare on my way into work in the morning and the windows will have wiping patterns in the directions I wiped the product off.

I always try to do the inside of the windows up and down and the outside of the windows left to right. That way if I have streaks I know if they are inside or outside.

It would be nice to just not have streaks.

:surrender
 
I have gone to finishing the windows with straight water and a good glass cleaning MF....I start with IG and that cleans up the glass...like yourself I found that I would still see some streaks appear later...so I started using water as a finial and that worked!

Just a note, make sure that you are using a good glass MFT it makes a difference
 
Mindflux said:
Hrm maybe I just need a final dry buff (or wet buff).

:hmmm:
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Dry buff is something that I do all the time...its what will pickup any streaks left by the wet towel...that maybe your problem.

That said...I have not cleaned any glass that, the next day I can see some streaks in the windows at certain angles or different lights...IMO its the nature of the glass.
 
I have always used an up and down pattern and then back and forth. In the ten years I've been detailing I have never ran into any problems. Just always remember to keep the towel folded and work out of the sun if possible. I think they are the main reasons why windows streak. I use a Danase glass towel and CG Window Clean.
 
One thing that I think has helped me is to keep some towels for only glass cleaning.
It might be my imagination, but it seems like towels used for wax, glaze, QD may still have some residue in them that contributes to the haze that sometimes shows up later.
 
CharlesW said:
One thing that I think has helped me is to keep some towels for only glass cleaning.
It might be my imagination, but it seems like towels used for wax, glaze, QD may still have some residue in them that contributes to the haze that sometimes shows up later.
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I second that one...designated glass towel!
 
I have used Stoners and I do not see streaks.

I think some people think when it disappears (alcohol evaporates) that it is gone. If you are spreading and wiping dry with the same towel I think you leaving product behind. You just do not really see it.

You have to really wipe it dry with a separate towel. I wipe it very well (try to do 2 good complete wipes) with pressure. To do this, you need very short nap towels or a glass cleaning towel, otherwise the longer nap types can lint some or just be hard to hold against the paint.
 
Bunky said:
You have to really wipe it dry with a separate towel. I wipe it very well (try to do 2 good complete wipes) with pressure. To do this, you need very short nap towels or a glass cleaning towel, otherwise the longer nap types can lint some or just be hard to hold against the paint.
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This is likely the culprit. I use the same towel for all of the outside windows and a separate one for the inside.

I'll just make sure to go back over and 'dry buff' the windows with an unused towel.
 
I've got a couple of towels for glass only. I started using Surf City Garage glass cleaner and it is working great for me with no streaking.
 
I actually have been alternating between Sprayway, Surf City, and Stoners. Surf City seems to spray and wipe a little better than Stoners but not enough to really make a difference. I am usually cleaning fairly clean glass so I cannot say one is really better. SC is alcohol free too so it is safe for plastics, etc and has a better smell. Sprayway, a foam, works ok too except I do not really like aerosol foams. I do not really see any streaking with any of them.

The best deal on SC seems to be to order direct. There is no charge for shipping. The 2 liter is like $12.99.
 
I find myself rotating glass cleaners (I use many of the usual suspects), sometimes using two different cleaners during a single session when the glass is visibly grimey.

After trying several different "glass specific" MFTs, I have a strong preference to the blue huck towels. Dedicated glass towels are just a given IMO, though proper washing should eliminate any residue issues. Some go so far as washing their glass towels by themselves. I don't find that necessary, though I do segregate my towels wash/dry/QD/glass - polish/wax/sealant removal because the loads work out that way.
 
I alternate between Stoner's IG, Sprayway & Meguiar's (from concentrate) also . . . no real good reason for choosing between the three, and I always use dedicated glass m/f's.
 
norahcrv said:
I alternate between Stoner's IG, Sprayway & Meguiar's (from concentrate) also . . . no real good reason for choosing between the three, and I always use dedicated glass m/f's.
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I hear the MEg's concentrate is great stuff. But if it's no better than Stoners maybe I'll forgo trying it.

Then again it's cheaper when you dilute it.. hrmm
 
I don't get it flux. You stand behind Stoners religiously, but yet you don't get good results from it. :hmmm: I use Stoners and think it is a great product, but if it wasn't performing for me, I would be trying other products. Given, I think it is your technique and not the product, but certain products work great for some people and terrible for others. Heck, it works great for me and I still tried other products! :D
 
I have been experimenting also with different types of towels. As I said earlier, I prefer shorter nap towels plus have used a 16x24 waffle weave. I do not like the thin glass cleaning towels (usually a fine waffle weave) on car windows since they hard to hold against the glass when wiping.
 
I used to use IG, but I have since gone back to Sprayway or Sunglo and a dedicated MF or scott towels (#1010).

"J"
 
blk45 said:
I don't get it flux. You stand behind Stoners religiously, but yet you don't get good results from it. :hmmm: I use Stoners and think it is a great product, but if it wasn't performing for me, I would be trying other products. Given, I think it is your technique and not the product, but certain products work great for some people and terrible for others. Heck, it works great for me and I still tried other products! :D
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:lol2: Yeah I'm stubborn like that. I figure folks are getting good results with it that it's GOT to be my technique.

Glass is tricky though. It can look so good until just the right angle of light hits it. :inspector:

Maybe I'll give Sprayaway and EO 20/20 a go. They're both available locally. I wish I could get some of the Meguiars Detailer line as easily.
 
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