Using newspapers for cleaning and drying auto glass

H

HydroMan

New member
Hey guys, I have been lurking for a long time, the last I posted was a whole controversial post about making your own waterless spray formula lol Many of you will remember that!



Anyways, I finally gave in to optimum no rinse after a lot of "discussion" lol.



Well this new post won't be (as) controversial. I saw a tip about using newspapers to clean and dry auto windows. After research, I tried them anyways despite the fact that they don't use kerosene in the ink anymore (an excellent cleaner).



The new papers still work very well. I spray auto glass cleaner on and then use a crumpled up newspaper to wipe down. The key is to not let the liquid evaporate! (I clean cars in cool early evenings). Then I look at the glass from an angle as I use a new dry crumpled page to wipe dry. The glass is crystal clear afterwards and no more stupid lint lol



:wow:



Customers really like having me wash the cars because of this. I just realized that this is a major selling point. I was really stupid before and didn't pay so much attention to glass because I really ****ing hated it (still do somewhat lol). Hope I helped.
 
This has been around for decades... All the way back to when newspapers were just starting out. It's NOT a good way to clean a window... why? because newspapers are a very very dirty source. And you can't clean something with something that is dirty by nature. Not properly anyways... My dad swears by this for cleaning the house windows and everytime I go over there and see him out there doing it I still shake my head in shame....
 
What do you mean by really dirty naturally? Am I damaging the windows on a level that I can't see with the naked eye?
 
Probably... Just think for a second the entire process a newspaper has to go through to get to your house. From the dirty printing presses and factory to the dirty delivery trucks to waiting around in a dirty container for you to buy or sitting out in the weather on your stoop until you pick it up to read it. All the while collecting contaminants and pollutants.. Not to mention the ink itself that will transfer off onto your glass... Would you wash you're paint with 3000 grit sandpaper??? It's about the same as washing the glass with dirty newspaper.
 
Well I should have made this clearer in my op.



1) The newspaper I use arrives in a plastic bag, so maybe that helps?

2) I use the interior pages *of the classified ads section.

3) This section is good because there are no huge color pictures with a lot of ink, and no valuable news stories to ruin.



I can't get the same results with anything else... even microfiber leaves lint (albiet a small amount though). Are you sure that newspaper is a bad idea? If so, what do you suggest? It has been working for me, and I don't see ink or scratches etc.



*Interior pages and not the outside cover pages, that way its clean.
 
Jakerooni said:
Probably... Just think for a second the entire process a newspaper has to go through to get to your house. From the dirty printing presses and factory to the dirty delivery trucks to waiting around in a dirty container for you to buy or sitting out in the weather on your stoop until you pick it up to read it. All the while collecting contaminants and pollutants.. Not to mention the ink itself that will transfer off onto your glass... Would you wash you're paint with 3000 grit sandpaper??? It's about the same as washing the glass with dirty newspaper.
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I respectfully dissagree, glass is infinitly harder than clear coat, and "dirty" news paper is nothing like sand paper, If it gives you good results more power to you, personaly I'll stick with microfiber cloths.
 
I don't see how rubbing newspaper can *seriously* damage auto glass. There probably isn't anything in newpaper that can compare with the relentless barrage of dirt that slams into your windshield at 80mph on a daily basis.



At the same time though..... I have to say.....COME ON!!! Newspapers!!???



Look, HydroMan, you're not the first one to advocate newspaper as a glass cleaning media. It's been done for decades. And you know what....it actually works. But at the same time, it's 2009, and technology has come a long long way since the depression.



Microfiber, terry cloth, hell...even paper towels are specifically engineered to scrub and absorb contaminants. It has been scientifically proven that they are overwhelmingly better at cleaning contaminants and drawing them away from the surface without damage. They are also about a million percent more cost effective too. A microfiber towel costs about as much as a newspaper and you can reuse it over and over.



If newspaper worked even 10% as well as Microfiber, there would be no such thing, as microfiber.
 
I have had zero luck with everything I've tried. I heard coffee filters were awesome to use. I tried that and I was fairly impressed, but during my morning drive to work in the dark, I still saw those annoying smear marks. They were dramatically less but still present. I did try newspaper last week and did way worse than filters. I did not use glass cleaner with it and that must be where I went wrong. Wasn't aware I needed to use that, maybe i'm an idiot for not doing that part. I will give it a shot and see what happens.
 
I have never gotten streaks using my Glass Microfiber. It was like 3 bucks, why people are still trying to use newspaper and coffee filters, I will never know. :think:
 
Jakerooni said:
Probably... Just think for a second the entire process a newspaper has to go through to get to your house. From the dirty printing presses and factory to the dirty delivery trucks to waiting around in a dirty container for you to buy or sitting out in the weather on your stoop until you pick it up to read it. All the while collecting contaminants and pollutants.. Not to mention the ink itself that will transfer off onto your glass... Would you wash you're paint with 3000 grit sandpaper??? It's about the same as washing the glass with dirty newspaper.
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LOL, yeah newspaper will DAMAGE GLASS! That must be some super soft glass! :lol
 
Less,



I don't disagree with anyone about what they try for different applications in any process. I just use what I like and keep the rest in the back of my mind. There are some really unorthodox methods to detailing out there. When it comes to the mf's and towels and paper towels, the big chunks do get removed, but it's the smears from the chemicals within them that remain. I have used the mf's, washed, not washed and directly out of the package, towels (same way), and the expensive paper towels down to the 10 cent/roll towels. Nothing has ever removed those smears. And I only catch them when it's dark and reflected in street lights and headlights. I'm willing to try anything at this point.
 
Murphman said:
Less,



I don't disagree with anyone about what they try for different applications in any process. I just use what I like and keep the rest in the back of my mind. There are some really unorthodox methods to detailing out there. When it comes to the mf's and towels and paper towels, the big chunks do get removed, but it's the smears from the chemicals within them that remain. I have used the mf's, washed, not washed and directly out of the package, towels (same way), and the expensive paper towels down to the 10 cent/roll towels. Nothing has ever removed those smears. And I only catch them when it's dark and reflected in street lights and headlights. I'm willing to try anything at this point.
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Is this happening with all your vehicles or just one in particular? Maybe the windshield is somehow faulty?

I use Stoners IG with a Target Vroom MF with stunning results.......every time, every vehicle.
 
Hmmm....Yea, I use Stoners as well. I notice it on my car and truck. Like I said, not seen at all during the light, but only reflections @ night. I may also not have a firm grip on the ins and outs of mf. I have tons of them, old to brand new, but I get them from local stores...Meijer, Wally World, Sam's, etc. I clean them with Micro Restore. I do use dash dressings that off gas as well as they break down. Maybe that would have something to do with it. It's a good thingI have a high and tight haircut, so I can't get ahold of it to pull the rest out.
 
Since you're already using Optimum No Rinse, give it a try on the windows. Before I wash the outside of the car I use my freash ONR solution to clean the interior windows--take a short nap MF dipped in ONR solution, wring it out well, wipe the glass then dry with a WW MF. Works great--no streaks or lint. Simplest and most effective window cleaner I've ever used.
 
Murphman said:
Hmmm....Yea, I use Stoners as well. I notice it on my car and truck. Like I said, not seen at all during the light, but only reflections @ night. I may also not have a firm grip on the ins and outs of mf. I have tons of them, old to brand new, but I get them from local stores...Meijer, Wally World, Sam's, etc. I clean them with Micro Restore. I do use dash dressings that off gas as well as they break down. Maybe that would have something to do with it. It's a good thingI have a high and tight haircut, so I can't get ahold of it to pull the rest out.
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HA HA.....funny:har: Hopefully your not throwing in any fabric softner sheets.........are ya? Or your wife? I go so far as to wipe the dryer down with a couple or 3 costco baby wipes before I throw my MF's in there. I know it's probably overkill, but it makes me feel better.
 
as far as window cleaning goes, this is what I do:



1. ONR or just plain soap and water



2. IPA wipe down



3. Stoners IG x 2 with 2 dedicated MF's



and remember that the inside of the winshield is just as important(and harder to clean i might add) as the outside.





BTW, haven't used the glass MF's yet(not that I may), cause why change something if it aint broke?



My humble opinion of course.......
 
Heh...as far as what Jake was saying about newspapers being dirty I was about to second that and say "don't you ever notice how your hands turn black from the newsprint?" but then I realized that I haven't noticed that for a long time...do the new soy inks not turn your hands black? I still have to agree that newspapers potentially pick up a lot of other dirt in their travels.



The reason for the popularity of using newspaper on glass is its abrasiveness cuts through film/haze and kind of polishes...however there are certainly other ways to do this.
 
Guys. Try 3M adhesive remover to clean a window one time. Non tinted

of course. I tried this by accident removing an old state park sticker

and I was amazed at how clean it got. I used it on the entire windshield

inside & out and it was the cleanest I had ever done. I don't practice this on every detail, but sometimes I have to as a last resort.
 
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