Glass Cleaner that won't streak?

[irf]

I'm having a tough time finding a glass cleaner that won't streak. I'm now using Invisible Glass (a favorite on this forum) with a micro fiber towel (for windows). When the sun hits the windows I'm getting all kinds of streaking marks (towel marks). I've tried the newspaper trick with Invisible Glass and it wasn't much better.

Maybe I should try another glass cleaner. Any reeommendations? I'm a stickler for clean windows and I just can't seem to find the right combination of cleaner and towel.

Thanks for your help

 

[kingman]

Hi

Forget the rags and micro towels, use newspaper. This seems to be the best with Invisable glass, but keep in mind that it takes a couple of times to work.

Alan

 

[76texvette]

try alcohol/water 50/50 mix and newspapers

 

[barkingowl]

I just use Glass Plus wipes. They work just fine.

 

[dooscoop32]

I'm having a tough time finding a glass cleaner that won't streak. I'm now using Invisible Glass (a favorite on this forum) with a micro fiber towel (for windows). When the sun hits the windows I'm getting all kinds of streaking marks (towel marks). I've tried the newspaper trick with Invisible Glass and it wasn't much better.

Maybe I should try another glass cleaner. Any reeommendations? I'm a stickler for clean windows and I just can't seem to find the right combination of cleaner and towel.

Thanks for your help

I have always used Castle Glass Cleaner and was relatively pleased with the results but recently I started using micro-fiber towels along with the Castle and it made a huge difference. NO streaks at all!!
Try it..., you'll like it!!!

CRVETTE

 

[Ken]

Clay the glass - you'll be amazed! :cool

 

[Tom Bryant]

The best spray glass cleaner I have ever used is the GM brand available at your GM parts counter. I also use Soft Scrub on the outside glass, especially the windshield, before washing the car. Rinse thoroughly. This gets off all of that bug and road grease that is so hard to remove.

I'll bet Ken is 100% right about the clay bar. After all you have the same junk on your glass thats on your paint. That film that comes back seemingly overnight on the inside of the glass is from vapors that are constantly emmitted by the vinyl and leather in the car. I'd pay to have someone do the inside of the back glass on the '81.

 

[KOPBET]

Clay the glass - you'll be amazed! :cool

What do you use as a lube?

 

[Ken]

Either use the detailing spray of your choice, or make a solution that you'll be satisfied with, just as people do with the painted sections.

 

[Zippy]

I use GM glass cleaner or invisible glass. Do NOT use paper towels, they have chemicals in them to help absorb moisture, and that's why your glass is streaky.

 

[KOPBET]

Either use the detailing spray of your choice, or make a solution that you'll be satisfied with, just as people do with the painted sections.

Reason I asked was I though perhaps the detail spray would streak. Do you then go back over the glass after the clay treatment using glass cleaner or is this unnecessary?

 

[tlong]

Try Stoner and newspaper.

 

[Wegone]

Rain-X make a great glass cleaner

 

[Patrick]

Rain-X make a great glass cleaner

I wholeheartedly agree with Wegone on this one. Rain-X is a brilliant invention- not only does it clean, it protects the windshield. On the way up to Boulder this morning, I ran into a couple of rainshowers. Never once had to turn the wipers on, and I chuckled at all the other cars on the road running their wipers like they're trying to drain the battery. Absolutely nothing sticks to it- it even makes it easy to clean up bug splatters.

That's my product endorsement for the day. :L

-Patrick

 

[Ken]

I've used Rain-X before, and probably will again now that I have no wipers, or even a wiper motor for that matter. :L

My only problem with Rain-X in the past, when I had wipers and was forced to finally use them, was that the wiper blades would chatter after a few wipes across the glass. They would never stop chattering after that, unless the windshield was deluged with water. I think the Rain-X ruins the rubber in the wiper blades.

 

[firedawg]

I'm terrible at cleaning glass, but I have had awesome results with stoner and newspaper, another thing I've found is cleaning it at night helps because that's when you notice all the streaks.

Kind of off topic of streaks, but for cleaning water spots off windows, you can't beat Bar Keepers friend, found at Wal-Mart. Had them bad on my truck, tried everything from clay to a very fine steel wool (on a corner to see if it would scratch, 000 grit didn't, but still didn't get the spots off) and nothing would work, so after dumping around $20 into cleaning supplies for my windows, I tried a $1 can of Bar Keepers Friend and took it right off, now I swear by it for alot of uses, it ranks up there with duct tape and WD-40! :cool

 

[Mr. Lucky]

I'm having a tough time finding a glass cleaner that won't streak. I'm now using Invisible Glass (a favorite on this forum) with a micro fiber towel (for windows). When the sun hits the windows I'm getting all kinds of streaking marks (towel marks). I've tried the newspaper trick with Invisible Glass and it wasn't much better.

Maybe I should try another glass cleaner. Any reeommendations?

I know it is highly touted, but I've had disappointing results with Stoner's Invisible Glass also. The best stuff I have found is an industrial cleaner at Home Depot -- "Dirtex Cleaner" by Savogran. The only thing is, it has ammonia in it, so probably not advisable to use on interior tint film.

—Bob

 

[Wegone]

I've used Rain-X before, and probably will again now that I have no wipers, or even a wiper motor for that matter. :L

My only problem with Rain-X in the past, when I had wipers and was forced to finally use them, was that the wiper blades would chatter after a few wipes across the glass. They would never stop chattering after that, unless the windshield was deluged with water. I think the Rain-X ruins the rubber in the wiper blades.

The old Rain-X was kind of like a wax and did have a chatter issue when you used the wipers... With the Glass cleaner its not an issue..I drove back from Tampa thru the storm last week and had to use the wipers at times the rain was so hard and never had the wipers chatter at any speed...

 

[Evolution1980]

One of these days I was going to post a comprehensive review of a comparison I did between 4 glass cleaners. I'll synopsize it here...

The contestants:
ArmorAll Auto Glass Cleaner ("AGC")
TurtleWax ClearVue Auto Glass Cleaner
Stoner's Invisible Glass ("IG")
Zep Glass & Surface Polish

Categories: Dirt cutting ability, streakiness, finish feel, cost

Best Overall: ArmorAll Auto Glass Cleaner
All but the TurtleWax got the glass "exceptionally clean", but ArmorAll left the least amount of streaking.
Stoner's Invisible Glass was a VERY close 2nd place in the streak category.

Zep and Stoner's gets a couple extra points because it's an aerosol of sorts, so you get a more even application, which I feel gets you more "sprays per bottle". The ArmorAll is a standard squeeze trigger which doesn't quite give you the even dispersion of cleaning solution.

I actually use both Stoner's Invisible Glass AND ArmorAll Auto Glass Cleaner.
I use Stoners IG to cut the heavy dirt and get the glass clean. I then follow up with the ArmorAll AGC to be sure there's no streaks left.

As another bonus for having Stoner's IG, it makes for an EXCELLENT chrome cleaner!

--------
I did the streak test by manually fogging the glass. Then I could clearly see then which left streaks and which didn't.

A note to BW1, I think solutions with Ammonia is what causes (leads to) streaks. You won't notice it on a dry glass surface, but when it fogs ups, you get real bad streaks left over by the ammonia.

As for newspaper -vs- papertowels -vs- cloths/towels..
I'm not completely sold on newspaper. I know for 100% sure that I used 'em on my smoked glass tops and it scratched 'em. I wasn't happy about that. They are hairline scratches, but scratches nonetheless. Plus, if newspaper leaves ink residue on your hand, I have to imagine that it leaves SOME amount of residue on the glass. If anything, I don't like using newspaper because when the ink does get on my hand, then I have to wash my hands thoroughly before I do anything else inside the car where I might touch. (I have oyster leather int. It will get dirty by just giving it dirty looks.)
I prefer either cloth or the heavy duty blue papertowels for the initial clean, then either white papertowels or white terrycloth for the final clean. The white allows me to see if I am getting any remaining dirt or not.

 

[Aurora40]

Is this on the inside glass, or outside? It would be very hard to clay the inside, and should be pretty unnecessary. Sometimes if your windows are very dirty, it helps to use two different glass cleaners. A lot of times one particular glass cleaner will only remove certain types of junk well, and another will remove other junk well.

If you just can't get the interior glass clean, a glass polish product will cut right through and dirt and grime, and then subsequent cleanings should be much easier. Something like Zaino or AutoGlym glass polish will work. It's a little tricky to hand polish the inside glass, but not impossible.

P.S. I like Eagle One's 20/20 glass cleaner even better than Stoner's IG.

P.P.S. If you frequently dress or treat your vinyl or leather on the interior, you will probably always have haze on the inside glass. Most of these products slowly haze the glass. I always have to clean my glass well a week or so after doing an interior job.