I did a rather comprehensive study of various glass cleaners a few years back. I used an evenly coated dirty slab of glass (outdoor patio table) and tested four different glass cleaners. I used all the same type of new rags and papertowels. I tried to use the same amount of product for each section. The foaming cleaners (ZEP, Stoner) are a bit easier than the liquid squirt bottles.
I checked for the ability to cut dried, caked dirt, light dirt, and if it left streaks. Besides visible streaking, I also simulated what you see when the windows fog up. I breathed heavy on them to see if the condensation gave the appearance of hidden streaks.
The contenders:
TurtleWax ClearVue Auto Glass Cleaner
Armor All Auto Glass Cleaner
ZEP Glass & All Surface Foaming Cleaner (aerosol)
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Stoner's Invisible Glass (aerosol)
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Last Place: TurtleWax ClearVue. ...lots of streaking. Dirt-cutting ability was OK, but nothing fantastic.
Picking the Top 3 was a bit harder.
All three had great dirt-cutting ability. The foams have a slight advantage there because they can cover more area more evenly than the ArmorAll pump bottle. The even covering of the foaming sprays allows for better saturation into heavy dirt areas.
For cutting right down to the glass, both
Stoner's and
ArmorAll did a great job of not leaving nearly any contaminents on the glass. Squeaky clean! The
ZEP also did a great job of cutting the dirt, but has some additive in it that leaves a smooth, almost slippery finish, like a micropolymer finish or something.
None of the Top 3 had visible streaking.
During the "heavy breathing / condensation" portion of the test, the
ZEP had just an very minor streaking visible. I can imagine this is likely due to the finishing additive. This is probably where the "All Purpose" part comes in. I use this on the kitchen appliances where that kind of streaking is a non-issue.
The
Stoner's and
ArmorAll had almost no streaking under either scenario. But it was determined by myself and the other panel judge present that the
Stoner's had just slightly more streaking than the
ArmorAll.
So where does that leave us?
3rd Place:
ZEP Glass & All Purpose Cleaner
2nd Place:
Stoner's Invisible Glass
1st Place: ArmorAll Auto Glass Cleaner
Yep, even I was surprised! ArmorAll pulled off an upset!...just barely!
But...here's the thing. On a per usage basis, I believe that the Stoner's is a better value due to probably getting more use from the foam since you seem to need less of it due to the aerosol dispersion of the foam versus the more concentrated action of the pump sprayer.
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I actually keep both Stoner's and ArmorAll in my inventory. There are times where the foaming is easier to work with versus the pump sprayer of the ArmorAll. If I'm cutting heavy dirt, I use Stoner's. If I'm doing general glass/window cleaning, I use the ArmorAll.
Since doing this little comparo two-three years ago, I've also come up with some other products that I've been very happy with.
I don't know who's formula they use, but Andersen Windows has a kickass foaming cleaner. I may like it better than Stoner's, but I haven't put it through it's paces.
I also find myself using acetone if I need to really clean glass and chrome. It will leave streaks if it's not quickly wiped up, but talking about cutting power!!! I love it on chrome! If need be, I'll then go over it with the ArmorAll cleaner.
As far as newspaper goes as an initial cleaner, I think it's the paper itself and not the fact that there's print/ink on it. It starts off abrasive but then quickly becomes soft and pulpy which could lend itself to good initial cleaning properties. NOTE: DO NOT use newspaper on the glass T-tops of the C3's, where we have that mirror reflective coating on the outside. I found out years ago that the newspaper is initially too abrasive and will leave scratches in the coating. ;squint:
YOU! I just got back to Boston from a trip to Florida to visit "the OTHER love of my life". While I was there I tried the Stoner's and microfibre towels method, and I'm here to tell you that it was the best advice that I ever followed. The first application got most of the crud off, and the second one finished the job! Now, all it takes is a once over with Stoner's and microfibre towels, and it's fantastically clean! My wife is also a convert, buying Stoner's and microfibre towels for both houses. Thanks
