Window streaks impede your visibility and can be a challenge to clean, but with these quick steps you'll be streak free in no time. Find out how on this episode of Details.
Watch all of our Autoblog Details videos for more tips on car cleaning and maintenance by professional detailer Larry Kosilla. While you're at it, check out Larry's other video series on how to diagnose, fix, and modify cars, Autoblog Wrenched!
Watch all of our Autoblog Details videos for more tips on car cleaning and maintenance by professional detailer Larry Kosilla. While you're at it, check out Larry's other video series on how to diagnose, fix, and modify cars, Autoblog Wrenched!
[00:00:00] Window streaks impede your visibility and can be a challenge to clean. But with these quick steps, you'll be streak free in no time. Find out how on this episode of Autoblog Details. When detailing your car, always clean glass last to avoid any over spray from cleaners. Such as, spray wax or tire shine or trim cleaners. No sense in cleaning your glass twice. Washing your hands or wearing gloves will help minimize the chance of fingerprints or contaminating the window towels with greasy or sweaty hands that will transfer to the glass.
[00:00:30] Although this sounds simple, it's actually a common source of frustration to detailers, until they realize their mistake. Before you get started, make sure the windshield isn't hot. This will cause the cleaner to evaporate prematurely, not allowing the chemicals within the cleaner to do their work. The exterior of your windshield, faces different abuse than the inside. Cleaning this first, will help you see the less noticeable dirt on your next step, when cleaning the inside.
[00:01:00] First, spray the windshield with your favorite cleaner and what I call a throwaway microfiber towel. These towels are great for picking up heavy dirt and scrubbing bugs. The goal with these towels is to pick up this heavy mess before getting to your special glass towels. Work only half the windshield at a time to avoid evaporation. Now, with the windshield free of heavy or obvious dirt, spray the glass with either water or your glass cleaner as lubricant and use the same clay bar on the glass as you would the paint.
[00:01:30] Clay will left the embedded contaminants and help your wiper blades make full contact with the glass, further avoiding any potential streaks. After the exterior has been clayed, dry the glass again with your throw away microfiber towel to pick up any newly removed contaminants or junk left on the glass before we use our short haired glass towel. Next, reclean the windshield with a fresh glass towel in front to back motions. The purpose behind wiping the exterior glass in one direction and the interior glass in the opposite is to help you quickly visualize if a streak is on the inside or the outside of the glass based on the streak's direction.
[00:02:00] It's an old detailing trick to help minimize the frustration with chasing streaks around the inside and the outside of your windshield. Finally, with a completely dry microfiber towel, quickly wipe the glass one last time with slightly more down pressure to ensure no moisture is left behind on its own, potentially causing a streak.
[00:02:30] Although interior glass does not take the same abuse as exterior glass, it does get hazy, greasy or yellow-ish from the release of gases from the plastic material in some dashboards. This is usually the culprit of the windshield streaks that never seem to get clean. Before we begin, mix household rubbing alcohol and water 50/50 in a spray bottle and keep it on the shelf for future cleaning. This is your go-to grease remover for interior windshields. Remember to approach the interior glass from the passenger side of the car, because the steering wheel is in your way.
[00:03:00] Next, spray the cleaner in the scrub pad or the scrubbing sponge to avoid over spray of alcohol on your dashboard. Then, wipe the glass vigorously to cut and lift the oils from the surface. Work one quarter of the glass at a time. Before the cleaner dries, immediately pick up the loosened grease and grim with another throw away microfiber towel. And repeat the degreasing steps until the glass is free of haze.
[00:03:30] Remember, at this point the glass will not look perfect and that's okay but it will be degreased, which is the goal at this stage. With a fresh glass towel, spray your favorite cleaner onto the towel and wipe in the opposite direction from the exterior cleaning. For tight areas, tools like this one can be helpful. And remember, avoid scrubbing your registration or soaking the paper. Finally, with a clean dry microfiber towel, immediately wipe the glass again to remove any remaining water as we did on the exterior.
[00:04:00] Once you're done, pull your car inside and use one source of light like a flashlight to find any edges that you may have missed. And trust me, everyone misses at least one spot. So, go back and check your work. The two most common reasons for glass streaks are number one, too much water or cleaner that dries on the surface. And of course number two, the build up of grease or oil that smeared around the glass but not dissolved or removed. Focusing your energy on these two specific areas will keep your windows clean and streak free.
[00:04:30] If you found this video helpful, please share and keep up with all the latest detail videos by liking or subscribing to our Autoblog page, I'm Larry Kosilla from ammonyc.com, thanks for watchin.
[00:00:30] Although this sounds simple, it's actually a common source of frustration to detailers, until they realize their mistake. Before you get started, make sure the windshield isn't hot. This will cause the cleaner to evaporate prematurely, not allowing the chemicals within the cleaner to do their work. The exterior of your windshield, faces different abuse than the inside. Cleaning this first, will help you see the less noticeable dirt on your next step, when cleaning the inside.
[00:01:00] First, spray the windshield with your favorite cleaner and what I call a throwaway microfiber towel. These towels are great for picking up heavy dirt and scrubbing bugs. The goal with these towels is to pick up this heavy mess before getting to your special glass towels. Work only half the windshield at a time to avoid evaporation. Now, with the windshield free of heavy or obvious dirt, spray the glass with either water or your glass cleaner as lubricant and use the same clay bar on the glass as you would the paint.
[00:01:30] Clay will left the embedded contaminants and help your wiper blades make full contact with the glass, further avoiding any potential streaks. After the exterior has been clayed, dry the glass again with your throw away microfiber towel to pick up any newly removed contaminants or junk left on the glass before we use our short haired glass towel. Next, reclean the windshield with a fresh glass towel in front to back motions. The purpose behind wiping the exterior glass in one direction and the interior glass in the opposite is to help you quickly visualize if a streak is on the inside or the outside of the glass based on the streak's direction.
[00:02:00] It's an old detailing trick to help minimize the frustration with chasing streaks around the inside and the outside of your windshield. Finally, with a completely dry microfiber towel, quickly wipe the glass one last time with slightly more down pressure to ensure no moisture is left behind on its own, potentially causing a streak.
[00:02:30] Although interior glass does not take the same abuse as exterior glass, it does get hazy, greasy or yellow-ish from the release of gases from the plastic material in some dashboards. This is usually the culprit of the windshield streaks that never seem to get clean. Before we begin, mix household rubbing alcohol and water 50/50 in a spray bottle and keep it on the shelf for future cleaning. This is your go-to grease remover for interior windshields. Remember to approach the interior glass from the passenger side of the car, because the steering wheel is in your way.
[00:03:00] Next, spray the cleaner in the scrub pad or the scrubbing sponge to avoid over spray of alcohol on your dashboard. Then, wipe the glass vigorously to cut and lift the oils from the surface. Work one quarter of the glass at a time. Before the cleaner dries, immediately pick up the loosened grease and grim with another throw away microfiber towel. And repeat the degreasing steps until the glass is free of haze.
[00:03:30] Remember, at this point the glass will not look perfect and that's okay but it will be degreased, which is the goal at this stage. With a fresh glass towel, spray your favorite cleaner onto the towel and wipe in the opposite direction from the exterior cleaning. For tight areas, tools like this one can be helpful. And remember, avoid scrubbing your registration or soaking the paper. Finally, with a clean dry microfiber towel, immediately wipe the glass again to remove any remaining water as we did on the exterior.
[00:04:00] Once you're done, pull your car inside and use one source of light like a flashlight to find any edges that you may have missed. And trust me, everyone misses at least one spot. So, go back and check your work. The two most common reasons for glass streaks are number one, too much water or cleaner that dries on the surface. And of course number two, the build up of grease or oil that smeared around the glass but not dissolved or removed. Focusing your energy on these two specific areas will keep your windows clean and streak free.
[00:04:30] If you found this video helpful, please share and keep up with all the latest detail videos by liking or subscribing to our Autoblog page, I'm Larry Kosilla from ammonyc.com, thanks for watchin.
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