Automotive Glass Cleaner

[Ralf S.]

I've used and collected various automotive glass cleaners over the years, as you do.. and then one day earlier this year I had the un-genious (sic) idea of taking all the randon quarter-bottles and residuals, and sticking them into one spray bottle.

Everything was fine for a while. The resulting witches brew was a tad green in colour but apart from that, it worked well and smelt the same as glass cleaners usually do...

But ever since the wet weather came along (so, June, in The Land that Time Forgot) the windows fog up like a *******. If there's the vaguest hint of fog or moisture or drizzle out there (which is nearly every day... ) the windows fog up and even the fan doesn't bother it. I have to resort to opening both front windows and cranking the fan to 3 or 4 to shift it. It's 'orrible thick condensation too - so much that it actually runs down the glass if I leave it. Even when I was a courting teenager, I never fogged up a car so much..

At first I thought there must be water getting into in the car, so I hunted around under the carpets, in the drains, in the boot and inside the headling and door pillar trims.. but Gerrard (the Stilo) is dry as a bone and 100% water tight. More water probably gets in because of the open "de-misting" front windows than through a leak in the car's nether regions.

I tried replacing the cabin filter (it turned out that there wasn't one fitted, so that knackered my theory of a restricted air flow) and I stuffed myself into the footwell to check that all the heating, venting and air-directing controls were working (they all operate perfectly). So now I'm sure it's just regular condensation.. in fact, the more people in the car, the worse it is. There's a direct link to my sweaty, heavy breathing rugby-player mates and the amount of condo' I get.

My conclusion is that the "home brew" glass cleaner is a bit ginger and it's probably become hydrophylic. I have no idea how (in chemistry terms) but being in possession of a £10 Halfords gift voucher (Happy Birthday to me.. ) I'm going to try a different, purpose made auto' glass cleaner. What's the glass cleaner equivalent of the Atacama Desert? Or some Product X thing that stops the moisture being attracted straight to the glass?

On the other hand.. anyone think of any other thing it can possibly be? As above, the car's ventilation system seems perfect and there's no dampness or smell etc. anywhere to be seen.

TIA.


Ralf S.

 

[Eklipze3k]

I'd be inclined to get some glass polish to remove any residue that might be on there and see if that helps, then bin the witches brew and stick to one brand

 

[The Panda Nut]

Not healthy to breathe the fumes, but I use carburettor cleaner as a catchall glass cleaner, backed with chromium polish to cut through the crap, and then as suggested one brand of cleaner. Neat windscreen wash additive is also worth a try on some coarse fabric.

I do love the idea of your witches brew though.....

 

[Ralf S.]

I've got some Wicked Wheels glass cleaner somewhere too.. it's a white liquid paste rather than the modern-styley clear/coloured "window cleaner" liquids you see these days... more like a cross between the old purple Windolene (ask your mum) and Milk of Magnesia (ask your granny).

I didn't add it to the brew, otherwise it would have looked like puke for sure..

It's slightly abrasive.. (along the lines of chrome polish) so it's great for zapping bugs on the outside... but I'll give that a try on the inside too; it'll shift any residual witchcraft sticking to the surface.

Windscreen washer fluid is mostly Isopropanol (IPA) and I have some neat somewhere.. In the winter I add it to the screen wash to boost the puny "-4C" (yeah, right.. ) of a regular screen-wash, to something more sensible, like -18C.

Anyways, I'll wipey the inside of the glass after the glass polish.

I've seen that Rain-X have a product called "Anti-Fog" which Halfords just happens to have on offer for a fiver at the moment. It's got mixed reviews... some people swear by it, others say it's like smearing Vaseline on the glass.. so I dunno. Might give that a punt this weekend too and see how I get on..


Ralf S.

 

[SB1500]

...more like a cross between the old purple Windolene (ask your mum) and Milk of Magnesia (ask your granny).

Funnily enough, my mum uses Windolene to clean the windows on her car .. spot on!

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

but Gerrard (the Stilo)

We've been assigning names to our vehicles ever since we got married (early '70's) when, due to a dire lack of money, I had to sell, which greatly distressed me, my nearly new 1500 GT Cortina and replace it with a well worn Anglia. I must have been in love, or something?

We assign gender from the nature of the vehicle. For instance my last car was a 1.9 tdi Cordoba Vario (estate). The engine was quite coarse and the steering and brakes a little on the heavy side - a bit of a "bruiser", so definitely male. The actual name is usually suggested to us by the Reg No. The Cordoba was T***OAN so he became Toany (pronounced Tony). He was also painted in "Bengal yellow" - Bengal made us think of Tigers and Tigers made us think of "Tony the Tiger" so he just had to be Tony! His replacement - Ibiza ST (another estate, I like estates or big hatchbacks) - is very much a lightweight with it's super light steering and small, light 1.0 litre petrol engine. So definitely female and the reg suggested "Twink" to Mrs J so she became "Twinkle". Becky, our panda, was named on the same premise.

A few years ago it all started to get a bit out of hand when I realized I was starting to give names to my larger horticultural machines (Cultivator, lawn mower, etc). I'm cured of that now? Although, it occurs to me, I named my big "rattle" gun Hooligan and my biggest hammer is, predictably, Big Berth. So maybe there's no hope for me? I suspect, as I'm now old, it will be failing memory which limits future namings!

Do you use such rational when choosing a name? I've never heard of a vehicle named Gerrard before but have to admit to rather liking it.

Kindest wishes
Jock

 

[Ralf S.]

Gerrard got named because he (it?) was registered in Merseyside, it's red and it's the eighth car I've ever had.. so Red no.8 from Liverpool = Gerrard.

I think I give names to anything big (all my cars... but not yet the lawnmower - I just hadn't thought of that )

But I'm not consistent, my biggest hammer is "Wotan" (king of the workshop) just because it has "Thor" moulded into the head.. and the queen of the workshop (since there ought to be one) is "Grinda" my angle grinder . If I get a dodgy bolt or fastener or other stubborn component, I tell them "don't make me get Her Majesty out..." (usually with more swearing than that). Her Maj' doesn't mess about.. it's promptly "Off with their heads!"

Curiously my littlest screwdriver is called "Chiseller" since I use it for scraping, poking, scratching, cleaning etc. more than for unscrewing. Eventually Chiseller gets lost, bent or damaged, so there's been 4 Chisellers so far. I always buy the exact same Draper mini-screwdriver, so they're all identical. It only became complicated when Chiseller#3 turned up under the garage workbench, so there are two of them now. None of my other tools have names.

I try not to name cars after their number plate, since I lived in Surrey a long time and the middle letter is nearly always "P" under the old system.. JPH, TPJ etc. don't read well.

My Alfa 155 was called Tarquini since he was built in 1994 - the BTCC winning year. My Alfa 145 was just "Blue" after the Francia Blu paintwork. The Younger Mrs S' Cinquecento was built in Tychy in Poland, so it's called "Titch".

I think most of my cars are male since no lady should be caned so much... (unless you likes that sort of thing ) but the latest (Younger Mrs S' 500) is called Squirrel by her (Rasputin by me) so it's probably a female.

Lawnmower has an engine and is made by Honda though so I'm going to have a look at it and see what I can come up with..


Ralf S.

 

[portland_bill]

I've never mixed glass cleaners, but have used so many different ones over the years, and been disappointed with them all. Except one. For the outside, I have a pot of Halfords Intensive Glass Cutter. (No idea if still avialable, but found some years ago near the screenwash stuff) This is a white liquid, rubbed over with some effort, and left to dry, then buffed off. Leaves the screen so clean the wipers squeak. Used when everything else failed.

For the inside, Auto-Glym glass polish used to be good, but latest stuff still leaves smears and gates clouded too quickly after a clean.

This weekend I remembered my early days in the trade. They used to use T-cut for glass, inside and out. As it does not contain silicone, wipers do not smear. So I tried this on the Fabia on Sunday morning, seems ok so far, but may be too early to tell.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Gerrard got named because he (it?) was registered in Merseyside, it's red and it's the eighth car I've ever had.. so Red no.8 from Liverpool = Gerrard.

I think I give names to anything big (all my cars... but not yet the lawnmower - I just hadn't thought of that )

But I'm not consistent, my biggest hammer is "Wotan" (king of the workshop) just because it has "Thor" moulded into the head.. and the queen of the workshop (since there ought to be one) is "Grinda" my angle grinder . If I get a dodgy bolt or fastener or other stubborn component, I tell them "don't make me get Her Majesty out..." (usually with more swearing than that). Her Maj' doesn't mess about.. it's promptly "Off with their heads!"

Curiously my littlest screwdriver is called "Chiseller" since I use it for scraping, poking, scratching, cleaning etc. more than for unscrewing. Eventually Chiseller gets lost, bent or damaged, so there's been 4 Chisellers so far. I always buy the exact same Draper mini-screwdriver, so they're all identical. It only became complicated when Chiseller#3 turned up under the garage workbench, so there are two of them now. None of my other tools have names.

I try not to name cars after their number plate, since I lived in Surrey a long time and the middle letter is nearly always "P" under the old system.. JPH, TPJ etc. don't read well.

My Alfa 155 was called Tarquini since he was built in 1994 - the BTCC winning year. My Alfa 145 was just "Blue" after the Francia Blu paintwork. The Younger Mrs S' Cinquecento was built in Tychy in Poland, so it's called "Titch".

I think most of my cars are male since no lady should be caned so much... (unless you likes that sort of thing ) but the latest (Younger Mrs S' 500) is called Squirrel by her (Rasputin by me) so it's probably a female.

Lawnmower has an engine and is made by Honda though so I'm going to have a look at it and see what I can come up with..


Ralf S.

Thanks very much for that Ralf, I really enjoyed reading it. Nice to know I'm not alone in my state of delusion and disillusionment! This Christmas has been rather somber for us with my youngest boy's wife in hospital with a serious condition. Your post, together with the news that she is expected to make a complete recovery (expected to be a slow process though) brought a little cheer to me. Thank you.

Happy new year, when it comes
Jock

 

[portland_bill]

This weekend I remembered my early days in the trade. They used to use T-cut for glass, inside and out. As it does not contain silicone, wipers do not smear. So I tried this on the Fabia on Sunday morning, seems ok so far, but may be too early to tell.

No. Looked fine at first, after a few days, seems no better than anything else.
Perhaps vinegar next? That'll be a nice smell to live with.

 

[Ralf S.]

I've got some Wicked Wheels glass cleaner somewhere too.. it's a white liquid paste rather than the modern-styley clear/coloured "window cleaner" liquids you see these days... more like a cross between the old purple Windolene (ask your mum) and Milk of Magnesia (ask your granny).

....

I've seen that Rain-X have a product called "Anti-Fog" which Halfords just happens to have on offer for a fiver at the moment. It's got mixed reviews... some people swear by it, others say it's like smearing Vaseline on the glass.. so I dunno. Might give that a punt this weekend too and see how I get on..


Ralf S.

I've given this ^ combo' a try.

The Wicked Wheels paste/liquid cleaned up the inside of the windscreen a treat and then I tried some of the Rain-X Anti-Fog (on offer for £5 at the Big H. at the moment).

The Rain-X stuff is a clear liquid.. looks and smells like lighter fluid a bit.. but I applied it with a clean cloth, left it to dry (faint haze), applied another coat and when that was dry, I buffed it out

I didn't use too much, since a few reviews say it's like coating your windscreen in Vaseline.. but it really isn't. It's like putting lighter fluid on the windscreen.. once it dries, it's a bit hazy but otherwise it buffs out fairly easily. I suspect the key is to have a clean windscreen before you apply it. The "Vaseline" bit can only be a reaction with whatever was on the glass before.

I have to say that it works! The side windows fogged up this morning as usual.. but the front and rear screens (where I also applied the Rain-X) stayed clear.

They weren't "bone dry" clear.... but they resisted fogging up really well. The rear screen was more weedy since it only had one coat... but on the front it was okay, despite it being damp cold and foggy outside. I noticed that instead of fogging, the moisture was still collecting at the top, as usual.... but like a sheet of moisture, rather than "mist". So the stuff was apparently repelling the water to an extent... but I guess it would eventually be overwhelmed.

If the weather was continually wet and 'orrible I would probably expect to apply the Anti-Fog every week, no matter what the adverts say... but for the money and the amount of effort to apply it, it's worth a punt.

If Gerrard gets through his MOT tomorrow (touches wood) then I'll eventually fix the air-conditioning condensor.. but for now, the Rain-X looks like it's a good solution.


Ralf S.

 

[Ralf S.]

Thanks very much for that Ralf, I really enjoyed reading it. Nice to know I'm not alone in my state of delusion and disillusionment! This Christmas has been rather somber for us with my youngest boy's wife in hospital with a serious condition. Your post, together with the news that she is expected to make a complete recovery (expected to be a slow process though) brought a little cheer to me. Thank you.

Happy new year, when it comes
Jock

I'm sure that being slightly 50% barking keeps me 50% sane...

The Younger Mrs S. had a chuckle this weekend when she finally (?) realised that "Grinda" was an angle grinder and not someone who was going to come round to help me remove a rusted on exhaust.

I thought she knew... she calls Gerrard "Gerrard" and has been passing me "the chiseller" for years... but our toddler, aka The Sith mis-pronounced Grin-da as Griend-a before the penny dropped on that one.

Then I had to go through a whole list to confirm that Doctor Death was a real person (the MOT man) and "Chris" was actually the guy next door plus one, and not a tool (well.. not most of the time ) but we eventually got that all straightend out, at last.

I hope your daughter-in-law makes a steady recovery. Small steps but she'll get there is some good news at least. You can always post on here if you need cheering up... I'm sure there's some other random eccentricity going on in my garage that the younger lads can only dream about..

Happy New Year to you too..

Ralf S.

 

[The Panda Nut]

but not yet the lawnmower

Me too but my Lawn mower is a T***!!!!! It smashed both Panda rear screens last summer. The second one it was inside the garage. Its the worst tool I have ever bought and I was in Parks and Gardens for well over 20 year so bought thousands of mowers. It doesn't deserve a name... I think I generally call it useless B******.

 

[Autobroker]

Here's the reason why your windows are fogging up.

Windows fog for one reason, there's something on the windows to attract the tiny water droplets to. To get it to stop, you have to clean the glass completely. Here's my recommendation.

Easiest way is to clean windows with your normal window cleaner, then dry. Get a clean cloth and moisten with IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol - higher percent the better). Wipe clean and continually turn cloth - or replace with a new one after wiping a section.

If that doesn't work and sometimes it won't, you'll need to attack the product that's still on your window. Tape off any area around the window that you want to protect - chrome trim or plastic edging. Get a microfiber and a bottle of Barkeepers Secret liquid and moisten a small area and get to work. Rub until the glass feels squeaky clean - you should be able to feel the difference. Wipe off excess and do another section. There's some mild abrasives, but also vinegar and some other chemicals. I use it on the inside and outside glass and it does a fantastic job. Afterward, I use a spray wax (Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions with the green swipe on the label). Works fantastic and rain beads off the glass. Also, my wipers are so smooth!

Let me know how it works!

 

[Ralf S.]

"Barkeepers Secret liquid..." sounds like I ought to have some of that.

"Luckily" during the lockdown a small chip in the windscreen must have developed a spot of the Miley and turned into a crack.. so Autoglass/Direct Line came round to swap it for a shiny new one.

I had to pay a small excess payment.. but to be fair, I was spending more on various de-fogging and anti-mist products anyway.. The new windscreen fogs up a fair bit less.. although it's been summer recently, even in Wales. I'll see how it fares over the next few months.

Ralf S.

 

[joycespeed]

I am checking this thread for product recommendations.

 

[brasher]

Personally, I use a small homemade preparation that is particularly effective both for cleaning and for avoiding leaving traces of passage after cleaning: water + vinegar. Concretely, you just need to mix water and white vinegar, then clean your windows with this miracle solution on a microfiber cloth. Effective on dirt and stains, this solution also leaves less marks after your visit. You can also add a few traces of essential oils to "perfume" your windows, which will diffuse a little scent that is always more pleasant than chemicals in your cabin.

 

[FiatMatt94]

When I first started driving at 17 I used to use some off my grandads old newspaper & windolene, I did buy Autoglym glass polish when I brought the Panda but found it leaves a lot of dusty residue so the old fashioned newspaper & windolene method can't really be beaten. With the Panda I normally just dry the screen with a glass cloth but I might just try the old method next time I clean the car.

 

[maca500]

Garage Therapy Glass Cleaner is superb