A Car Window Wash Yields Multiple Benefits for the Car Owner
Doing a car window wash is just a matter of expending some elbow grease. There are many ways of performing a car window wash but the goal in the end must be a clean and sparkling window glass from the outside and an unimpeded view of the car’s surroundings from the inside. The simplest way of cleaning auto glass is going over the glass with plain water and drying the glass out with old newspapers. However, plain water doesn’t remove tough spots consistently and using old newspapers is messy. Many car owners don’t want to deal with the crumpled and soggy paper after the cleanup. Before glass cleaners came out, a 30/70 ratio of vinegar and water was what a lot of car owners used to do a car window wash.
Nowadays, glass cleaners are the choice of meticulous car owners and some professional detailers to clean auto glass. These are specially formulated to remove the grime, bug spots and hard water that are found in cars that see normal, daily-driven use. While everybody has their own favourite cleaner, the important thing to watch out for is that the glass cleaner should not have ammonia in it. Many glass cleaners contain ammonia, which is great for removing grease but has significant disadvantages when used for a car window wash. Ammonia fumes can be dangerous when inhaled and this chemical dries out plastic, rubber, vinyl, and leather, which is the staple of car interiors. In sunny climates where car owners normally install aftermarket tint, ammonia-based cleaners have been found to ruin the tint. The safest formulation to use then would be the vinegar and water combination.
When you clean your window glass, don’t forget the insides of the glass since they also collect dust and sometimes an oily film that comes from the dashboard and vinyl upholstery treatments that car manufacturers use at the factory. This oily film leaves a thin haze than reduces the clarity of the driver’s vision when the back of the windscreen is not cleaned regularly. It’s best then to include the insides of the window glass when doing a car window wash. Cars owned by smokers also tend to build up this interior hazy film. Do remember to use lint-free cloth when doing the final wipe so that those small bits of cloth don’t distract the view outside the car. Chamois or microfiber cloths are the best choice. Specially formulated paper wipes for window glass are also available but reusable cloths are more economical and environment-friendly.