Stupid Question: How to effectively clean interior windows?

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89Suburban

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Vinegar only is smelly while you're actively using it and it is wet. It is the oldest, safest, best cleaner around and has been used by generations. The downside is the smell, that's about it. Reminds me of coloring Easter eggs.


From Wiki:

Cleaning[edit]​

White vinegar is often used as a household cleaning agent.[1] For most uses, dilution with water is recommended for safety and to avoid damaging the surfaces being cleaned. Because it is acidic, it can dissolve mineral deposits from glass, coffee makers, and other smooth surfaces.[46] Vinegar is known as an effective cleaner of stainless steel and glass. Malt vinegar sprinkled onto crumpled newspaper is a traditional, and still-popular, method of cleaning grease-smeared windows and mirrors in the United Kingdom.[47]

Vinegar can be used for polishing copper, brass, bronze or silver. It is an excellent solvent for cleaning epoxy resin as well as the gum on sticker-type price tags. It has been reported as an effective drain cleaner.[48]

The use of vinegar in dishwashers and washing machines can cause damage to their rubber seals and hoses, leading to leaks. According to testing done by Consumer Reports, vinegar is ineffective as a rinse aid and in removing hard-water film while used in a dishwasher. According to Brian Sansoni, chief spokesperson for the American Cleaning Institute, vinegar "isn't very useful with stains that have already set into clothing, including food stains and bloodstains."[49][50] Other household items and surfaces that can be damaged by vinegar include flooring, stone countertops, knives, the screens of electronic devices, clothes iron water tanks, and rubber components of various small appliances. Common metals that can be damaged by vinegar include aluminum, copper, and lower-quality grades of stainless steel often used in small appliances.[49]
 

BlaineBug

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Strange - I've used a combination of baking soda and vinegar as a dishwasher cleaning agent. Seals haven't been damaged from that yet. OF course it's diluted with water from the dishwasher itself.
 

me88

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Have you tried microfiber towels with a waffle weave pattern? They are specially made for glass and I've had good luck with them.
 

BlaineBug

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Last edited:

rcorwin

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I have found the best cleaner for any glass, car or home, is a Norwex microfiber cleaning towel and water. The dry with a Norwex Window Cloth. The best cleaner inside and out. Even a buggy windshield! My wife put me on to these. I didn’t believe her until I tried them. Best darn cleaner I have ever found. I keep them in the car when we travel, I don’t use Windex or any other cleaner, just water. Works best when you dry the wet glass with the Norwex Window Cloth. The Norwex cleaning cloth, when wet scrubs the dirt/grime and bugs right off. I have no affiliation with Norwex other than purchasing them.
 

vcode

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I have a 6"x4" microfiber towel that is attached too a 16" long handle. Not sure where I got it but it works great to get to the base of the windshield. I just use Windex.

And yes, my windows get dirty on the inside from the dash outgassing. It is not dirt per se, but a thin film you can really see in the sun. Happens on my wife's Malibu which is rarely driven. Just Google offgassing from dash and you will get countless hits.....
 

adriver

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Just a microfiber towel. No fluids or anything else. I have a center console that holds my tool kit, an oil rag, a small 8 or 10 oz bottle with gojo, and a microfiber towel. When I see my windshield is dirty, I spend the next two or three red lights wiping it down.
I think the wetness is what causes the streaks.
(As I write this, I wonder if a rag or two straight out of the dryer, being a bit hotter and as dry as it could be, would work better).
 

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