Stupid Question: How to effectively clean interior windows?

[89Suburban]

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]

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.

 

[me51]

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]

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

I use an el-cheapo microfiber on one of those windshield wands. The last time I cleaned my windshield it took 3 or 4 tries to get it perfectly clear with no haze or streaking. I also used Invisiglass or some comparable aerosol product.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2044726160...qpmdjit2GGy0X4zBe0j5ukzpz/|tkp:Bk9SR7zC9vL3Yg

 

[rcorwin]

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.

 

[George B]

Doesn’t vinegar stink though? Will the vinegar water mix freeze? I like to keep window cleaner in my truck year round.

Truck smells like a pickle!!

 

[BlaineBug]

Truck smells like a pickle!!

Delicious.

 

[h2100]

Hi! I 'second' the newspaper idea.

 

[vcode]

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]

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).

 

[clogan2]

I wipe mine down with a damp chamois. Well, it's not a real chamois, it's one of those "Absorber" brand synthetic chamois. EZ.

 

[Stonebx]

Hello All,

I feel idiotic for having to ask this, but how do you all effectively clean your interior windows? Specifically the windshield?

In times gone by, I have used Windex and newspapers quite effectively in other vehicles. Nice clean windshield, no streaks, no residue.

On my 2013 Escalade ESV (and my wife's 2008 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ), I cannot get the windshield clean to save my life!
The front door windows are tinted, so I don't use ammonia based cleaners. I had tried Invisible Glass, but it kept leaving residue that would show up on chilly mornings. IE fog the windshield, if that makes sense. Or, in direct sunlight, you can see a residue.

Searching on the internet, I found suggestions to use isopropyl alcohol to clean the windshield first, then Invisible Glass. That sorta worked better. Procedure was to spray alcohol on a microfiber rag, then clean part of the windshield. Do it again with a different side of the rag. Then do the same with the Invisible Glass.
I still had streaks and or residue.

Sooooo...thinking about it(which appears to be dangerous for me), I decided that I wasn't using enough of either. Meaning the rag was too dry. So, I drowned the rag in alcohol. Dried the windshield with a new microfiber cloth. Then drowned a rag in Invisible glass. Then dried the windshield with a new microfiber cloth.
And that left awful streaks and residue.


Please offer me advice so I can effectively clean the interior windows of my Escalade!

Thanks

I had a similar issue with my Denali. The first thing I normally do if it's dirty or has some type of film is use paper towel with alcohol. Then I use a 2 new microfiber rags, one slightly damp with water and wipe down the glass and while it's still wet go over it with the 2nd new dry rag. I find that water and a good microfiber rag works perfectly on all glass. Hope that helps!

 

[ejf2461]

Hello All,

I feel idiotic for having to ask this, but how do you all effectively clean your interior windows? Specifically the windshield?

In times gone by, I have used Windex and newspapers quite effectively in other vehicles. Nice clean windshield, no streaks, no residue.

On my 2013 Escalade ESV (and my wife's 2008 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ), I cannot get the windshield clean to save my life!
The front door windows are tinted, so I don't use ammonia based cleaners. I had tried Invisible Glass, but it kept leaving residue that would show up on chilly mornings. IE fog the windshield, if that makes sense. Or, in direct sunlight, you can see a residue.

Searching on the internet, I found suggestions to use isopropyl alcohol to clean the windshield first, then Invisible Glass. That sorta worked better. Procedure was to spray alcohol on a microfiber rag, then clean part of the windshield. Do it again with a different side of the rag. Then do the same with the Invisible Glass.
I still had streaks and or residue.

Sooooo...thinking about it(which appears to be dangerous for me), I decided that I wasn't using enough of either. Meaning the rag was too dry. So, I drowned the rag in alcohol. Dried the windshield with a new microfiber cloth. Then drowned a rag in Invisible glass. Then dried the windshield with a new microfiber cloth.
And that left awful streaks and residue.


Please offer me advice so I can effectively clean the interior windows of my Escalade!

Thanks

I have a police tahoe and OCD so I clean my interior windows alot. Start with a perfectly clean unused terry cloth towel and wipe in 1 direction top to bottom then stop and fold the terry cloth towel to a new unused portion and repeat next to that area and keep repeating until you got the entire window wiped off. Then get dry eraser and do the same process. if its really bad inside goto harbor freight and buy a razor blade extention with a long handle. Lubricate the window with water only and scrape the entire window. This works on inside and outside. Dont do this on tinted window. Glass plus works better than windex does. You have to keep up on the windows inside because oils and dirty air build up and when you wash them you jub rub that junk into the window. Hope this helps!

 

[golfn18]

I use a combination of white vinegar, water and a drop or two of Dawn. I spray it on a microfiber towel (not the windshield) and then wipe it with a different towel. Works great for me

 

[Chasin Tales]

A friend that details cars said to buy the cheapest paper towels you can find. The high end ones have moisturizers and oils that deposit on the window. That is why alot of people use newspaper. Good luck!

 

[BlaineBug]

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.

I wonder how a Magic Eraser or other type of knockoff magic eraser-type thing would work on a really filthy windshield. Would it be too abrasive and scratch or scuff the glass?

 

[EvergreenZ71]

Do newspapers even print anymore?

I hope so just for the sake of good fish & chips!

 

[Rocket Man]

I find if I kneel facing backwards, reach back between my legs and use an old not new microfiber cloth I can get it really really clean, at least from what I can see at that point which is all that really matters because after that ordeal, I tend to look through the glass, not so much AT the glass like some of you obviously do. But I used to work in the flat glass industry and I’ve dealt with every nut job you can think of that stands with their face 6 inches from their window in their 2 million dollar McMansion and points to a tiny tiny microscopic flaw inside an insulated glass unit and can’t understand why it’s not covered under warranty. So I look through the glass. Even perfectly clean, you can find plenty of other defects if you look close enough. If you’re looking at a windshield in a modern car, you’re talking 2 layers of glass and a layer of plastic in the middle. That’s 6 surfaces in that glass sandwich and any of those can have flaws, and if you look at it from far enough to the side you’ll start seeing more. So don’t. I actually use Spray Away, best glass cleaner out there imo and used by glass professionals.

 

[skpyle]

I find if I kneel facing backwards, reach back between my legs and use an old not new microfiber cloth I can get it really really clean, at least from what I can see at that point which is all that really matters because after that ordeal, I tend to look through the glass, not so much AT the glass like some of you obviously do. But I used to work in the flat glass industry and I’ve dealt with every nut job you can think of that stands with their face 6 inches from their window in their 2 million dollar McMansion and points to a tiny tiny microscopic flaw inside an insulated glass unit and can’t understand why it’s not covered under warranty. So I look through the glass. Even perfectly clean, you can find plenty of other defects if you look close enough. If you’re looking at a windshield in a modern car, you’re talking 2 layers of glass and a layer of plastic in the middle. That’s 6 surfaces in that glass sandwich and any of those can have flaws, and if you look at it from far enough to the side you’ll start seeing more. So don’t. I actually use Spray Away, best glass cleaner out there imo and used by glass professionals.

Do you put your knees on the steering wheel, or on the dashboard?

 

[skpyle]

I purchased a cleaning wand and terry cloth covers. I cleaned the inside of the windshield and front door windows with a couple of sprays of vinegar on the covers, then wiped the glass. Followed up by wiping the glass with a fresh dry cover.
I cleaned the outside of the front door windows and door mirrors with windex and glass cleaning towels.

We shall see...