Can't get glass 100% spotless

olenderc

olenderc

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Maybe it's just the OCD in me, but for some reason I cannot for the life of me get glass 100% spotless, streak-free, lint-free, even with various products that claim so.

I've tried DP Krystal Vision, Stoners, Meguiars. I'm using freshly washed microfiber towels. I've tried the really low nap towels, as well as a guzzler drying towel because it looks to have the same type nap as specific glass cleaning towels I've seen.

It seems I can get the window clean but upon very close inspection you can see very tiny strands of microfiber, or maybe lint? If I try rubbing a dry towel on the glass it definitely sheds some type of "lint." So I'm not sure if that means my microfibers are ruined or what, but I'm not about to throw away ~20 MF towels (most of which are pretty new).

It seems with every swipe all I'm doing is just moving around the lint (or whatever it is) and smearing it around. Whatever I try to do to "lift" off the little fibers doesn't work.

Any suggestions?
 
Interested in this too. I clean my windows and in the morning sun all is see is millions of microfiber threads...
 
Where are you cleaning the glasses , & is the glasses still hot when cleaning them ! just some thoughts here , it was one of my mean issues .
 
IID said:
These work well for leaving no lint:
Optimum Glass Towel
Click to expand...

Is the issue more-so the towel rather than the spray? Say I bought this towel, and washed it amongst my other towels, would I have the subsequent issue of "linting" because it has been mixed among my other supposedly "lint-full" towels?

Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of throwing 1 or 2 known "new and lint-free" towels in for a machine wash just for the sake of keeping them separate and knowingly "lint-free". Not saying I couldn't, but that's just plain wasteful. If I'm washing towels, I'm washing them all, and I'm washing them together. Am I just destined for towel failure and lint-swarmed windows forever? :cry:
 
Brand new Costco MFs for glass. Must be brand new, never washed. No lint problems and cheap enough. After washing I just use them for interior duties.

Sent from my LG-LS720 using AG Online
 
olenderc said:
Is the issue more-so the towel rather than the spray? Say I bought this towel, and washed it amongst my other towels, would I have the subsequent issue of "linting" because it has been mixed among my other supposedly "lint-full" towels?

Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of throwing 1 or 2 known "new and lint-free" towels in for a machine wash just for the sake of keeping them separate and knowingly "lint-free". Not saying I couldn't, but that's just plain wasteful. If I'm washing towels, I'm washing them all, and I'm washing them together. Am I just destined for towel failure and lint-swarmed windows forever? :cry:
Click to expand...

If you wash glass towels with towels that lint....you now have linty glass towels ;-)
I wash my glass towels with ONLY glass towels.
 
sproketser said:
Where are you cleaning the glasses , & is the glasses still hot when cleaning them ! just some thoughts here , it was one of my mean issues .
Click to expand...

Well, coming back home this morning, I realized I forgot to clean my rear-view mirror yesterday. So after I parked in the garage I grabbed the microfiber towel I used on glass yesterday and gave a spray of Meguiars glass cleaner and wiped it down.

Left some hairs/lint. Re-sprayed and re-wiped maybe a dozen times, then tried paper towels, and a freshly washed guzzler drying towel. No dice. Called it quits and went inside before my OCD caused me to implode.

So the mirror wasn't hot or anything I'd say since it wasn't in direct sunlight or anything of the sort.
 
Nicholas@Autowerx said:
Brand new Costco MFs for glass. Must be brand new, never washed. No lint problems and cheap enough. After washing I just use them for interior duties.

Sent from my LG-LS720 using AG Online
Click to expand...

IID said:
If you wash glass towels with towels that lint....you now have linty glass towels ;-)
I wash my glass towels with ONLY glass towels.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I don't own a detailing business so at most I have maybe 3-4 towels I'd use on glass, and I can't justify running a machine load for just 3-4 towels. Guess I'm just doomed, haha. I appreciate the advice though. I'll have to deal with the lint for now, I suppose.
 
Might use other towels , I ve found that Costco mf towels are great sometimes & other times old tshirts or rags do the trick , weird .
 
olenderc said:
Well, coming back home this morning, I realized I forgot to clean my rear-view mirror yesterday. So after I parked in the garage I grabbed the microfiber towel I used on glass yesterday and gave a spray of Meguiars glass cleaner and wiped it down.

Left some hairs/lint. Re-sprayed and re-wiped maybe a dozen times, then tried paper towels, and a freshly washed guzzler drying towel. No dice. Called it quits and went inside before my OCD caused me to implode.

So the mirror wasn't hot or anything I'd say since it wasn't in direct sunlight or anything of the sort.
Click to expand...

Best way to clean glass streak-free -> Use steam! pick up a McCulloch or wagner steam cleaner. $80 or so, but the results are incredible.

If not, then don't use too much cleaner. I like stoner invisible glass, or other aerosol "foamy" type sprays, like spray way.

As far as towels, where glass is concerned, simplest is best! Use REGULAR COTTON TERRY CLOTH towels! They have more "bite" for polishing out streaks and are tougher than microfiber, so they don't leave those annoying little "hairs". (Though if not good quality, they may leave threads lol). Also, don't use any fabric softener on the towels, that will cause streaking. I use 3 towels. You can get away with using a microfiber for your first (and maybe second towel) but for buffing, I find that it is imperative to use a cotton one. Ask me how I know? Trial and error.... and frustration!

The first is for the initial wipedown/rubbing off any fingerprints/gunk etc. Say you do that horizontally. Second, you use your next towel to go vertically, to remove the cleaner. Even though you're rubbing vertically, you may need to go horizontally or randomly to get into corners etc. Next, polish horizontally once again with third dry cloth, and buff off, even circularly, if needed, like on a hot day if some cleaner residue does remain.
By the next window or a few after, your first cloth will probably be at least partly saturated, as will your second, with product. That is where the third cloth comes in. Even still, you may find yourself needing to rotate, meaning you'll stop using your over saturated one, your #2 cloth becomes your #1, #3 becomes #2, and take a new dry one. Pretty much common sense, just trying to be thorough here. I have found it to be a (nearly) foolproof system.
Lastly, I use the invisible glass reach & clean (actually mine is a rip off of it) tool to ensure even pressure/make it easier to get into corners.

That being said, if you're doing exterior glass (esp neglected exterior glass) you may need to invest in some good glass cleaning clay and polish (i.e. dp glass restorer, ceriglass etc) to get rid of etching, water spots, etc. Hope this helps! A bit overly-meticulous and crazy? perhaps. But when you're doing glass for your average joe customer, who doesn't look at the paint as much, 100% clean glass makes a huge huge difference.
 
CarPro Fast Glass Towels will change your glass cleaning life!
 
FUNX725 said:
OK!! for the FG Towels...Or is that: OK!! for the K-D Towels... :)

Bob
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I have direct experience with the CarPro version only, so I would hesitate comment on the other variants of the lint free glass towel that are available from AGO and other outlets.
 
Washing them separate doesn't mean they have to be machine washed. When your other microfiber towels are in the machine, just wash your glass towels by hand. No cross-linting!

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/49998-mike-s-glass-cleaning-tips.html

I use Meguair's D120 and a waffle weave glass towel for my initial and follow-up wipes, then the CarPro Fast Glass towel with distilled water for the final wipe and buff. I ain't complaining about the results with just a bit of extra effort on my part.
 
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