Glass streaks

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cadd

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Good grief...I am about to go balistic trying to get the streaks out when cleaning windows. I have tried numerous products and nothing seems to work. I am using quality mf towels...wiping from side to side or up and down. But still come out with streaks.. Any suggestions ? May the detailing gods have mercy on me !!!
 
Glass Master Pro Glass and Surface Cleaner

I have a cheap OTC version of the glass master and use it with a MF stuck to the velcro instead of the pads that are supposed to go on it. I always go over the windows twice, once to get the main grime and spread the cleaner and a second time with a clean section of the towel to clean up/dry the glass. After all the windows are done I'll go around and spot check with one of the thin "napless" glass towels by hand. Something like the glass master is crucial IMO.

Also, someone advised to always wipe the interior and exterior in separate directions, that way it is easy to tell if the streak is inside or outside, great advice.
 
cadd said:
Good grief...I am about to go balistic trying to get the streaks out when cleaning windows. I have tried numerous products and nothing seems to work. I am using quality mf towels...wiping from side to side or up and down. But still come out with streaks.. Any suggestions ? May the detailing gods have mercy on me !!!
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I've had a lot of success with cleaning the windows with invisible glass then going back over with a quick spray of 90% IPA, it picks up the soaps from the glass cleaner then you wipe dry with a clean towel. Also surgical towels are awesome for cleaning windows, they pick up everything and don't lint.
 
I know this is an old post but I am having the same problem, where the glass comes out looking worst than it did before I even touched the car.I came to a conclusion that my washer machine isn't cleaning my towels good enough. when I use a brand new one.... no problems. I guess the wax spreads all over in the washer machine. idk
 
Don't wash towels used with different products at the same time.
 
cadd said:
Good grief...I am about to go balistic trying to get the streaks out when cleaning windows. I have tried numerous products and nothing seems to work. I am using quality mf towels...wiping from side to side or up and down. But still come out with streaks.. Any suggestions ? May the detailing gods have mercy on me !!!
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Stoners works great for me.

A4 1.8tqm said:
I always go over the windows twice, once to get the main grime and spread the cleaner and a second time with a clean section of the towel to clean up/dry the glass.
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:iagree:

A4 1.8tqm said:
Also, someone advised to always wipe the interior and exterior in separate directions, that way it is easy to tell if the streak is inside or outside, great advice.
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Thats a great tip! I hadn't heard of that.
 
Glass can be a b%&$# to clean, especially inside. Vinyl gasses accumulate on the windshield glass as they rise under heat from the sun. Airborne particles and contaminants rest there as well. Any dressings used on the dashboard get onto the glass either by overspray or "over-wipe" or by de-gassing. And, these glass panels get cleaned the least. The same with backlights (rear windows).

If you are getting streaking, it is probably not the cleaner per se, but contaminants still on the glass. I have fund Meg's Glass Cleaner Concentrate the best glass cleaner I have ever used, extremely cheap, and very versatile (I have a few bottles in the house for kitchen (glass-faced appliances), small little spray bottles in my backpack (for laptop and glasses) and in each car, along with glass mf towels).

The different directions idea is a good one, but it is more important to focus on the cleaning per se than the direction wiped. You will have to wipe in other directions just to get in there, with or without tools. When I get a used car, it takes a few cleaning sessions. Make sure the glass is as cool as possible, no sun at all. Make sure the MF is clean as well. Use a lot of MF. Saturate a regular MF towel (general purpose) and use to get the cleaner onto the glass. Let it sit a few seconds, and use a second general purpose towel to wipe off. Repeat as necessary until you see very little streaking left. Once the glass is fairly clean, then you can go to glass-type MF towels and wiping in different directions.

The problem is that MF towels do not hold much soil since they do not have a "nap". You need the scrubbing action and the storing capacity of a general purpose MF towel to clean the glass first. Next, you need the non-linting and smoother surface of a glass towel to insure streak free glass. But cleaning is the trick to glass, really really cleaning.

Make sure to keep the cleaners off your dashboard. Some recommend to spray the foam onto the glass (when using stoner's IG) to let the foam help clean. I prefer to spray any cleaners outside of the vehicle, then apply only to the glass. Using a general MF towel gets you similar results to foaming, and less risk of glass cleaner on your dash.
 
jlb85 said:
The different directions idea is a good one, but it is more important to focus on the cleaning per se than the direction wiped. You will have to wipe in other directions just to get in there, with or without tools.
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Certainly you have to wipe real good from all directions but on the final wipe you can pick a direction.

jlb85 said:
Make sure to keep the cleaners off your dashboard. Some recommend to spray the foam onto the glass (when using stoner's IG) to let the foam help clean. I prefer to spray any cleaners outside of the vehicle, then apply only to the glass. Using a general MF towel gets you similar results to foaming, and less risk of glass cleaner on your dash.
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I do the same thing. In fact on the exterior I hang the MF glass towel over my can of Stoners while spraying so it doesn't get on my paint. On the interior I sit in my seat with the door open and spray it into the towel outisde of the car. Then I quickly (while it's still foamy) apply it to the windshield. The windows are tinted and get plexus on the interior of them so thats another story.
 
jlb85 said:
The different directions idea is a good one, but it is more important to focus on the cleaning per se than the direction wiped. You will have to wipe in other directions just to get in there, with or without tools. When I get a used car, it takes a few cleaning sessions. Make sure the glass is as cool as possible, no sun at all. Make sure the MF is clean as well. Use a lot of MF. Saturate a regular MF towel (general purpose) and use to get the cleaner onto the glass. Let it sit a few seconds, and use a second general purpose towel to wipe off. Repeat as necessary until you see very little streaking left. Once the glass is fairly clean, then you can go to glass-type MF towels and wiping in different directions.
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:iagree: That's just about the perfect routine IMO. BTW I didn't mean to say always wipe in separate directions, rather just the final wipe for identifying streaks. As you said, cleaning is the important part.
 
The only time I had a streaking problem was when I was using Stoners with the rain repellent. I think it was the rain repellent component that was giving me fits. I personally hate cleaning windows and couldn't put up with the streaking so I switched products at that point.

It took a good three weeks before the streaking stopped after I ditched the Stoners.
 
rohnramirez said:
Don't wash towels used with different products at the same time.
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You might already know this, but I thought it was worth a shot to hopefully help you out - but don't use softener; it dulls the ability of the microfiber to absorb and to clean (and the residue left from the softener will also leave streaks).
 
Definetly agree with you about the Stoners w/repellant. Still having issues, never again. I do love the traditional Stoners, works extremely well!
 
I use 2 WW glass towels. One to clean the windows with sprayed product. Then, the second to buff away any streaks. Works great for me.
 
I tried Stoner, Simonize, and Spray Way (all very similar spray can types) and Spray Way was the best. I NEVER get streaks with that stuff and a Cobra WW glass towel. Except for the inside windshield, and that seems to be outgassing from the dash. But usually only if a let it go a long time between cleanings.
Also I cant say enough about those window washing tools. It makes the job sooo much easier. I don't use their pads though. I drape a WW towel over the head and move it to a new section of towel for each side of the windshield (left/right). And then there's two more sections for the rear glass. (The sides usually get plexus)
 
I use Perfekt Clean glass cleaner and a window waffle weave without streaks. I also have used Stoners also without streaks but Perfekt Clean seems to clean the glass a little better.
 
I use water and a terry cloth(no fabrick softner)soak glass, and wipe untill completely dry :props:
 
Silverstone said:
I tried Stoner, Simonize, and Spray Way (all very similar spray can types) and Spray Way was the best.
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AGREED! I still have not found any product though, that will simply clean windows, streak-free, on the first pass. I do admit, it is odd to me how we are approaching super-computers the size of a cell phone, and we have robotic assisted heart surgery... not to mention we put a human being on the moon decades ago - but we can't release a dependable glass cleaner that can shine windows in the sun. Awesome.
 
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