Microfiber lint on windshield glass?

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Bob Smyth

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I started detailing 2 years ago as a retirement hobby, and I frequently read this forum and view youtube videos, so I think I have more than a beginner's knowledge level.

I decided to thoroughly clean both sides of my windshield using Griot's Garage glass cleaner. I used a painter's light to show if there were streaks, and I buffed them out and I thought the windshield was flawless.

The next day when the windshield was facing the sun, I saw many "sparkles" on the windshield. I tried to remove them using various chemicals but they were still there.

I finally figured out via searching this forum and trial-and-error that my microfiber towels were leaving these sparkles on the windshield. I got rid of the sparkles by using a compound, then buffed with a cotton towel, then sprayed paint prep, then wiped the paint prep off with a cotton towel. Now the windshield looks great.

I thought microfiber was man-made and didn't shed and that was one if its advantages over cotton.

Is microfiber lint on windshield glass common knowledge among more experienced detailers? I had never seen or read anything about microfiber lint, so this caught me totally by surprise.

For those of you who have had this problem, is it simply a matter of using newer and high-quality waffle-weave towels?
 
Mike Phillips said:
I use waffle weave glass towels - don't really see lint on the glass when done.


:)
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This^

Also, keep your waffle weave towels away from your normal microfibers, meaning don’t wash them together especially don’t wash them with any plush microfiber towels.

I wash my waffle weaves with my wash mitts and I’ve never had a problem with them leaving little bits of lint on glass.

Here inside the house I grabbed the nearest towel I had, thinking it should work fine enough for a quick cleaning but as you can see it left a bunch of lint behind. My waffle weaves don’t do this.

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Waffle weave glass towels are very good but the Carpro glass towels leave absolutely no lint behind.
 
I have a pile of so called "glass" towels that lint. Tried fresh out of the package or washed by themselves no difference.

Zap towel or a cloth diaper is the only thing that works for me.
 
The Guz said:
Great glass towels. Their glass cleaner is also great.
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:iagree:Clarify Glass Cleaner is the bomb, love the banana scent. Their glass towel has replaced all my waffle weave glass towels.
 
John U said:
I have a pile of so called "glass" towels that lint. Tried fresh out of the package or washed by themselves no difference.

Zap towel or a cloth diaper is the only thing that works for me.
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Zap Cloth absolutely. I use it for the interior but I like to follow it up with a Griots or a Carpro glass towel.
 
Griots glass towels are great. That with foamong cleaner of your choice. Follow up with a damp Zep cloth and your golden


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I really wanted to love the Zap Cloth, but it hasn't blown me away. On any windshield I've used it on that was visibly not clean to start, you could see a "fog" on the windshield while it was still damp from wiping. That's with using distilled water to rule out tap water issues.

Same effect I ran into when I tried ONR as a glass cleaner since so many raved about it. Hit the glass with a glass cleaner, and you can see that fog get cut through and it's easier to feel like you'll actually have crisp clear glass when you run into that just-the-right-hour-of-the-day sun.

Maybe it's best (for me) to use it as a final wipe to catch anything that may have been missed in the first step, almost like a spit polish for the final pass.


Anyone ever just use a Zap Cloth with a glass cleaner instead of plain water?
 
oneheadlite said:
I really wanted to love the Zap Cloth, but it hasn't blown me away.
Anyone ever just use a Zap Cloth with a glass cleaner instead of plain water?
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Yes, I soak the cloth and wring it out before I start washing the car so it can dry out to a "moist" not damp condition before I use it. I use a spritz of window cleaner on the glass and try to finish with a good vertical or horizontal pattern (opposite the opposing side) for the final wipe so I can see if it's the inside or outside of the car with "issues".
 
I'm the OP. Great suggestion to wash the waffle-weave glass towels separately, thank you.
 
UncleDavy said:
Waffle weave glass towels are very good but the Carpro glass towels leave absolutely no lint behind.
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I'm the OP. I looked at the reviews for the Carpro glass towels and while the reviews are mixed, they all agree that they leave no lint, so that's a big plus for me. Thank you.
 
Bob Smyth said:
I'm the OP. Great suggestion to wash the waffle-weave glass towels separately, thank you.
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I gave my window tint installer a WW to try out - and he loved it and ordered a bunch more.

While on the expensive side, the Griots Garage PFM towels are good for glass too. I picked up a set of the 16x9 towels at my local Pepboys (sadly they no longer carry the 16x16) to try. They are too small for drying the car, but work great for windows and never lint.
 
mc2hill said:
I gave my window tint installer a WW to try out - and he loved it and ordered a bunch more.

While on the expensive side, the Griots Garage PFM towels are good for glass too. I picked up a set of the 16x9 towels at my local Pepboys (sadly they no longer carry the 16x16) to try. They are too small for drying the car, but work great for windows and never lint.
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I had high hopes for those but did not work for me.
 
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