The Importance of Cleaning Car Windows

Why You Shouldn’t Skip Cleaning Car Windows

Driving with a dirty vehicle window can be a hassle. Dusty, hazy, or smudged window glass will detract from your vehicle’s appearance. People will give you and your ride the wrong looks, which can quickly get embarrassing.

But beyond the element of embarrassment, there’s also the fact that when the sun is shining across a dirty windshield from a certain angle, the sunlight will interact with whatever is soiling the windshield to the point that it may be practically impossible to see through the windshield.

If the glass is dirty enough, it can block your vision even without sunshine. A lot of dirt can block your vision, making you miss critical things, such as pedestrians using the marked crosswalk or other cars on the road.

Dirt can also trap heat in your vehicle. If you leave it parked under the sun with the A/C off, its interior can turn into an oven because of its dirty window glass. Unless you cool the vehicle’s interior first, you’ll find it uncomfortable to drive.

It’s important to clean your car windows regularly and ensure the glass stays clear. Read about the best way to clean the inside and outside car windows and the windshield.

What to Use to Clean Car Windows and the Windshield

To clean your vehicle’s windows and windshield, you’ll need something to wipe the glass with and your choice of car glass cleaner.

Microfiber Cloth

Microfiber cloth offers the best option for cleaning car windows and the windshield without scratching the glass. Made from millions of microscopic synthetic fibers, it can absorb liquids and scrub debris and dirt more efficiently than other cloth.

Use one microfiber cloth for wiping the inside of your vehicle’s windows and windshield. Use the other to clean the car glass’ exterior side.

Using two separate microfiber cloths lets you reduce the wear on each item, allowing it to last longer. You also reduce the risk that any dirt collected from one side of the windshield or window might end up on the car glass’ opposite side.

Car Glass Cleaner

Glass cleaner is a specialty cleaning product that can remove dirt from glass surfaces. Unlike soap, it doesn’t produce residue that needs to be rinsed with water. And unlike DIY concoctions made using white vinegar, glass cleaner won’t leave any scent behind.

When buying glass cleaner, always pick a product intended for vehicle use. Car glass isn’t the same as the glass used in your house’s windows. It will require specially formulated car glass cleaner that can gently but thoroughly clean the surface of the windows and windshield.

Avoid ammonia-based car glass cleaners, especially if your vehicle’s windows are tinted. Ammonia will quickly ruin window tint, forcing you to either remove the damaged film and leave the glass bare or install new tint film.

Most modern car glass cleaners use ammonia-free formulations, making them safe for use on windows and windshields with window tint. However, check the formula on the bottle’s side to see if it lists ammonia as one of the car glass cleaner’s ingredients.

Newspaper

For wiping, an old newspaper works very well. Newspaper wiping along with glass cleaner can provide a streak-free clean on the inside or the outside of the glass. But if there are bugs or heavy soil on the outside, extra cleaning methods are necessary.

Best Way to Clean Inside and Outside Car Windows and Windshield

Now that you’ve collected the gear to clean your vehicle’s windows, where to begin? Should you clean the inside of the window glass? Or perhaps it’s better to wash the windshield and windows’ exterior first?

If the car windows are all you intend to clean, it doesn’t matter which side you pick. You can start with the inside or the outside car windows.

However, if you wash your vehicle before cleaning the car glass, you should clean the outside windows first. A general car wash removes much of the debris, dirt, and dust on the windows and softens up what remains. Not only will washing your vehicle make window cleaning less arduous, but it will also reduce the wear on the microfiber cloth.

How to Clean the Outside Windshield and Windows

A windshield squeegee works well for cleaning the outside windshield and windows, but most people don’t have one. If there’s one where you gas up, take advantage of it as long as the water in the squeegee tank isn’t totally used up and filled with mud.

Also, as mentioned earlier, you can save yourself time and effort by washing your vehicle beforehand. It’s up to you to decide whether you go to a commercial car wash or do it by hand. After the car wash, you can clean your windshield and windows.

To clean the window, spray the car glass cleaner directly on the car glass. Make sure to apply an even layer of the cleaner across the glass’ surface. You’ll notice that the cleaner will quickly break down any dirt that escaped the car wash.

Now it’s time to scrub the car glass clean. Start by wiping the microfiber cloth up and down the glass. Then move the fabric left and right. This pattern will prevent streaks from showing on the glass.

Repeat this alternating movement until the car glass looks clean. Then you can move to the next window.

You might run into dirt that’s stubbornly stuck to car glass. Apply more pressure to the remaining dirt until you scrub it off the window.

Windshields are a lot bigger than car windows. If you try to clean an entire windshield in one go, the car glass cleaner on some parts might dry up by the time you can get to them.

Instead, you should divide the windshield into smaller sections. Clean each part following the prescribed wiping pattern.

Cleaning Inside the Windows of Your Car

Once you enter your vehicle to clean its windows and windshields from the inside, you’ll have to change your approach. First, swap to a fresh microfiber cloth. You don’t want any dirt on the previous cleaning cloth to make it inside your car.

Don’t spray car glass cleaner on the inside car glass. That will waste some of the cleaning fluid because the glass’ angling prevents all of the mist from reaching it.

Also, the wasted glass cleaner can land on your vehicle’s interior components and decor. While your car glass cleaner shouldn’t have ammonia, it does include chemicals that can damage or stain plastic.

Instead, spray the car glass cleaner on the microfiber cloth. Wipe the textile across the window using the same pattern as before: up-and-down, then side-to-side. Repeat this process until you’ve cleaned all the car glass.