How to Clean Your Windshield: Useful Tips

When we’re doing research into how to fix and protect paintwork, we come across hundreds of tips and tricks, but when it comes to car windows, we can hardly find the same amount of information or the same variety of specially designed products.

Then again, vehicle glasses—especially the windshield—play a big role in both our road safety and driving experience, so they’re not to be neglected. Paying attention to a few details might be enough to keep our auto glass spick-and-span at all times. You can find below some useful tips (and their step-by-step explanations) to help you take better care of your car glass, and enjoy looking at the road through a crystal-clear windshield.

How Should You Wipe Your Windshield?

You may think this topic is too straightforward to even need any explanation, but think again! We end up doing our vehicles more harm than good with some common cleaning methods. For instance, wiping car glass directly with a dry cloth, especially when the windows aren’t very clean, can lead to more stains and scratches than before. Similarly, some widely used cleaning products can damage certain surfaces of your vehicle. This is why it’s a good idea to take a look at the recommended steps of cleaning your car glass:

The Right Timing

• First of all, don’t postpone cleaning your windshield till it’s filled with hard water spots and bug stains. Even when your windscreen looks “clean enough,” it’s highly likely that it’s actually covered in a thin layer of dust and buildup, spots and swirl marks.
• You can observe your windshield under direct sunlight to decide whether it’s time for cleaning. This will help you see spots and marks that may otherwise go unnoticed.
• Always leave the glass cleaning for last. Even when you’re going for a full car wash or detailing, finish the other parts of your vehicle first before cleaning the windows so you don’t have to deal with extra problems like overspray, splatters and residue on the freshly cleaned glass.

The Right Products

• Once you’ve got the timing right, you can start the cleaning process by choosing the right products. Be sure to opt for ammonium-free cleaning products for auto glass; this compound can harm the tint on your windshield.
• The type of cloth you use while wiping the car glass also affects the end result. As regular fabric cloths and paper towels can leave marks and lint, a microfiber cloth is your best bet. You can fold it into four to have a clean surface for each step, or simply keep two clean microfiber cloths in your car.

The Right Method

• Auto cleaning experts recommend applying the glass cleaner onto the microfiber cloth instead of directly on the windshield itself. This way, you get to avoid overspray on the windshield, which can also lead to stains.
• Using the microfiber cloth sprayed with a small amount of ammonium-free glass cleaner, wipe the entire windshield starting from the center and proceeding towards the edges. At this stage, you can wipe in vertical motions first, and then horizontal, to move systematically.
• After having wiped the entire surface with the cleaning product, use the dry side of your cloth (or grab a clean one) to buff the glass. Here, you can use small, circular movements for maximum effect.
• Don’t forget to wipe your windshield from the inside, as well, every few weeks. You can cover the front panel with some paper towels to prevent the class cleaner from dripping there.
• Once the entire surface is nice and clean, apply some more cleaning product to the area underneath the wipers, as it tends to collect a lot of dust, dirt and particles.
• Finally, clean your wipers thoroughly. As they are in constant contact with your windshield, dirty, old and worn wipers can easily cause stains and scratches on the car glass. In this context, experts also recommend replacing the wipers regularly.

How to Keep Your Windshield Clean?

We’ve covered the main points about windshield cleaning; what’s more, we’ve realized how much detail can go into a subject that we don’t normally put much thought into. However, we all know that it’s not easy to maintain that spotless look for too long, even after putting in that much effort.

Due to the nature of its function, the windshield gets exposed to a variety of damaging factors such as dust, mud, bird droppings, and hard water marks, making all your hard work go out the window in a matter of hours. This is why care methods that will facilitate the cleaning process carry as much weight as the cleaning itself. Here are some useful tips to help you take better care of your car glass:

If Possible, Clean the Glass Yourself

We’ve covered here earlier that the abrasive brushes commonly used at the automatic car wash stations can do damage to the paintwork of your car. A similar principle applies to auto glass, as well. By cleaning especially the windshield by yourself, you can ensure the best outcome. By politely turning down anybody else’s offer to wipe down your windshield—especially at gas stations and parking lots—you can minimize your windows’ contact with worn down, low-quality, dirty tools. This way, your vehicle glass won’t sustain any extra damage, and the effects of your cleaning session will last longer.

Try to Find Good Parking Spots

As you park your squeaky clean car on the side of the road or in open spaces, you expose it—and its freshly buffed glass—to many risks, such as various weather conditions, bird droppings, and hard items that can cause scratches, chips and cracks. So try to leave your car in well-protected, secluded, indoor areas as much as you can. And while you’re on the road, make sure you leave a safe distance between your vehicles and others to spare yourself the headache of dealing with mud splashes and stone damage.

Apply Hydrophobic Spray to Your Windshield

The majority of the primary factors that cause dirt and stains on car glass are inevitable, just like rain. It has probably happened to all of us before; you clean your car thoroughly and meticulously, then all of a sudden, it starts raining… In addition to that frustration, unexpected rainfall can even limit your vision on the road and compromise your safety.

With Nasiol Glasshield nano rain repellent spray, you can cover your car’s glass surfaces with a transparent nano coating that provides them with liquid-repelling and easy-to-clean properties. This coating remains effective for up to two years, making raindrops, dirt and mud slide right off your windshield. This way, instead of relying solely on your wipers in rainy weather, you can enhance your vision and enjoy your immaculate, gleaming windshield.

Both Cleanliness and Safety

Depending on your lifestyle, always keeping your vehicle in pristine condition may not really be feasible. However, when it comes to your windshield, cleanliness may be directly related to your road safety. This is why you should never neglect auto glass care and at least make time for a quick wipe to keep your windshield stain-free and crystal clear, even when you can’t go for a full car wash. And while you’re following the recommended methods stated above, don’t forget to take the necessary precautions that will facilitate both your vehicle’s cleaning process, and your life!