Motoring Discussion > Inside windscreen cleaning	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bobby	Replies: 54

Thu 2 Nov 17 00:09   Inside windscreen cleaning - Bobby

Ok what are your techniques to actually make the glass clean and also the physical process involved? Are you a spray window cleaner or special concoctions of vinegar and newspapers and the like? What is your technique, do you end up upside down clinging to the steering wheel for stability as you try and reach the bit of screen that ducks down behind your dashboard? Nothing seems to work for me - someone recommended a special glass e-cloth like this www.e-cloth.com/household-range/glass--polishing-cloth---4-cloths and although it works in the house etc I still struggle to get a clean windscreen but part of that may be the inability to actually get in and about the glass. Lidl are selling a demister pad thingy on an extendable stick for doing windscreens - anyone on here tried them? Do they make it easier? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 02:21   Inside windscreen cleaning - rtj70

The Audi (up for auction 7/11) had started to have greasy film inside on the windscreen. I'd normally sort it because with lower temperatures it is a problem,... Thought new car due so live with it :-) New car needs the inside of the screen cleaning. Most apparent this week with the change in weather. I'm sure nobody did any checks on the car before I got it - basically delivered from the docks. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 07:05   Inside windscreen cleaning - Runfer D'Hills

I clean the inside of the glass with a dry micro fibre cloth every couple of weeks. Seems to work. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 07:27   Inside windscreen cleaning - Dog

I use some Wilko glass cleaner spray + several sheets of kitchen roll. T'isnt a job I like doing so it doesn't get done 'til it really needs doing but, my method seems to make a fair job ovvit. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 07:43   Inside windscreen cleaning - sherlock47

Lidl are selling a demister pad thingy on an extendable stick for doing windscreens - anyone on here tried them? Do they make it easier? i bought an extendable one one earlier this year from Lidl - it certainly makes life easier for reaching the bottom 30cm of the Berlingo screen. At the price it was always worth a try. The problem is where to keep it in the car within reach! and not being trodden into the grime of the floor! Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 08:25   Inside windscreen cleaning - smokie

Can't remember when I last did it but ISTR using ordinary window spray (Mr Muscle or somesuch) with a rag and stranding outside the car and reaching in for most of it. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 08:26   Inside windscreen cleaning - Manatee

We buy white vinegar literally by the gallon for cleaning. We have a trigger spray filled with 50/50 vinegar and water, with a drop of washing up liquid in it. Spray on, dry off with kitchen roll. Repeat as necessary. I don't have any difficulty reaching the bottom of the windscreen. I do the top of the dash, the door cards and the sills while I am at it. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 08:40   Inside windscreen cleaning - Bromptonaut

A N other proprietary glass cleaner and kitchen roll. Not too difficult in either Berlingo or Roomster tackled as a job of two halves from first one front seat then the other. Next low sun though always reveals the bit I missed. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 09:09   Inside windscreen cleaning - Old Navy

A glazier recommended this Nilglass cleaner. I have used it for years, occasionally trying the methods seen here but always returning to it. Particularly good for the car, the washing up splashes on the kitchen window etc. I bought a case of it heavily discounted from an online trade supplier. www.diy.com/departments/nilco-professional-glass-cleaner-spray-1000-ml/1136760_BQ.prd Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 09:35   Inside windscreen cleaning - CGNorwich

Never touch it , never clean it Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 10:10   Inside windscreen cleaning - VxFan

>> Never touch it Try telling that to people who have access to communal vehicles, such as pool cars at work. God it narks me when others use the back of their hand to wipe off any internal condensation on the windscreen. What a mess. Makes you wonder what their own car windscreens look like? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 10:37   Inside windscreen cleaning - Bill Payer

>> God it narks me when others use the back of their hand to >> wipe off any internal condensation on the windscreen. My Godmother did that - while wearing a diamond ring. I could have cried. For cleaning I've used Auto-Glym Car Glass Polish for many years. Don't use much and keep it off dark plastics. I use it with old tea-towels that have been washed without fabric conditioner. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 12:03   Inside windscreen cleaning - Roger.

>> For cleaning I've used Auto-Glym Car Glass Polish for many years. Autogym is the best glass cleaner, bar none. Spills on the car's interior plastics and rubber window seals wipe away easily unlike the runner-up: Windowlene's original pink window polish, which latter we use for all our household windows. It's hard to find these days, though, as the major supermarkets no longer seem to stock it Last edited by: Roger. on Thu 2 Nov 17 at 12:04 Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 3 Nov 17 16:59   Inside windscreen cleaning - Stuartli

>>Autogym is the best glass cleaner, bar none. >> It is excellent, but some of the ordinary window cleaners are pretty good, including Lidl's W5. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 11:09   Inside windscreen cleaning - Bromptonaut

>> Never touch it , never clean it >> If only. Mine always collect a film of grime. Berlingo had a new windscreen in August, crystal clear when fitted. By middle of last month low sun was showing stuff that didn't shift with demisting. I'm pretty fanatical about glass cleanliness though. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 11:22   Inside windscreen cleaning - Zero

Some cars get a messy film on the glass, some don't. The Lancer was bad in this respect, the Volvo brilliantly clean. Someone told me it's something to do with the chemical make up of the dash materials, Last edited by: Zero on Thu 2 Nov 17 at 11:23 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 11:50   Inside windscreen cleaning - No FM2R

>>Someone told me it's something to do with the chemical make up of the dash materials I did not know that. But it makes sense and would explain why one car needs its windscreen cleaned often and another very rarely. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 12:57   Inside windscreen cleaning - VxFan

>> I did not know that. Yep, it's the outgassing from the added plasticisers in the polyvinyl chloride (PVC), of what dashboards are generally made from. articles.latimes.com/2006/sep/20/autos/hy-wheels20 Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 13:31   Inside windscreen cleaning - No FM2R

Well you live and learn. I've often wondered about that. Cheers. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 22:04   Inside windscreen cleaning - Bill Payer

>> I'm pretty fanatical about glass cleanliness though. >> I don't think cleaning it every two months counts as fanatical! Cleaned windscreen in wife's car the other day when she commented that when misted up she could see text from stickers that were on it when new - two years ago. :) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 11:08   Inside windscreen cleaning - Zero

Waitrose window cleaning spray on the inside of the window, wipe dry with paper towel, polish with dry clean microfibre cloth. And yes it's a contortionist job clinging to the steering wheel Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 2 Nov 17 11:40   Inside windscreen cleaning - Hard Cheese

Two perfectly clean cotton t-towels, soak one in clean water and wring out as much water as possible. Wipe inside of windscreen with damp t-towel, and other windows while at it. Dry with other t-towel to remove smears. Reply to this message | Report message

Fri 3 Nov 17 16:57   Inside windscreen cleaning - Stuartli

>>Lidl are selling a demister pad thingy on an extendable stick for doing windscreens - anyone on here tried them? Do they make it easier?>> My best mate is disabled and had difficult cleaning his windscreen until he acquired one of these pad on a stick thing - swears by it. Reply to this message | Report message

Sat 4 Nov 17 21:30   Inside windscreen cleaning - slowdown avenue

might need a new pollen filter Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 6 Nov 17 09:05   Inside windscreen cleaning - Oldgit

Well, I am fanatical about glass cleaning but have to say, due to the angle and position of inside of windscreens, this job is not the easiest to achieve good results. I have never used a window spray cleaner that gives good results, though initially they might look pristine. I have even wasted money on more expensive detailing glass cleaners to no avail and microfiber cloth are the bane of my life on glass because if they drag, they leave a myriad of tiny fibres behind. However, I have got over that by treating myself to a waffle weave MF cloth and this is far superior to the other more common types of microfiber ones. I use a damp-ish cloth, maybe with a little Meths or Isopropyl Alcohol and rub that well over the surface and then finish with the waffle weave before the surface dries out, hence no fibres left and quite good results. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 6 Nov 17 09:16   Inside windscreen cleaning - bathtub tom

Am I the only one here who uses a chamois leather? Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 6 Nov 17 10:23   Inside windscreen cleaning - VxFan

>> Am I the only one here who uses a chamois leather? I used to, but found glass always dried up with smudge marks. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 6 Nov 17 10:36   Inside windscreen cleaning - Duncan

Microfibre cloths work well. e.g. (Link to Amazon) tinyurl.com/n39xnnu Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 6 Nov 17 11:33   Inside windscreen cleaning - Oldgit

>> Microfibre cloths work well. >> >> e.g. (Link to Amazon) >> >> tinyurl.com/n39xnnu >> Not for me they don't, as a general rule. On anything but glass, yes. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 6 Nov 17 11:40   Inside windscreen cleaning - hawkeye

No you're not. Two or three times a year I wet the windows with the car wash sponge (before washing the car) and finish off with a chamois. Someone gave me a pack of handkerchief-sized window cleaning wipes a couple of years ago; absolutely useless. Never missing an opportunity for a ramble... I used to work for a start-up company in the early eighties and my company car was a VW Polo. When I was in the office, 'my' car became the pool car. One of my colleagues, a diabetic, used to have a device which pricked his thumb or finger to test his blood. Inevitably, after he'd used the car the steering wheel and door handle would have blood spots and smears on it. Frequently, there would be tiny blood spatters on the windscreen of driver's door window. And there were the wrappers from his tiny Mars bars on the floor or seat. It used to drive me to distraction. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 6 Nov 17 12:01   Inside windscreen cleaning - Zero

>> the wrappers from his tiny Mars bars on the floor or seat. It used to >> drive me to distraction. It would be classed as a Bio Hazard these days, complete no-no. and the mars bars Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 6 Nov 17 12:50   Inside windscreen cleaning - CGNorwich

Some years back I dropped a Stanley knife on my hand and severed a small artery. It stopped if I applied pressure but I had to drive to A and E and I had to let go occasionally to change gear when the blood would spurt out. The inside of the car looked pretty grim by the time I got there. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 7 Nov 17 09:08   Inside windscreen cleaning - Mapmaker

Meths on kitchen paper or blue paper towel. Guaranteed to be clean every time, and cheap as anything. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 7 Nov 17 18:21   Inside windscreen cleaning - hawkeye

I like the idea of cheap and of inhaling meths, but does it cope with blood? Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 8 Nov 17 10:01   Inside windscreen cleaning - neiltoo

This thread prompted to clean the inside of my windscreen. I leaned over to the passenger side and felt a sharp pain, and a "popping" sensation. I think I've cracked a rib on the handbrake. Screens still smeared as well! Thanks everyone. Last edited by: neiltoo on Wed 8 Nov 17 at 10:02 Reply to this message | Report message       1

Wed 8 Nov 17 11:09   Inside windscreen cleaning - Old Navy

>> I think I've cracked a rib on the handbrake. >> >> Thanks everyone. >> Are you allowed out unsupervised? :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 8 Nov 17 13:10   Inside windscreen cleaning - VxFan

>> I think I've cracked a rib on the handbrake. I presume you haven't also damaged the handbrake? Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 8 Nov 17 18:43   Inside windscreen cleaning - CGNorwich

Electronic handbrake and it wouldn't have happened. Technology can be useful. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 8 Nov 17 17:03   Inside windscreen cleaning - bathtub tom

>>I think I've cracked a rib on the handbrake. I can sympathise. I once cracked a rib when I dropped something off the side of a sofa. I twisted sideways, bent over to pick it up and sneezed - it hurts! Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 8 Nov 17 18:49   Inside windscreen cleaning - Manatee

>> This thread prompted to clean the inside of my windscreen. >> I leaned over to the passenger side and felt a sharp pain, and a "popping" >> sensation. >> I think I've cracked a rib on the handbrake. I almost did the same trying to plug in a phone charger to the accessory socket in the MX-5 last week. For a reason not obvious, the socket is at the extreme forward right point of the passenger footwell. Quite a few owners have never found it. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 9 Nov 17 00:29   Inside windscreen cleaning - Stuartli

>>Quite a few owners have never found it.>> Sounds a bit like the G Spot. Reply to this message | Report message       1

Thu 9 Nov 17 08:27   Inside windscreen cleaning - Bobby

Why the hell would Mazda put an accessory socket in that location? Can only think its aimed at drivers with dashcams or gopros who don't want their cables trailing back into the centre console? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 9 Nov 17 09:03   Inside windscreen cleaning - henry k

>> Why the hell would Mazda put an accessory socket in that location? >> >> Can only think its aimed at drivers with dashcams or gopros >> who don't want their cables trailing back into the centre console? >> May I suggest it is a convenient location for a driver of a left hand drive car. My Jaguar X type has a rest for the " clutch foot" of the passenger but not the driver and the bonnet release is by the A pillar on the front passenger side. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 9 Nov 17 09:36   Inside windscreen cleaning - Oldgit

>> This thread prompted to clean the inside of my windscreen. >> I leaned over to the passenger side and felt a sharp pain, and a "popping" >> sensation. >> I think I've cracked a rib on the handbrake. >> >> Screens still smeared as well! >> >> Thanks everyone. >> What'a a handbrake? So sorry for your problems. Electronic handbrakes reign then as on my VW Golf MK7. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 8 Nov 17 10:30   Inside windscreen cleaning - Fenlander

>>>Am I the only one here who uses a chamois leather? It's my weapon of choice. First a damp microfiber cloth (from a bowl of warm water with a little vinegar in) to remove the more greasy deposits. I find Tesco cheap microfiber dishcloths don't shed bits. Then a large quality leather and it's done... finger prods and sucker rings all gone. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 8 Nov 17 09:30   Inside windscreen cleaning - VxFan

Rather than starting a new thread, Does anyone know how to remove rubber sucker marks from windows? Previous owner must have had a dashcam, sat nav, baby on board sign, or whatever. When the glass is clean, the ring marks don't show, but the slightest misting up and they appear again - both the front and rear screen. Windows have been cleaned numerous times in the 2¾ years I've had it, but they still keep coming back again. Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 8 Nov 17 at 09:31 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 8 Nov 17 09:33   Inside windscreen cleaning - Falkirk Bairn

Toothpaste on damp kitchen paper. Rub in, damp / clean kitchen roll to finish. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 8 Nov 17 23:39   Inside windscreen cleaning - Fullchat

Ive seen those marks too and they wont shift. I think they are from the factory when the glass manouvered into place on the vacuum pads of the robots . Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 9 Nov 17 00:40   Inside windscreen cleaning - rtj70

I had two marks on the inside of the A3 windscreen. Occasionally they were visible again - never did manage to get rid. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 9 Nov 17 02:18   Inside windscreen cleaning - VxFan

>> Ive seen those marks - they are from the factory when the glass manouvered into place on the vacuum pads of the robots . No, these marks on my front and rear windscreen are definitely from the rubber sucker mounts that sat navs, dash cams, etc use. i.e. they're too small for glass handling suckers. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 9 Nov 17 02:39   Inside windscreen cleaning - rtj70

Get a new windscreen? Excess is about £50-75. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 9 Nov 17 08:28   Inside windscreen cleaning - Bobby

Em - put a dashcam up in the same position?? Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 9 Nov 17 10:27   Inside windscreen cleaning - VxFan

>> Em - put a dashcam up in the same position?? There is more than one mark, so would need several dash cams. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 9 Nov 17 11:14   Inside windscreen cleaning - Dog

>>There is more than one mark, so would need several dash cams. Howls about some STP/Wynns stickers over 'em. :) Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 9 Nov 17 10:50   Inside windscreen cleaning - henry k

>> Get a new windscreen? Excess is about £50-75. >> Or if it is so bad , why risk a replacement windscreen and get some free fingerprints or get a new car? Reply to this message | Report message