# How to get rid of water marks on glass



## RichardD (Mar 26, 2007)

Whenever I clean my car or motorhome the glass appears clean but as soon as you wipe it with a wet micro fibre you can see water marks.

Today I tried some neat vinegar on a wet micro fibre but that didn't do much.

Googled 'water spot remover' and found a video with a guy using fine steel wire wool or a brillo pad!!!

Anyone used this method and does it work, or is there a better solution out there somewhere.

Richard


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

Yes, Vinegar & the steel wool balls you buy in the supermarket..job done:thumb:

Also works wonders on shower screens


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## AllenF (Aug 20, 2012)

Also put some vinegar in the washer bottle or use softened water in there.
But yes vinegar and brillo pads ( or the grey scotchbrite pads from paint supplies they last longer and dont go rusty )


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## longshaw (May 15, 2014)

I have this problem with glass.










Hard to photograph thou,

I've tried Vinegar, IPA, AutoGlym Polish










Just can't seen to get them any better... And ideas?


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## AllenF (Aug 20, 2012)

Try glass cleaner as a lube then a blade.
That glass polish has fine clay in it that should in theory polish out those marks, try applying it after blading it with a green scouring pad and seeing what that does. Sometimes things need a little extra kick up the bum to get them doing exactly what you want,
Remember there is never a problem just solutions we havent come across yet.


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## andyedge (Aug 25, 2009)

AG Express Wax (Aqua Wax) works for me. Can need a little bit of elbow grease though.
I use it after every wash on glass and paint, always removes those pesky waterspots on glass and my black paintwork without inducing any swirls that I can see :thumb:


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## Luke M (Jul 1, 2013)

Car pro ceriglass will shift them.
Also heard bar keepers friend will do the trick but never tried it personally.


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## hobbs182 (Jul 10, 2013)

carpro spotless for me


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## Brian mc21 (Aug 4, 2012)

When I use my wipers I get like a bloom appearing on the windscreen if you know what I mean. Wire wool and vinegar on this ?


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

Brian mc21 said:


> When I use my wipers I get like a bloom appearing on the windscreen if you know what I mean. Wire wool and vinegar on this ?


Yes that combo is great for a deep clean of glass, regardless of the issues you're experiencing.:thumb:


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## dcj (Apr 17, 2009)

I find the AS Clay Cloth shifts water marks on glass very easily.


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## RichardD (Mar 26, 2007)

I've now tried some white vinegar on a grey scotchbrite pad and the results were amazing. I compared this to some Bar Keepers Friend on two adjacent side windows. 

The BKF did not get rid of the underlying water spots even after I'd wiped the BKF off with a vinegar primed micro fibre.

I'm now aware of a lot of swirl marks on the glass!

Do you think they are just more visible now as the window has no dirt or grease to hid them or is the grey scotchbrite pad producing them?

Any advice please?

Richard


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## gti fly (May 19, 2011)

I started reading this thread, and started thinking, won't wirewool/scotch pads not create scratches or swirls

and your last reply answered my question.


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## Focusaddict (May 31, 2010)

Have you tried clay?


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## Eliasasas (Feb 22, 2014)

I was in a similar situation and tried lots of different things, including glass polish, household waterspot remover and claying. Then I got tired of the heavy layer of grime on my windscreen, which had actually gotten to the point of being a driving hazard in certain weather conditions. I used Autoglym car glass polish applied with some #0000 steel wool, which is the finest grade of steel wool as far as I know. The actual glass polish was mostly used as a bit of lubricant and extra cleaning power. I had tried the very same glass polish with a foam pad applied by hand before, no results. The steel wool took care of the grime on the windscreen, but it did add some swirls that are only visible when light hits the windscreen just right.

To be honest, even after noticing the marks on the windscreen I just thought "who cares, still much better than before".

Steel wool and similar products do usually take care of etched in water spots or other marks on the windscreen. However, definitely work your way up and try some less aggressive stuff first, especially machine polishing if you have that option.


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## RichardD (Mar 26, 2007)

Only had a Farcela G3 clay mitt rather than the usual ball of the stuff. Did help a bit but nowhere near as good as the vinegar and scotchbrite.
Richard
Not convinced that the scotchbrite is the cause yet as there are quite a few YouTube videos including guys using household brillopads. I've looked at the swirls more closely using a light, they are all large circles around the light source across the whole sidescreen. when I was cleaning I was using small circular wipes and around the edges were in straight lines. 

There is a thread from a guy in the US quoting the relative hardness of glass and steel. Typically glass is about 7 to 8 whereas steel is between 4 and 5, the higher the figure the harder the material. So steel wire wool won't scratch glass, especially as you only apply a light pressure when using them.

Richard


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## Eliasasas (Feb 22, 2014)

RichardD said:


> Not convinced that the scotchbrite is the cause yet as there are quite a few YouTube videos including guys using household brillopads. I've looked at the swirls more closely using a light, they are all large circles around the light source across the whole sidescreen. when I was cleaning I was using small circular wipes and around the edges were in straight lines.
> 
> Richard


I'm not going to suggest that I know for certain that it's one way or the other, but your logic is really flawed. You don't need to be a professional detailer to upload a video on YouTube. YouTube is full of videos of people giving poor advice in instructional videos.

Secondly swirls are rarely circular, that's just how they look when the light hits the surface. They show up in circles around the light source giving the illusion of actually being circles.


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## RichardD (Mar 26, 2007)

Point taken about YouTube.

So forget the wire wool then. What is the solution?

I've now been out trying to clean one of the side windows on my motorhome with Bar Keepers Friend (as recommended on the forum) and then a wipe down with neat distilled vinegar using microfibres. The vinegar is left to dwell for several minutes and then a further wipe over before hosing off. I repeated this twice and I can still see marks on the glass.

When you dry and polish with a dry micro fibre the surface pulls at the m/f and leaves very small traces of the cloth behind. With a damp m/f when you wipe over the surface you can see streaks in it until it dries. I guess because there are different surface tensions due to the limescale/dirt.

I've still got to do the very large windscreen but until I have a foolproof process I'm not going to touch it yet. 

Any suggestions on the way forward?

Richard


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## sbrocks (Jul 5, 2007)

Carpro Spotless?


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## skodadriver (Jul 19, 2013)

I use a liquid hob cleaner i bought from Aldi called ALIO,cost £1.50 for 250ml, works better than BKF.


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## Eliasasas (Feb 22, 2014)

RichardD said:


> Point taken about YouTube.
> 
> So forget the wire wool then. What is the solution?
> 
> ...


I definitely recognize the bit about the window looking spotless, then wipe with a damp microfiber and all the water spots reappear. Same thing if you just breathe heavy on the window to dampen it.

It has to be something that actually cuts down the the etched in water spots, like a polish of some kind. And what all polishes have in common is that they have to be worked in. No type of spray on wipe off product is gonna touch etched in water spots. When I used steel wool and Autoglym glass polish, which is obviously a very aggressive approach, I still had to work very hard. It took me maybe an hour to do just the windscreen, and when I was done, my arms were sore. If you can borrow a rotary polisher that's probably your best bet.

You also mentioned Bar Keepers Friend. Which one have you tried, the powder or the liquid version? Someone mentioned in another BKF thread that the powder version is the most aggressive. I have some of this at home and I use it for household stuff. I know for a fact it really has to be worked in hard to be effective. If you have any aggressive foam pad to use by hand combined with BKF or another good polish, maybe that's worth trying. For example Lake Country hand polishing pads (get the most aggressive one, PolishedBliss sells them), or a german style applicator (use the rough side).

Whatever you use, you have to be patient and work it in hard and take your time, focusing on a small area at a time.


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## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

Have you tried CarPro Spotless? I have it, but have not used it yet and so cannot comment upon it's effectiveness. Worth a shot though as a non-abrasive option.


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## RichardD (Mar 26, 2007)

I found some old Halfords acidic wheel cleaner at the back of my cupboard which is no longer used. Do you think this will be any better than vinegar?

Take your point about working it in. I have now done a second clean on one of the side windows and it has come up better.

I'm glad someone else has recognised the wiping over effect. I tried just a small area with the Bar Keepers (powder type) and then film just kept pulling back. I rub that one small area for about 2 minutes and did get some improvement but not much.

Thanks for the suggestion of CarPro, but I don't want to buy anymore products until there's a guarantee that it'll work.

It's interesting that the original responder to this thread was positive about wire wool as he is a professional detailer. I also spoke to my local detailer and he said he has used it with AG window polish as a last resort. 

Like you I'm wondering whether a few swirls is worth living with if it gets the glass really clean and then it can be protected with a sealer. Would these sealers not fill some of the swirls?

Richard


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## hobbs182 (Jul 10, 2013)

RichardD said:


> Thanks for the suggestion of CarPro, but I don't want to buy any more products until there's a guarantee that it'll work.
> 
> Richard


on the other hand, imo I would spend the £8~ on a product rather than, likely inflict swirls in glass

I rate CarPro spotless highly, an if it doesn't work for you - as everyone finds them to work different, you could always sell it on to someone


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## sbrocks (Jul 5, 2007)

hobbs182 said:


> on the other hand, imo I would spend the £8~ on a product rather than, likely inflict swirls in glass


See, I would be of the same thought process....

Why consider applying BKF, or wire wool or as peviously mentioned acid based alloy cleaner to glass? These products have their own uses granted, but when asked for a way to resolve the problem of water spotting, there is a product specifically made for resolving that issue. so why not use it?

I have Carpro Spotless but have yet to try it.....and do not myself suffer from undue water spotting using OOPPM filtered water etc (received it during a swaps deal on here along with other items before anyone asks why I have it and still unused!)


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## smegal (Aug 14, 2009)

Wire wool should be fine. Ud be dubious of any scotch pad harsher than green as they can be quite abrasive. 

If everything you've tried so far isn't touching it, I'd be inclined to go for ceriglass


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## Eliasasas (Feb 22, 2014)

RichardD said:


> I tried just a small area with the Bar Keepers (powder type) and then film just kept pulling back. I rub that one small area for about 2 minutes and did get some improvement but not much.


What did you apply BKF with? If you have something like a german style applicator, then I think you should try using that with BKF. It will work better if you work it in with a pad that is a bit rougher (i.e. has some cut) compared to a normal yellow foam pad or similar. What type of pad you apply something with, especially in the case of polish/cleaning type products, can make a big difference.

I'll mention it again just for emphasis: even with steel wool it took some serious time and effort for me. I worked about a 40x40cm area at a time. An area like that, with something as aggressive as steel wool, took up to 10 minutes in some areas.

I think you can get it done nicely with BKF and a good pad if you're stubborn.


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## bruce92 (Oct 2, 2012)

Aggressive clay bar


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## RichardD (Mar 26, 2007)

I only used a MF with the BKF, never really had a need for aggressive applicators before.

Where can I get one of these German style applicators? Are the readily available (Halfords) Megs wax applicators aggressive enough?

Richard


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## Eliasasas (Feb 22, 2014)

(Pick cyan color):
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/cgi-...tech-hand-pads-cat24.html#aLCHCR001#aLCHCR001

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/accessories/ultimate-german-applicator/prod_280.html

Meguiar's yellow foam pad applicators have pretty much no cutting, same with other similar-looking ones.


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## corey101 (Aug 16, 2013)

Iv haven't came across any water marks that g techniq g6 and a microfibre madness cloud buster couldnt remove


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## alpinaboy (Aug 15, 2014)

use a bit of damp (not too wet) newspaper. Grab a couple of pages, scrunch it up, damp and then apply some pressure while cleaning.

Broadsheets are best :>


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Three letters, I.P.A :thumb:


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## m4rkymark (Aug 17, 2014)

I wouldn't be using steel wool or brillo pads on my windows, all they will do is scratch the glass.


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## German Taxi (Nov 6, 2007)

Cerium oxide compound and rayon pads is like the 'finishing' combo for polishing glass. It is very effective at removing acid etching, wiper track marks and light scratches.

If that's not enough though, and if you're brave enough, you'll need to reach for the glass abrasives (effectively wet sanding the glass)

Have a look at this site:

http://www.glasspolishshop.com/index...te=common/home

And in particular,

Cerium oxide compounds
http://www.glasspolishshop.com/compounds

Rayon Pads
http://www.glasspolishshop.com/felt_polishing_pads

Abrasives
http://www.glasspolishshop.com/index...tegory&path=68


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