# Mike's Glass Cleaning Tips



## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*Mike's Glass Cleaning Tips*










*Mike's Glass Cleaning Tips*
When cleaning glass or anything, you are removing "something" off the glass. On the inside this would be Vinyl Fog and/or Smoker's Film.

Chances are good you're also cleaning someone else's attempt to clean glass and removing their streaks and smears plus whatever chemical they used to try to clean the glass.

Depending on who's riding around in the vehicle you could also be removing *fingerprints* and even _*footprints*_ from passengers sitting in the front seat and stretching their legs out onto the dash. Kids are notorious for touching the inside of glass with their fingers and hands and that means residues from whatever was in their hands including ketchup and mustard from their McHappy Hamburger, grease from their French Fries or Chicken McNuggets and anything else they're playing with in the back of the car.

*So here's my tip on cleaning glass...*
Anytime you're _*mechanically*_ removing *any* type of film, oils or any other substances off the glass, *they are being deposited onto your wiping cloth*. Correct?

*That means you should no longer use that wiping cloth on any other glass surface because all you'll be doing is transferring the substance you removed to a new section of glass.*

*Have plenty of glass cleaning towels*







*Plenty of Towels*
The most important thing you can do to avoid streaks and smears when cleaning glass is to use _*plenty*_ of clean wiping cloths and after making the initial wipe over a window or a section of a window, either turn or fold to a fresh clean side or switch to a clean, dry, unused wiping cloth to continue.

It doesn't take much to leave a smear on glass so your job is once you remove the majority of whatever was on the glass to start with to get that wiping cloth out of the equation and switch to a new, clean wiping cloth for your final wipe. Then after using the secondary or even third wiping cloth on a single window, set it aside and start on the next window with another clean, dry wiping cloth.

*Glass Cleaners*
Most glass cleaners work really well, especially if the name on the label has a good reputation to start with.

*Glass Towels*
Most quality microfiber towels and dedicated glass wiping towels also work really well.

*Cross-contamination the true culprit*
The culprit is re-introducing whatever it is you removed off the glass back onto the glass.

*Glass Master Pro*
I like using *Glass Master Pro* for _*front and back windows*_ for the "Final Wipe" not for the first or even second wipe.










*Tips and Techniques - 3 Wipes for streak-free glass*

*1st Wipe*
The first wipe is to remove the majority of any Vinyl Fog, Smokers Film, Fingerprints, Smudges and Smears. After you make the first wipe, take the towel now holding any residues previously on the glass and place it in your laundry bag or bin as it is no longer useful for cleaning glass.

*2nd Wipe*
The second wipe is to further remove any trace residues left behind by the first wipe, these will show up as smears on the glass. Use a clean, dry wiping cloth together with a quality glass cleaner. After this wipe the glass should be about 90% clear and streak-free or better.

*3rd Wipe*
For the third and final wipe, switch to the *Glass Master Pro*. The Glass Master Pro come with

After making your initial wipes for the inside of the windshield using a clean, dry glass cleaning towel, switch to a clean dry towel for a second wipe. After your initial wipe and follow-up wipe using clean, dry un-contaminated cleaning towels you're now ready to use the Glass Master Pro for the "Final Wipe".

Mist a little glass cleaner onto a clean, microfiber bonnet, this should be a *very light amount* of glass cleaner.









Then make your final wipe for the inside of the front windshield and rear window, which are normally the hardest windows to clean. 









:thumb:


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## Bradley (Aug 24, 2006)

Hey Mike, glass is the one thing I think all detailers "love to hate", thanks for your thread. To add my tip, I always wipe inside horizional and outside vertical when cleaning, this way you can tell if remaining streaks are inside or outside :thumb: Any tip on getting to very hard to reach glass? like the Porsche 997 GT3 RS rear screen it's a killer cos of the roll cage and that hard to reach area behind the dashboard pod on some Ferrari's? Nothing ever seems slim enough to get in and do the job properly.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

Bradley said:


> Hey Mike, glass is the one thing I think all detailers "love to hate", thanks for your thread. To add my tip, I always wipe inside horizontal and outside vertical when cleaning, this way you can tell if remaining streaks are inside or outside :thumb:
> 
> That's a great tip and I can't believe I didn't include it as I teach it in my classes. Thanks for chiming in with it.
> 
> ...


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## MatthewADV (Jan 18, 2012)

Nice thread :thumb:

I found the perfect tool for the GT3 RS rear screen, makes it so easy :thumb:


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## Bradley (Aug 24, 2006)

adetailedvalet said:


> Nice thread :thumb:
> 
> I found the perfect tool for the GT3 RS rear screen, makes it so easy :thumb:


and......well....what is it?


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## Otter Smacker (Jun 19, 2012)

Very helpfull. Thanks:thumb:


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