# Is car glass spray special?



## evoke (Oct 6, 2007)

I'm running out of my car glass cleaning spray (AG Fast Glass) so need to buy some more. Is this kind of glass cleaning spray any different to household glass cleaning spray like Windolene, for example?

The reason I ask is that car glass cleaning spray is typically 2-3 times the cost of products like Windolene.


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## turbosnoop (Apr 14, 2015)

I always use windowlene


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## Ads_ClioV6 (Apr 27, 2014)

Loving dodo clearly menthol.


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

Nope, I use trade window cleaner from eurocell, far cheaper and better


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## DiM3ch (May 5, 2011)

Swissvax Crystal is great stuff, along with DJ Clearly menthol and Stoners Invisible Glass


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## nickka (Jun 2, 2008)

Nip yourself off to B&Q and purchase 5l of nilco nilglass for just £5.....job done for a very long time


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## fozzy (Oct 22, 2009)

I always used whatever the wife had in for the house for glass until I banged some AutoGlanz Moonshine onto an order a couple of weeks ago. I'm now a total convert, takes seconds now to clean all the glass and no streaking at all even when I slightly overdo it in the amount of product used, this stuffs ace!


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## adjones (Apr 24, 2013)

Some is, some is not. There are more than enough car glass cleaners which are little to not different from the supermarket stuff. There are also some which are massively higher in solvent content and are justifiably more expensive. It is a case of working out which brand has an expensive product because it is an expensive product and which has an expensive because they have expensive marketing (and expensive cars on the directors' driveways).


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## vtaylor78 (Feb 21, 2012)

Just get yourself a decent set of "E cloths" then all you need is water.


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## OvEr_KiLL (Mar 2, 2015)

paragon microfibre fish scale glass cloth and autofinesse crystal  doesnt streak/smear and doesnt flash off instantly


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## ah234 (Nov 10, 2015)

Used some of the power maxed glass cleaner I got on offer the other week, diluted it 50/50- it lingered a bit in the window but I was honestly shocked at how streak free it was when I buffed it off.
5 liters of solution produces 10 liters of glass cleaner-great value and I'm happy


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## Paul7189 (Nov 11, 2015)

Windolene can cause glare issues when used on the windscreen. If you want cheap and effective just use IPA water mixture.


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## Actrosman (Oct 23, 2013)

An Irish lorry driving friend of a friend sorta thing offered me 'a local drink, made by a friend' of his somewhere out in the country.....95% proof apparently, only to be taken in very small measures and diluted, Scotch & water style. Either way, tastes  smells like Revolt but beyjeezas it cleans glass well! Reckon I could water it down a bit and use it as a TFR or similar to remove the coat of HydroCoat in readiness for a summer polish! :lol:


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## MOB (Oct 27, 2005)

vtaylor78 said:


> Just get yourself a decent set of "E cloths" then all you need is water.


^this

Try one and be amazed :buffer:


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

The Astonish glass cleaner is pretty good and it's a quid


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

ah234 said:


> Used some of the power maxed glass cleaner I got on offer the other week, diluted it 50/50- it lingered a bit in the window but I was honestly shocked at how streak free it was when I buffed it off.
> 5 liters of solution produces 10 liters of glass cleaner-great value and I'm happy


Same here mate..i have a 5ltr container of it. I think its enough to make a lifetime supply of glass cleaner for my whole street!


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## ah234 (Nov 10, 2015)

captaintomo said:


> Same here mate..i have a 5ltr container of it. I think its enough to make a lifetime supply of glass cleaner for my whole street!


It's crazy value, and it actually cleans really well


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

OvEr_KiLL said:


> paragon microfibre fish scale glass cloth


Just got some of these last week. Absolutely ace things (I'm using them with the Carlack glass cleaner as it goes but sure they'd work well with whatever you choose).


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

ah234 said:


> It's crazy value, and it actually cleans really well


I just went looking for it and see that B&Q have it reduced to a fiver for the 5l container :thumb:


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## Mick.M. (Mar 17, 2016)

I've been using Autoglym glass polish, but it's coming to the end of the bottle. I might give what Fozzy recommend a try.


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## Ian 1971 (May 6, 2014)

MOB said:


> ^this
> 
> Try one and be amazed :buffer:


What are 'E' cloths


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## vtaylor78 (Feb 21, 2012)

Ian 1971 said:


> What are 'E' cloths


It's a pack of two cloths, one wet with warm water and a splash of vinegar if you want.
The other is to buff dry, they are amazing .
I got mine in Waitrose and they are the genuine "E Cloth", half price ATM £5.
There is a lot of cheaper ones out there , but go for the Genuine ones.


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## Haga (Jul 27, 2013)

Hi!

Very good and useful topic indeed!
So please say to me now what is the difference between this:









This household window cleaner:









And this specialised car detailer's product:


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## Kickasskev (Sep 18, 2012)

Spit

Never runs out!

Use chewing gum for a touch of fragrance to the windows

Just don't eat chocolate or sticky stuff before you're about to use it.

Thats ASDA Price ££


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## Hazbobsnr (May 31, 2010)

Haga said:


> Hi!
> 
> Very good and useful topic indeed!
> So please say to me now what is the difference between this:
> ...


Only the price.

I've detailed cars, no one would know weather you have used, Stoners, Auto Glym, Do Do Juice or Tesco Glass Cleaner.

People think, or, are under the illusion, that, the more you pay must be better, surely.

Of Course its not, we are all led to believe it is, but, NO.

Use clean, none greasy micro fibres every time, job done.


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## Kickasskev (Sep 18, 2012)

Hazbobsnr said:


> Only the price.
> 
> I've detailed cars, no one would know weather you have used, Stoners, Auto Glym, Do Do Juice or Tesco Glass Cleaner.
> 
> ...


A clean microfibre on every car is KEY to getting nice windows


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## S7ephen j (Nov 9, 2015)

The only difference i thought was that household window cleaners had alot of ammonia in them . Decent car ones are not meant to making it safer to use of window tints other than that im not sure. Could agree more about a clean microfiber is a must even still it can be a pain :lol:


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

I always understood that dedicated car glass cleaners were sillicon free to avoid smearing from the windscreen wipers ?





Bar keepers friend is epic on grungy old windscreens.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

Hazbobsnr said:


> Use clean, none greasy micro fibres every time, job done.


I might add *lint-free *to the list of criteria - otherwise I find the little bits of fibre make a right mess and are really hard to get off (especially inside the windscreen) - plus they scatter the light of oncoming cars and make more glare.

I got some glass cloths from Paragon Microfibre last week and their fishscale cloth is the absolute business for glass - my windows have never been so clean!


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

OvEr_KiLL said:


> paragon microfibre fish scale glass cloth and autofinesse crystal  doesnt streak/smear and doesnt flash off instantly


Or make up some IPA and Distilled water exactly the same thing. 

To the original poster there is no harm in using windowleen or a supermarket own brand glass cleaner....


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Some of the household ones have ammonia in them which makes aftermarket tints and film tints in general go purple! 

Tinted glass wont be affected but generally I just use the Astonish glass cleaner with anti-fog. Its basically just IPA


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

nick_mcuk said:


> Or make up some IPA and Distilled water exactly the same thing.
> 
> To the original poster there is no harm in using windowleen or a supermarket own brand glass cleaner....


There is usually a smidge of detergent in your average window cleaner - just add a dash of APC to your IPA / water mix


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

nickka said:


> Nip yourself off to B&Q and purchase 5l of nilco nilglass for just £5.....job done for a very long time


Thank you Nickka for an excellent recommendation.
I have had cloths and cleaner with me everywhere this week and been using it on all sorts of glass everywhere.
My mothers huge french doors which have always been difficult to clean without streaks and smears or other signs of how they had been cleaned in sections, are now perfect.
I have even asked some customers if I could clean their windscreens just to try it on surfaces with unknown contaminants.
I have used many many glass cleaners over the years and after much experimenting was not unhappy with my previous cleaner but Nilglass liberally applied with a fishscale microfibre and then polished with a clean glass cloth provides the easiest and best results I have seen, with no mess or dust.
The easy way it lifts the greasy film frequently found on the inside of car screens and in fact, everything I have tried it on, has to be experienced. It just disappears.
Everyone has commented on how thoroughly and properly clean their glass now appears. Including some I had not told it had been cleaned.
I have not tried it on tints or been too experimental as yet but so far it works a treat.


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## adjones (Apr 24, 2013)

steelghost said:


> There is usually a smidge of detergent in your average window cleaner - just add a dash of APC to your IPA / water mix


You need the right detergent. Most apcs have high levels of builders and alkalinity providers, not to mention that the surfactants used are there for detergency primarily and will rarely be the same as those which are intended for optimal wetting and low streaking character.


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## Power Maxed (Feb 12, 2014)

1 of the the core ingredients in a proper glass cleaner is propylene glycol, most other brands have upto 5% propylene glycol, where as from extensive testing there is no point in having more than 30% before it has no additional effect. So we have 30% in ours, which makes it leave a streak free finish every time.


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

Sh1ner said:


> .
> 
> My mothers huge french doors which have always been difficult to clean without streaks and smears or other signs of how they had been cleaned in sections are now perfect.
> 
> .


 The Karcher window vacs are really fantastic for doing large expanses of glass quickly. Wet and wash the glass all you like then use the vac to slurp the glass bone dry and clean.


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

GleemSpray said:


> The Karcher window vacs are really fantastic for doing large expanses of glass quickly. Wet and wash the glass all you like then use the vac to slurp the glass bone dry and clean.


Thank you. I thought it might be good and bought one a while ago. Whilst it worked to a point, she could not/would not get on with it and it now only does duty in the bathroom for drying condensation on the tiles.
All that ceiling to floor stretching and bending was a bit much and because the glass goes all the way to the floor she had to tip it on its side to run along the bottom. She also never got the hang of angling the blade slighty and overlapping the previous run down.
It just was not worth the arguments over how to use it so now I just do the glass whenever I go round.
She just watches and makes comments. It drives me mad.
Perhaps she is not so daft, as I say she is, after all.


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## Pittsy (Jun 14, 2014)

Power Maxed said:


> 1 of the the core ingredients in a proper glass cleaner is propylene glycol, most other brands have upto 5% propylene glycol, where as from extensive testing there is no point in having more than 30% before it has no additional effect. So we have 30% in ours, which makes it leave a streak free finish every time.


I have been using this exclusively for ages now, got a 5ltr bottle and i can say it does the job :thumb:


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

Yes the PM glass cleaner is really good.


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## Mang0 (Jan 15, 2014)

These days I just use IPA + water mix in a spray bottle. 
It's amazing for cleaning glass and screens.

At the moment I'm using around 33% IPA so it's quite strong. 
I wouldn't use it on car body paint with that high concentration. 
(not saying you can't)


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## nickka (Jun 2, 2008)

Sh1ner said:


> Thank you Nickka for an excellent recommendation.
> I have had cloths and cleaner with me everywhere this week and been using it on all sorts of glass everywhere.
> My mothers huge french doors which have always been difficult to clean without streaks and smears or other signs of how they had been cleaned in sections, are now perfect.
> I have even asked some customers if I could clean their windscreens just to try it on surfaces with unknown contaminants.
> ...


Thanks, it's really a great product, I've been using it for 20 plus years now


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## Lincs Poacher (Feb 7, 2016)

Using Dodo juice at the moment and very happy with it.


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## Forsh (Jun 13, 2014)

Used some Carplan stuff at the weekend = smears and streaks

Picked some Simoniz glass cleaner up on Monday, Tesco half price offer - buffed off absolutely spotless


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## kentphil (Jan 9, 2014)

Hi all,

Could I please ask anybody on here who is using the Nilglass cleaner, do you have to dilute the product or do you use it neat from the can?.

I will be going to B&Q tomorrow to hopefully pick up a can, and was just wondering if I need to pick up anything else apart from a spray bottle to decant the 5l can into?.

As usual, many thanks in advance.


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

I use it neat. There is no instruction to do otherwise.
Having used it for a while now, on all sorts of glass, it is, without doubt, the best glass cleaner I have used.
Used in conjunction with a fishscale microfibre and then buffed I cannot find fault with it. It just works.
I have had not one complaint and plenty of questions asking what I used.


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## WO-WO (Jun 29, 2015)

Auto finesse gets my vote too. My favourite glass cleaners are fast evaporating ones as they don't need much buffing. Glass is my absolute nemesis so anything to make it easier for me gets my thumbs up.


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## Jam* (Apr 24, 2016)

Light spray with diluted fairly liquid then wipe away with a window scrim cloth perfect result every time, 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

kentphil said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Could I please ask anybody on here who is using the Nilglass cleaner, do you have to dilute the product or do you use it neat from the can?.
> 
> ...


Neat, with a "fishscale" microfibre. By the way, if your local b&q still has some, stock up, as they're apparently stopping selling it. £5 for 5l is a bit of a bargain.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


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## wd40 (Jun 20, 2007)

steelghost said:


> Neat, with a "fishscale" microfibre. By the way, if your local b&q still has some, stock up, as they're apparently stopping selling it. £5 for 5l is a bit of a bargain.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


Just checked my local B&Q and they have it in stock but it is marked for clearance. 
Think I`ll get some too


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## kentphil (Jan 9, 2014)

Used the Nilglass cleaner today, have to say it was easy to use and gives very good results. 

Many thanks to all that gave the "heads up" on this for me, very pleased.

Phil


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