Best way to clean car - especially windows.

opinion guy

So after spending an hour washing the car today only to find the thing more dirty after I've finished I turn to you all in my exasperation for advice!!

I've tried the hose, bucket and sponge, rags, squeegee's, cold water, warm water, fairy on the windows, and no matter what I do I end up with smeary windows and water stains :mad::mad::mad:

So most importantly - what is the best way to clean the windows and not have smears ? And not have water marks ? And have the dirty bits at the side as clean as the bits the wipers cover ? And not have smears in the sunlight ?

And secondly - how to clean the body work and not end up with streaks and watermarks ??

What do you do boardsies ??? What works well ?

Drummerboy08

The best way to clean windows I find is to clean the car down first as normal, and then clean the windows with newspaper and Windolene etc. Newspaper never seems to leave streaks.

The only real way to avoid streaks/water marks on the bodywork is to rub the car down with a leather chamois or polish it afterwards.

TestTransmission

opinion guy wrote: »

So after spending an hour washing the car today only to find the thing more dirty after I've finished I turn to you all in my exasperation for advice!!

I've tried the hose, bucket and sponge, rags, squeegee's, cold water, warm water, fairy on the windows, and no matter what I do I end up with smeary windows and water stains :mad::mad::mad:

So most importantly - what is the best way to clean the windows and not have smears ? And not have water marks ? And have the dirty bits at the side as clean as the bits the wipers cover ? And not have smears in the sunlight ?

And secondly - how to clean the body work and not end up with streaks and watermarks ??

What do you do boardsies ??? What works well ?

Window cleaner and newspaper for the windows

For the bodywork,make sure you dry the car with a goodquality microfibre cloth after washing to prevent streaks and watermarks.Do this before it dries out.

opinion guy

I've tried the newspaper thing and it still left me with smears!!!!

Drummerboy08

opinion guy wrote: »

I've tried the newspaper thing and it still left me with smears!!!!

Ah you must be doing it wrong!

coylemj

For the windows I use Autoglym, the bottle for glass has a blue panel, think Silk Cut Blue. Get yourself a clean cotton rag, an old t-shirt or a section of an old bed sheet will do nicely, pour some of the liquid polish on the cotton rag and apply over the glass, then use a dry section of the rag to buff and polish.

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-proddetail.asp?v06VQ=FE&Range=1

I became aware of this product when I was in the back seat of a taxi once and couldn't believe how clean the windows were so asked the driver, he said autoglym and I've been using it since, I use cheap washing up liquid in a bucket of warm water and a sponge for the body but the windows get the autoglym.

L1011

I use Turtle Wax's window cleaner and either kitchen roll or newspaper. Wouldn't touch Turtle Wax for anything else but this works - and works well.

Hal1

The autoglym fast glass, can't recommend it enough. Great stuff tbh.

johndaman66

I don't think this type of weather is ideal for cleaning windows. I think with the surface of the windows being cold and a lot of moisture in the air smears are to be expected. Warmer, dryer weather would be more ideal but granted if your windows are dirty they need to be cleaned. Whether your going to use newspaper or cloths I'd recommend changing them pretty often as its going to be a loosing battle against streaks with damp ones.

sean1141

there are loads of guides on the net for washing your car.. have a look at the likes of detailingworld.com.. some of the stuff might be a bit over the top do!! best way to avoid water marks on the bodywork after washing is to dry the car straight away.. now you can use a towel of some cotton rags but the best way is with a few microfiber cloths.. these soak up a savage ammount of water.. you could always use some demon shine and a microfiber to add some extra shine..
as for the windows i use autoglym fast glass.. again 2 microfiber clothes work best.. one for rubbing it on and the other for buffing it off..

opinion guy

What be these microfibre cloths you all are going on about and where do I get them (cheaply ....sound expensive...!)

Berty

I use Turtle Wax Window Cleaner. They have 3 types so just buy the cheapo one in the clear bottle. Get a newspaper.

"Wax on, Wax Off" basically.

I use one paper for one side of the car and then go back to the start and use a clean sheet to wipe away the marks/residue. It WILL be spotless when you are finished.

I have tried regular house window cleaner which has a lower acidity rate or something like that and doesnt work well enough. Cloths, tea towels and other crap are useless.

Apparently the paper soaks up the cleaner/water but also apparently the ink soaks it up as well.

Owen

We could get into a discussion on washing a car, but we'd be here for a looooooong time.

For glass, as others have said, the Autoglym Glass cleaner - the blue one - is top notch. Can't recommend that stuff highly enough.

View Profile

I always find "haawing" on the window and then buffing it with a dry clean cloth/old t-shirt does the job. No streaks or water marks. Takes feckin ages though!

jaffa20

opinion guy wrote: »

What be these microfibre cloths you all are going on about and where do I get them (cheaply ....sound expensive...!)

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_509305_langId_-1_categoryId_212444

A cotton tshirt will do the job for drying the car though but the microfibre cloths are a must if you are going to wax your car.

Also, try tescos. I managed to pick up some good cleaning stuff there and that included a cloth for cleaning you windows which does a good job. Every little helps!:)

Johnny Utah

The Meguiars Microfibre Drying Towel gets good reviews:


http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_199187_langId_-1_categoryId_212444#dtab



That should prevent waterspots on the bodywork.

zilog_jones

You can get microfibre cloths easily in any supermarket.

Don't use washing up liquid on cars, it is not good for the paint (apparently). Get any car shampoo, the cheapest Halfords stuff will do a much better job than Fairy anyway.

If you want to avoid water marks, rinse the car with clean water after washing, then use microfibre cloth or chamois to dry. Then use whatever glass cleaner mentioned above. I'd use another clean microfibre cloth for this (never bothered with newspaper).

Hal1

I think lidl are doing a special on cotton tshirts this week.

yup, http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20101028.p.Mens_T_Shirt

Johnny Utah

opinion guy wrote: »

I've tried the hose, bucket and sponge, rags, squeegee's, cold water, warm water, fairy on the windows, and no matter what I do I end up with smeary windows and water stains :mad::mad::mad:

Couple of suggestions:

(1) Use the 2 bucket method.

(2) Instead of a sponge, use a microfibre wash mitt. I use two wash mitts (one for the lower bumpers/side sills/around wheel arches and another wash mitt for the rest of the bodywork). Halfords sell a decent Meguiars wash mitt for about €16, but you can get them a few quid cheaper from ebay (including delivery).

(3) Don't use fairy washing up liquid at all. Use a good quality car shampoo (Chemical Guys, Einszett, Meguiars, Poorboy's World, etc) and then use a window cleaner on the windows afterwards.

(4) The drying towel I linked in the post above should eliminate any water spots on the bodywork. However, I have noticed that some car shampoos leave less watermarks than others.

(5) I wouldn't recommend using a squeegee on a car's bodywork. If it traps a tiny piece of grit, it could destroy the bodywork before you even realised it.

Treehouse72

Not trying to be smart, but what's wrong with a carwash? Is the clean too superficial or something? Or is it bad for the paintwork or something?

opinion guy

Treehouse72 wrote: »

Not trying to be smart, but what's wrong with a carwash? Is the clean too superficial or something? Or is it bad for the paintwork or something?

Used one on my last car before I sold it and seemed like there were more scratches after than before - but maybe that was just cause it washed dirt out of scratches

sean1141

lidl and aldi also do a lot of car cleaning stuff including microfibre clothes and wash mitts..
i find any of the car shampoos that have a wax in them leave more watermarks...

auto car washes destroy your paint work.. stay away

Voodoomelon

Drying the car is one of the most important things you can do, especially if you have hard water and are also washing the car in sunlight.

All I use is Turtle Wax car shampoo, a wash mitt and a large drying towel from Halfords. Wash the whole car, rinse it, and then dry it with the towel. Leaves no water marks, streaks on windows or any other residue. The shampoo also leaves a layer of wax across the car, even on the windows so water beads nicely.

Its also important to keep you car clean, the longer you leave it the harder it is to clean it. If you leave it 6 months between cleaning your windows, you're gonna get a build up of dirt and grease on the inside which will lead to streaking when you clean them for the first time. Clean the whole window with newspaper and windowlene or the like, if it streaks let it dry and come back in a few minutes and do it again. It should be streak free.

Wertz

Just off out to do mine now (damn birds).
I use cheapo aldi caranuba shampoo, in luke warm water with a microfibre mitt and a sponge for the wheel arches, wheels and anywhere else that gets a lot of road grit.
Then it's rinsed off with clean cold water and dried with a synthetic chamois, wringing it out after every panel.
Avoid using the shampoo on the windows (the wax leads to streaking/smearing when it rains) and I avoid newspapers (which are great for house windows) because the oil in the newsprint does the same as the wax and smears when it rains.
Clean the windows with hot water and vinegar and dry off with a dry cloth. Lots of elbow grease.
I used to buy the branded cleaners but tbh it's a luxury that I can't justify these days.

opinion guy

Argh!!
So I bought some of that Autoglym Car Glass Polish and was reading the bottle and it says it can't be used on the mirrors - but the fast glass product !!! Argh what that about! Very annoying that a glass product should not be used on mirrors

Those who use it - do you use it on your mirrors ? Any problems ?

opinion guy

opinion guy wrote: »

Argh!!
So I bought some of that Autoglym Car Glass Polish and was reading the bottle and it says it can't be used on the mirrors - but the fast glass product !!! Argh what that about! Very annoying that a glass product should not be used on mirrors

Those who use it - do you use it on your mirrors ? Any problems ?

Ah so I read it again - its says not to use it on tinted windows and mirrors but normal mirrors find (seriously who has tinted mirrors and why ?!?!?

Anyhow used it today - wow its amazing! So little effort also!

sean1141

opinion guy wrote: »

Ah so I read it again - its says not to use it on tinted windows and mirrors but normal mirrors find (seriously who has tinted mirrors and why ?!?!?

Anyhow used it today - wow its amazing! So little effort also!

ya its good stuff.. i use it on all the windows and lights

Do-more

opinion guy wrote: »

And secondly - how to clean the body work and not end up with streaks and watermarks ??

The best way to avoid watermarks is to rinse the car after washing with what's known as "pure water" that is water which has gone through a reverse osmosis filter unit which removes a lot of the minerals such as calcium which is what leaves the mark when the water has dried away.

This website gives you more info on what I am talking about. Google "pure water" for more info, I'm sure you will find cheaper filters than the one I linked to, it was just the first one google gave me. Also try ebay for reverse osmosis filter systems.

opinion guy

Do-more wrote: »

The best way to avoid watermarks is to rinse the car after washing with what's known as "pure water" that is water which has gone through a reverse osmosis filter unit which removes a lot of the minerals such as calcium which is what leaves the mark when the water has dried away.

This website gives you more info on what I am talking about. Google "pure water" for more info, I'm sure you will find cheaper filters than the one I linked to, it was just the first one google gave me. Also try ebay for reverse osmosis filter systems.

LOL - seriously ?? Some people actually deionise the water for washing the car ? Wow. Thats just taking things to a whole new level of needing to get a life

dylbert

coylemj wrote: »

I use cheap washing up liquid in a bucket of warm water and a sponge for the body but the windows get the autoglym.

Noooo, don't use washing up liquid on your car, it's a degreaser so it will remover any wax and it's not very good for your paintwork and will dry out the rubber in your window seals, buy a proper car shampoo.

I use the flooding method when I'm drying the car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZCi0_55ZDo