How do you get that road grime off your windshield? I've tried Awsome, straight vinegar, and Windex. Are there any better suggestions?
By Holly from Lancaster, WI
My father swears by Invisible Glass. I have a new (to me) car that is making me crazy, I swear that the windows on this thing are extra sticky because I can't get them to stay clean. I just picked up Invisible Glass and Rainex (RainX?) to treat the windshield with once I get it clean since that is supposed to repel road grime.
I spray the windshield with Greased Lightning. Scrub it with a damp terry cloth then rinse it off. It cuts the film off and makes the windshield crystal clear when it's raining.
It doesn't matter what brand, but believe it or not, cola (soda) cuts right through the grime. Of course you'll want to rinse it off after it does its job. Pour it at the top of the windshield so it will run down over the whole thing and turn on your wipers. Use a wet rag or sponge to get the places that the wipers don't reach, rinse all and your windshield will sparkle. I carry an unopened can in my car for those visual emergencies when traveling.
Coke will work but they don't put enough acid in it now, they cut it back per guide lines I'm looking for another remedy to, advice use rainex on it after u get it down, a few coats
Believe it or not, simplest way Ive found, while raining, is to buy a 20 oz bottle of coke, open, and put thumb over the opening. Shake, and spray windshield. Acid in the coke cleans it beyond belief.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How much alcohol can be used cleaning car windows?
Camille from Holly Hill, FL
I work at a truck & auto accessory place and they tint alot of windows and detail alot of vehicles. They told me to never use any alcohol based products on tinted windows because it will cause the tint to lighten and turn purple.
In a pinch, you can pour a can of Coca-Cola on the windshield and it will cut the dirt and grease right away. After you pour the Coke, just rinse with water.
never used it, but are you thinking of mixing it with water? If not, then you could probably just pour it on a cloth & go at it.? It does seem like it would work nicely! I'm going to try it!
I usually use white vinegar--about 1/2 & 1/2 or less with water. It cuts thru buildup & usually doesn't leave any streaks (I always dry with old newspapers which prevent streaks too).
I mix alcohol with store bought glass cleaner. I use about 1 part alcohol and 3 parts water but the mixture is what ever works best for you.
Unfortunately alcohol does leave streaks. I prefer to use Watered down ammonia in a spray bottle.
How do you get vegetable oil mixed with vinegar off a car windshield?
Julie from Kingsport, TN
Blot the area with either Boston or Bibb lettuce. After that step, wash with Windex or another household glass cleaner.
Seriously, maybe a bit of dawn first-- some grease cutter.
You could try the previous post or go to a big box store or a auto parts store and buy a bottle of water soluble degreaser.
What this sounds like, is old, oxidized salad oil, right? Find something like straight dawn foam dish soap. Put the car in the shade and keep it damp while the dawn works on it. You could add a little water to the dawn, but it needs to sit on it for awhile. If it's only on the glass part, you can even get some drain cleaner, just don't get it on the rubber seal. This will cut old grease. Oven cleaner, too.
I'd use baking soda on a rag.
Use any dishwashing soap and water, hot would work better. This is no different than washing a salad bowl.
How do I get spray wax off a car windshield? It is the free car wash kind
By Jimmie
I would soften it up with a blow dryer and scrape it off with the edge of an old credit card.
Can I use rubbing alcohol to clean tinted automobile windows? I am worried about the tint film.
Vinegar and water is recommended. Dont use anything with ammonia in it.
I used Rain-X on the outside of my car windshield and now I have a film over it. How or what is the best way to get the film off? I can't see anything because it's filmy and glossy looking now.
By Lynn
We had that same problem last year and I used Greased Lightning to scrub the windshield several times. It finally got better.
Dumb me, I used Rain-X again about a month ago and had the same problem. I have scrubbed and scrubbed with Greased Lightning again. It is better but still has a little film on it.
I have heard that you can clean the film off with lemon juice and newspaper. I'm going to try that instead of Rain-X.
How does someone remove dried gasoline from a car windshield?
By Ashley from Kennewick, WA
Simply wash it off the way you would normally wash off dried on bugs or mud.
Deeli
Richland, WA
How do you remove road film from exterior car windshield?
By ML from Sunnyvale, CA
If you take your car through a car wash and choose the wash and wax option, you may end up with wax residue on the windshield. This is a page about cleaning wax buildup on a windshield.
If your car gets parked under a tree that is dripping sap, it may be difficult to get the sap removed from your windshield and paint. This is a page about cleaning tree sap on a windshield.
