Glass cleaner that actually works?

[Jimk]

I meant through them...

[Jimk]

Did you not look?

[Jimk]

Meths

[Tim Watts]

Is there any available?

Nothing made for cars shifts the traffic film properly without a ton of elbow grease at the dry-cloth stage (which would probably do just as well without the useless glass cleaner spray in the first place).

And standard well know household sprays are not shifting oil and sticker residue from my kitchen windows.

Does anyone still sell spray with ammonia in? Or at least a solvent that actually dissolves stuff?

[Scott]

Would copious quantities of hot water and washing-up liquid be more successful?

[Sn!pe]

I use a tiny amount of isopropanol on a microfibre cloth to clean the haze from inside my car windows, it works a treat. I think it would be wise to keep the isopropanol well away from paintwork though.

[Jeff Layman]

I find it's the stuff on the inside of the windscreen which is difficult to get at due to the often shallow angle of the glass. This helps, but isn't ideal:

Might be worth trying undiluted screenwash first, then rinsing with water.

[John Kenyon]

Isopropanol (aka IPA or propan2ol) won't affect paintwork, and I've used it on the hard rubber of tape deck pinch wheels before now to remove oxide residues with no damage, so window rubbers aren't likely to be affected either.

Any residue left on rubbers etc can be removed with a cloth wetted with water.

[The Natural Philosopher]

washing up liquid does..

yes

surgical spirit

[The Natural Philosopher]

nah. isopropyl alcohol is about as inert as it gest beyond water

what ya think is in screenwash anyway?

[John]

The state of the cloth has a big effect.

[whisky-dave]

My fist american flatmate said newspaper and vinegar worked well for household windows.

[whisky-dave]

Not really, being a man I don't clean windows, they clean themselves or stay dirty ;-)

[alan_m]

Maybe 25 years ago! Newspaper tends to be better quality these days and less absorbent. The type of ink previously used, and came off on your hands when reading the paper, had solvent sufficient for cleaning glass. The ink used for newsprint changed decades ago.

[whisky-dave]

True and this was in 1991-92. Not sure what diffrecies there are between UK newsprint and US, at anytime regarding materials. Vinegar's good on chips in the UK, not sure they use it in the states like we do here.

[Andrew]

I use a big spraycan of glass cleaner bought at a local glazing, window,conservatory place. Works a treat.

[nothanks]

It still works very well for cleaning the inside of the glass on a wood burner (without the vinegar)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I reckon not much beats warm water and a decent washing up liquid, used with a plastic pot scourer. Rinse with clean water and dry with a decent chamois.

Screen wash additives also seem to vary quite a bit. BMW seem to make (sell) one of the best ones.

[alan_m]

Try a slightly damp cloth (or slightly damp newspaper) dipped in the wood ash. I didn't believe it would work when it was suggested to me - until I tried it.

[Roger Mills]

Not quite what you're asking, but I use Stergene[1] in my windscreen washer bottle - and that works a treat without creating too much froth.

Many years ago, the motor manufacturer for whom I then worked did some experiments with various substances - both proprietary windscreen fluids and household cleaners - and Stergene came out on top.

[1] When I can get it. It's no longer in plentiful supply, but the likes of ASDA sometimes stock it.