skibertruck
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I am noticing some difficult winshield residue that has been hard to get off with telescoping microfiber cloth, and wondering if anyone had any suggestions on removing it
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Cleaning Front Winshield Residue?
- Thread starter skibertruck
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LarryASilva
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This is one that we all are going to have a bunch of answers for. In the early months of ownership, our CTs are especially vulnerable to normal new car gassing of new interior plastics in the hot sun....and that vapor becomes a hard to remove film on the interior of our windows. Given a wrong angle of the sun ... the fogging effect can be almost blinding.
Problem is ... besides the residue being difficult to remove.... is that the residue is also difficult to get at on the interior long slope of our CT windshields. Okay...to the point...after trying A LOT OF THINGS...
1. Steal one of these from your wife .... or order it on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQDH1N1?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
2. Get a roll of paper towels. Those cheap yellow microfiber towels from Costco can also be cut to fit the above Swiffer.
3. If you have never used a Swiffer before ... you will joyfully discover that both paper towels and microfiber towels can easily attach to it via the little holes on the back of the pad.
4. The first time I tried to remove that sticky stuff from the inside of the window was a real pain in the ass. It seems like every DIY or commercial window cleaner left its own slight residue. If your residue is really thick on your first cleaning ... just a bit of Dawn in some water sprayed on a microfiber towel on the Swiffer will remove the majority of the stubborn interior windshield film ... then you follow up with several paper towel rubs with the 50 percent rubbing alcohol solution.
5. I know lots of guy will have their own favorite DIY interior window cleaner recipe or perhaps like one of several commercial products I tried. Problem I found is ... they all seem to leave their own very slight residue behind that shows up when you drive and catch the sun angle just right. 70 percent or the more expensive 91 percent isopropyl alcohol from Walmart ... when mixed with 50 percent water ... leaves no visible residue. You may wish to experiment with mixing a bit of vinegar to see if it speeds things up ... I did not. Expect to go through a few paper towels with that alcohol mix on your first interior window cleaning.
6. Your future interior window cleanings will not be nearly as hard as the first one ... because most of the interior new car plastic gassing is substantially done after a few months of summer heat. Consider leaving your new CT out in the hot sun frequently with the windows rolled up ... all that heat build up will accelerate the new plastic gassing ... AND BE DONE WITH IT.
7. That handy very lightweight Swiffer can also be used for exterior window cleaning .... but the following longer telescoping window cleaning gadget works far better .... and can reach the top of the windshield from your standing in front of the frunk. Both of these cleaning poles can be stored easily in the frunk. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DHW1ZXC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
ONE MORE THING ...
When doing this interior windshield film residue cleaning ... try to park your vehicle facing a low morning or late afternoon sun ... so that the interior windshield film is very visible. By getting every little bit of that film off .... we will find that water vapor does not cling to it on cold nights and cause normal condensation windshield fogging to become even worse.
Problem is ... besides the residue being difficult to remove.... is that the residue is also difficult to get at on the interior long slope of our CT windshields. Okay...to the point...after trying A LOT OF THINGS...
1. Steal one of these from your wife .... or order it on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQDH1N1?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
2. Get a roll of paper towels. Those cheap yellow microfiber towels from Costco can also be cut to fit the above Swiffer.
3. If you have never used a Swiffer before ... you will joyfully discover that both paper towels and microfiber towels can easily attach to it via the little holes on the back of the pad.
4. The first time I tried to remove that sticky stuff from the inside of the window was a real pain in the ass. It seems like every DIY or commercial window cleaner left its own slight residue. If your residue is really thick on your first cleaning ... just a bit of Dawn in some water sprayed on a microfiber towel on the Swiffer will remove the majority of the stubborn interior windshield film ... then you follow up with several paper towel rubs with the 50 percent rubbing alcohol solution.
5. I know lots of guy will have their own favorite DIY interior window cleaner recipe or perhaps like one of several commercial products I tried. Problem I found is ... they all seem to leave their own very slight residue behind that shows up when you drive and catch the sun angle just right. 70 percent or the more expensive 91 percent isopropyl alcohol from Walmart ... when mixed with 50 percent water ... leaves no visible residue. You may wish to experiment with mixing a bit of vinegar to see if it speeds things up ... I did not. Expect to go through a few paper towels with that alcohol mix on your first interior window cleaning.
6. Your future interior window cleanings will not be nearly as hard as the first one ... because most of the interior new car plastic gassing is substantially done after a few months of summer heat. Consider leaving your new CT out in the hot sun frequently with the windows rolled up ... all that heat build up will accelerate the new plastic gassing ... AND BE DONE WITH IT.
7. That handy very lightweight Swiffer can also be used for exterior window cleaning .... but the following longer telescoping window cleaning gadget works far better .... and can reach the top of the windshield from your standing in front of the frunk. Both of these cleaning poles can be stored easily in the frunk. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DHW1ZXC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
ONE MORE THING ...
When doing this interior windshield film residue cleaning ... try to park your vehicle facing a low morning or late afternoon sun ... so that the interior windshield film is very visible. By getting every little bit of that film off .... we will find that water vapor does not cling to it on cold nights and cause normal condensation windshield fogging to become even worse.
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