I'm sure there are many different techniques to clean windows, but here is one I have been using for years with great success and would like to share with those who are not familiar with it.

Use the spray cleaner of your choice - I like Invisible Glass - and after spraying it on your window, use a regular newspaper to clean the surface. You should use a regular newspaper - the kind the news stories are printed on - not the glossy advertisement paper.

Crumple the paper so it's not smooth and wipe all areas of the window till it's dry. Turn over the paper to a dry area as needed. Then use the wet part of the paper to clean the smaller portions of glass, such as the side mirrors, rear quarter panel glass, etc.

I have found this crumpled newspaper works much better than a cloth, etc. Give it a try and I think you will like it.

 

It works great - no streaks. When I was young, every summer my Mom made me wash all the jalousie windows in the house (about 200 pieces of 4"x36" glass) with a vinegar and water mix. I had to use newspaper to prevent streaks... or do it again. Some lessons you never forget.

 

Yes - learned this trick back in the 80s.

 

I used to do that until we no longer got the paper. So it's been 5 or so years.

 

couple of things. First, paper towels have something in them, which is why they cause streaks. Second, don't you get filthy from the print ink?

 

You would think, but no. My dad taught me this also way back in the early 80's. Works better than anything else I have tried.

Like most, I really don't get the paper very often anymore (thanks to instant news and the internet).

 

You don't get anywhere near as filthy as you do delivering papers.

Tissue paper works too although not as well as newspaper. The ink actually aids in the non-streak cleaning process but use care as some inks may smear onto surrounding surfaces.

 

yep. We do this too. Free local advertiser paper now has a use instead of getting taken off front door right to recycle bin.

 

Have not done it for a while but yes it does work well.

 

My wife found a product that really does a great job on glass. It is a cloth called "Gleen", and can be found in the cleaning section of the supermarket. When it gets dirty, you just throw it in the washer with the clothes (without the fabric softener).

 

Paper towels are made with the equivalent of fabric softener, without which they would feel like newspaper. Not good for glass. Hard brown paper towels are sometimes OK, but you also want something that's lint-free so there are no little fuzzies lagging on the glass. All points to newspaper.

I think Invisible Glass is the standard for car window cleaning. It's DI water, with a little alcohol. No emulsifiers to leave residue on the glass. Non-corrosive to nearby metal parts, unlike Windex and others that use ammonia as a degreaser, and unlike vinegar which is acetic acid for dealing with calcium salts from hard water. Invisible Glass doesn't do much for hard water deposits that are fused to the surface though.

[/science lesson]

 

Yes, newspaper is the best. Just dont use on window tint. The guy that tinted my car said to use blue papper shop towels so as not to scratch the film, and only Invisible glass, windex apparently will lift some films.
My .02

 

How about the interior side of the windows? The same recipe? It's incredible how dirty they get...

Regards

 

I thought that's what we were talking about all along.

 

Havent seen a newspaper in years. I touched one once in the 90s I believe. I now use Ice TW for everything exterior. I love that stuff.