Windex also contains toxic chemicals that should not be released inside of a vehicle. Ammonia in any amount will degrade tint film. You just might not see the ill effects immediately.

 

Well....I'm not getting up on a soapbox or trying to toot my own horn...but, as an eye doctor I feel I'm pretty well uniquely qualified to comment here.

First, pretty much all cleaners have "toxic" chemicals which shouldn't be released inside of a vehicle, which is why i open the doors (and the top even!). It's not a big worry unless you do this for a living.

And the ammonia in Windex isn't gonna degrade a quality window tinting film for a long, long time. You are far more likely to scratch the film before the Windex degrades it. Unless, like I said before, you are obsessive about it.

As an eye doctor, I'm very sensitive to anything that degrades visual quality, and the simply fact of putting any film on the window will degrade acuity and contrast sensitivity enough that I'm not worried about occasional Windex.

If you'd like I'll dig up my published thesis from school titled "The Effects of Automobile Window Tinting Film on Human Contrast Sensitivity Function".

 

Thank you for your reply. I am not trying to start any arguments. I've studied toxicology and industrial hygiene enough to know that everything is dose and time depedent. Even water can be toxic, and not just in the lungs. I don't know what tint the previous owner put on the wondiws. I would just like to play it safe. I would be interested in your paper.

 

As far as the paper goes, I'll try to did it up. The results though were that Contrast Sensitivity Function (CSF) decreased with all window tinting films, and it was not tint density dependent. It was tint manufacturer dependent. It also degraded higher contrast frequencies which cooralates with acuity of small objects and edge cutoffs.

You can easily see this in pretty much any tints by looking at a point source object of light both through the window with and without the tint and notice the increased flare.

 

First, to answer your question, I've used them all over the past season trying to find the perfect one for me. I may have a slight preference for Sprayway, but that's more because I'm less concerned about a squirt bottle falling over in my trunk, spilling and making a mess than it is about how well it works. Maybe also because it's a foam and hangs onto the windshield until it can soften up all the bug splatter. But I don't think it really matters as long as whatever you use will soften up bug guts and cut road grime and grease.

But I haven't found ANY of them to be streak or film free. Do the best you can inside and out and when the sun shines in your eyes the next morning you're going to have hazy, streaky residue to try to see through. The solution (no pun intended) is to follow up whatever you did to clean the glass with a good rinse of clear water, then dry and polish with a good lint-free towel.

Details:
1) I spray on Sprayway (or whatever), scrub with one of those knit nylon pot scrubbers to get rid of the bugs, then wipe it with a good lint-free towel. (I like Griot's blue "paper" (polypropylene, actually) towels, but that's just because I have plenty on hand.)
2) Wet another towel with clear water and wipe off whatever's left of the window cleaner you've used. Doesn't matter what you use as long as it's clean and lint-free. (Griot's blue towels, ShamWow!, 100% cotton washcloth from the kitchen, whatever.)
3) Dry and polish with yet another Griot's blue towel.

Cleaning the inside of the windshield is as important as cleaning the outside, but it's both easier because it's usually only dusty (no road grime or bugs), and harder at the same time because it's harder to reach. Because it's usually only dusty I skip step 1 and go straight to the clear water "rinse". To make it easier to reach I put the top down and use a Glass Master Pro (google it) and the same blue towels or ShamWows i use on the outside.

I'm not crazy about microfiber except maybe in steps 1 and 2. They're just not absorbent enough to do the job in step 3.

That's my 2 cents worth. Good luck!

Dean

 

Good advise Dean.

BTW, the only thing I've found that doesn't streak is ammonia. That's why it was used in almost all glass cleaners back in the day.

But, it's not found in many products anymore. Buy "original" Windex, and a jug of ammonia (I get that at home depot), and put about a half cup of extra ammonia in the bottle.

Nothing better.

 

I recently found that a dry "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser" does a great job at removing the film from the inside of the windshield. I cleaned my windows a month ago with Invisible Glass and a clean micro fiber. The next morning I had the usual streaky/foggy film. Wiped it off with the eraser and a month later, it is still clear.

 

The inside fogging is not from the cleaner, it is from outgassing of the dash and or cleaning products used in the interior.

 

Haven't found anything that cleans as well as Windex.

 

I saw a video regarding clay baring the windshield to super clean it. Has anyone done that?