Keeping your car windows clean not only makes for a more pleasant driving experience, but also improves your safety on the road, ensuring smears, smudges, and dirt don’t obstruct your vision.
But cleaning car glass can be tricky, with many people struggling to achieve a completely streak-free finish. That’s because window glass is prone to streaking for many reasons, including improper cleaning technique, residue buildup, and even the rapid evaporation of the cleaning solution.
By following our expert tips on the best way to clean car windows, you can get a streak-free finish that leaves your car glass sparkling clean.
Best Car Window Cleaning Products to Use
The first step to cleaning your car windows is to gather all the products needed. For the best finish, we recommend using:
- An alcohol-based glass cleaner – avoid ammonia-based glass cleaners as they can discolour tinted windows or windscreens
- Lint-free glass cleaning cloths
- Microfibre cloths
Other optional items you may wish to use include:
- A specialist glass cleaning tool – this helps remove excess moisture
- Glass scrub cleaning solutions
- Rain X
- Anti-fog
How to Clean Car Windows: A Step-by-step Guide
Once you have gathered everything you need for car window cleaning, follow our step-by-step guide to achieve a streak-free finish :
- Park your car in a shaded area away from direct sunlight. This will help prevent your window cleaner from evaporating too quickly, which can cause streaks.
- Begin by cleaning the exterior of your windows and windscreen before tackling the interior.
- Apply your window cleaning solution. For the best results, follow the glass cleaner manufacturer’s instructions. However, as a guide, spray the glass cleaner directly onto your cloth and wipe across the glass using a circular motion.
- Use a clean microfibre cloth to wipe away any residue, working from the top of the glass to the bottom. If you have a specialist glass cleaning tool, you can use this instead to remove any residue, working from the top of the window to the bottom.
- Reapply the product and repeat the process as needed to remove all dirt and grime.
- After removing any glass cleaning residue, leave to sit for one minute, then use a fresh, completely dry glass cleaning cloth to wipe off the surface layer of fog to remove any lint residue and prevent streaks.
The best way to clean inside car windows is to follow the above steps on all of your car’s interior windows and windscreen glass.
Expert Tips for Window Cleaning for Cars
For a pristine finish, make sure you follow our car detailer’s expert tips :
- Leave window cleaning until the last job when cleaning your vehicle.
- Avoid touching the glass with your hands or fingers while wiping windows clean.
- Avoid spraying glass cleaner directly onto the window or windscreen glass to help prevent overapplication and overspray on the trim and edges of the windscreen and windows.
- When cleaning your car windscreen, don’t forget to clean your windscreen wipers.
Additional Car Window Cleaning steps
For a thorough clean that lasts, the best way to clean car windows is to follow up with these optional steps :
Use Glass Scrub
For tough, built-on dirt and grime, it may be necessary to use a more potent glass cleaning solution like Glass Scrub. You should follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure you apply it correctly. Some solutions will need to be left to sit for a few minutes to enable them to work to break down tough dirt.
Rain-X
Rain-X is a special solution that forms a layer on your glass, which helps water to glide off to ensure you get safer vision in wet conditions. This makes it ideal for use on your windscreen. You should apply Rain-X to half of your windscreen using a clean, soft microfibre cloth in circular motions. You then need to buff it dry with a clean cloth working from the bottom of the windscreen to the top until the glass is clear from residue. Once you have treated one half of your windscreen, you can move on to the other half.
Anti-fog solution
As the name suggests, anti-fog solution forms a layer on the inside of car glass that prevents it from fogging. Apply a small amount of anti-fog onto a clean cloth and wipe it onto the glass surface. Leave to dry before buffing with a clean, dry glass cleaning cloth.
How Can You Keep Your Car Windows Clean for Longer?
Cleaning car glass can be a time-consuming job, so to keep your windows and windscreen cleaner for longer we recommend :
- Avoid parking under trees to prevent tree sap from accumulating on your car glass. Tree sap can be difficult to remove, but fortunately, our guide to removing tree sap explains how to do so effectively.
- Always clean your car glass in a shady area to prevent the glass cleaner from evaporating and leaving streaks.
- If you find your window cleaning solution is drying too quickly when cleaning your car windows, slightly dampen the cloth you are using and repeat the cleaning process.
- Regularly check the condition of your windscreen and windows and make sure you clean them as soon as possible if you notice a build-up of dirt or grime.
Car Window Cleaning FAQs
How Often Should I Clean My Car Windows to Maintain a Streak-Free Finish?
We recommend cleaning your car windows and windscreen at least once per month to keep them in the best condition. However, if you notice that dirt is building up quicker than this due to adverse weather or road conditions, you may need to clean your windows more regularly.
Can I Use Paper Towels to Clean Car Windows?
At Star Car Wash, we recommend the use of microfibre cloths to dry your windows. Not only will this help you achieve a streak-free finish, but microfibre cloths can be washed and used again and again, making them a more environmentally friendly option than single-use paper towels.
What is the Best Cleaning Solution for a Streak-free Finish?
We recommend using an alcohol-based, ammonia-free glass cleaner that is specifically designed for use on car windows. Ammonia-based products should always be avoided if you have tinted windows as this type of cleaner can discolour the tint.
How Can Star Car Wash Help?
Window cleaning for cars can be a time-consuming process, especially if you’re keen to achieve a streak-free finish. Although it is possible for you to clean your own car windows, the best way to clean car windows is to leave it to the experts, like our team at Star Car Wash, who have the expert tools, products, and equipment to ensure a pristine finish.
As Australia’s leading professional hand wash, our expert car detailers are dedicated to using the best car detailing tools and products to ensure your vehicle gets unrivalled treatment and leaves us in like-new condition.
Since 2003, we’ve detailed thousands of cars, helping to restore their showroom look and feel once more. Our services go beyond an ordinary car wash, by removing blemishes, restoring paintwork, and revitalising interiors from leather seats to plastic coverings.
Book online today or visit your nearest Star Car Wash branch.
Contact Us
Contact any participating Star Car Wash today and experience the difference a professional detailing makes.
