[V6-12v] How to get rid of that annoying sheen on the inside of windows

[Tom Christiansen]

Marc,

Thank you for the comprehensive write-up. I do suspect the substance
on the windows is some sort of smoke or pollution residue.

I've heard/read somewhere that slices of apples work well for this
cleaning as well. Rub the apple against the window and wipe clean.
Just don't eat the apples afterward... :-) I guess there's something
about the acid in the fruits that makes this work.

I think I'll try your "Key West Method". It could potential leave the
car smelling lemon fresh...

Thanks,

Tom

On 11/24/06, The CyberPoet <thecyberpoet at cyberpoet.net> wrote:
> My best guess is it actually tar build-up from smokers (hey, fact of
> life if someone around your car smokes, especially if you have the
> defrosters on, which pumps the smoke fresh against the glass). Also
> applies if you have any smoke-belching factories in the area or
> hanging smog.
>
> Basic concepts: certain chemicals cut tar better than others, and
> newsprint rubbed with significant force against glass will lift the
> tar up.
>
> Old School Method: Newspaper with vinegar or 50% vinegar + 50%
> rubbing alcohol. White vinegar preferred, and a 1.5 QT bottle costs
> about $1.50 in our area. Spray vinegar on the windshield and scrub
> diligently with crumpled newspaper, refold or swapping to new sheet
> of newspaper regularly. Newsprint paper is courser than standard
> paper towels and works really well (brown grocery-store bags come in
> second, but still far ahead of brawny paper towels or equivalent).
> Down-side is labor-intensive and vinegar smell. Windex also makes a
> vinegar version of their glass cleaner that's especially good for
> this particular purpose. Afterwards, you may need to still use a
> windex-style product to remove any soy-bean oils the newsprint left
> behind (by the newsprint fibers will remove the tar).
>
> Field Expedient (BBQ) Method: BBQ-style wet-wipes containing any
> citric acid (like lemon juice), followed by more paper to wipe it
> away. Again, for some reason newsprint and brown grocery bags work
> better than other things for their abrasion and ability to pull in
> tar. As a cig smoker, I always pocket an extra half-dozen wet wipes
> at BBQ places and toss them in the glove-box.
>
> Key West Method: Skip the wet-wipe, use squeezed limes or lemons (or
> pure lime/lemon juice) directly on the crumpled newspaper and scrub.
> Rescrub with dry newspaper until shiny.
>
> Last-straw/ Chemical Method: Clorox Clean-up spray. Cover the dash
> with plastic or aluminum before using, because it won't be nice to
> it. Spray directly onto the glass, rub as above, swapping newspapers
> until really dry. Repeat if necessary to get 100% dry and remove all
> the tar. After being squeeky-clean dry, use traditional windex to
> clean the window again of any hazing or streaking.
>
> Now if the "smokers" aren't smoking tobacco, but something the DEA
> frowns upon, the layer is probably tar + resin, which is much much
> more difficult to remove -- go directly to the Last-straw/ Chemical
> Method and expect to have to repeat more than once. We use Clorox
> Clean-up on all sorts of computer plastics and CRT monitors that are
> getting resold to remove years of cig tar build-up quickly and
> completely, and it works very very well. Note that "Formula 409"
> doesn't work for crud by comparison (nor many of the other cleaning
> products on the market) for this particular purpose.
>
> What normally won't work well: Ammonia-based glass cleaners and paper
> towels as first cleaning -- use only to post-clean any streaking
> after the above methods have succeeded.
>
> Cheers
> =-= Marc
>
> On Nov 24, 2006, at 2:36 AM, Tom Christiansen wrote:
>
> > Folks,
> >
> > It's rainy season in the Seattle area these days. This causes the
> > windows in my 1994 90S to fog up. The reason is that there's some sort
> > of sheen/film/grime on the inside of the windows. I've tried amonia
> > free automotive glass cleaner, Windex (or its Safeway equivalent),
> > Formula 409 to no avail. I can only distribute this road grime (or
> > whatever it is) to a nice even smear that causes the windows to steam
> > up when driving in the wet. Do you have any suggestions for how to get
> > that stuff off? What do you use to clean the windows?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Tom
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