When that acid rain comes down from the sky, splattering pollutants from the air onto your car windshield, you will find it doesn’t just wipe off with some Windex or your typical windshield washer solvent. This type of rain leaves stains, and you need to be aggressive to get rid of them.
Besides acid rain, your windshield picks up other debris, including insect remain stains which may stain as well. Glass will also dull and yellow from road film over time. This article will show you how to easily deep clean your windshield and get it back to where it should be. This treatment, which I have done myself many times should take no more than about 1 hour of your time for a cost of under $10., which will leave plenty of extra material for future treatments.
Supplies Needed:
-Very Fine Rubbing Compound
-Terry Cloth palm size wax applicator (1-2)
-Clean Water in a pail or a water hose
-Small amount of common dish soap
-Quart Size trigger sprayer with clean water (or water from a hose or pail will be fine)
-Clean soft cotton rags (old T-shirts work well)
Where To Buy Supplies:
-Auto Parts or Hardware Store
Cost of Supplies:
-
Very Fine
Rubbing Compound (Turtle Wax) (O’Reilly’s Auto Parts) $4. To $5. for small can
-Terry Cloth Wax Applicator (O’Reilly’s Auto Parts) $2. to $3. Each
-Trigger Water Sprayer (Ace Hardware) approx. $3.
Steps:
- Wash down your windshield with clean water and maybe a small amount of common dish soap. Get rid of any debris so you have a smooth surface. If you have any grit or coarse debris on the windshield while performing the treatment you can push these fragments around and possibly cause scratching of the glass.
- Wet down with your sprayer or hose a small section of the windshield you want to start with. Wet an approx. 12 x 12 “ section for starters.
- Wet your terry cloth applicator, and ring out the excess water.
- Apply about 1 teaspoon of the rubbing compound to the center of the applicator.
- Working in a circular motion with firm pressure, rub the compound thoroughly onto your work area. Always make sure the window and the applicator is wet “at all times”. As you see the compound begin to dry and cake, rinse the applicator completely, getting rid of the old compound. Then re soak your applicator, wring out, and apply another teaspoon of fresh compound. If your applicator becomes too flat and dirty after a while, switch to a new applicator.
- Once you have completed a section, rinse off with clean water to view your work and see if you missed any areas. Work a little extra on harder stains that may be tougher to eliminate.
- Continue to work your way over the entire windshield. You don’t want to leave any areas undone, which would then stand out. The goal is to go over every inch of the windshield.
- Rinse down the windshield completely when you have finished, and dry with a soft clean rag or towel. Then take a good look and see if there are any remaining stains, which may need a retreatment.
Notes and Interesting Facts:
-The compound’s job is to get in deeper than your common glass cleaners could ever do, getting back to the original surface of the glass.
-Acid rain is really pollutants in the air that the rain picks up on it’s way down from the raincloud it originated from.
-To help keep a clear windshield, it’s always a good idea to change your rubber wiper blades often. Worn or missing rubber leaving the metal frame of the wiper arm to touch the glass is a sure way to create permanent scratches on your windshield.
-A product like Rain-X for instance, is great to treat your windshield with on a regular basis. It’s protectants will help acid rain and debris from ever reaching the actual glass surface.