Glass windshield cleaners??

I remember a thread a while back that discussed cleaning windshields. I tried a search but to no avail. I remember someone suggesting vinegar. Tried that but no help.

Background information- pilothouse windows (glass) on a 17 year boat. There seems to be “streaks” on the outside of the glass. They disappear when the windows are wet, but reappear when the windows dry.

Can anyone provide me with the name of the product that can help me out? Thanks in advance

Greetings,
Mr F. One of the first things I'd try would be Brasso applied with a soft cloth. Work in a small area (corner would be best to start) and rub in a figure 8 pattern. Wash with a detergent, rinse that small area and let dry. Start with light pressure and increase with subsequent applications. Sorry, I vaguely remember that thread but can't help you with finding it...

just saw this very topic on another website.

Barkeepers friend. they say is great, but do not get on the aluminum frames.

Barkeepers friend? Hmmmm, I love the stuff. I use it for quite a bit of other applications. I’ll give it a try and report back. Thanks!

I just tried it. I can’t say I notice any difference. Any other suggestions?

Look to products not sold as glass cleaners.
Like vinager.
Glass cleaners don’t seem to work.

And make sure it’s glass before applying “stuff”. Long before we bought Willy someone made a mess of one window not knowing it was plastic.

One question is whether it's etching from pollution or something else, or wear from wiper travel.

Both could have scored the glass to some degree, so what you're probably looking to do is polish it out.

The challenge there is having enough power to actually polish it. Hand sanding is unlikely to be effective. You're going to have to move into using a Porter Cable polisher or the like. The downside being excessive polishing can cause optical distortion.

Another solution would be to replace the glass. Might be worth getting a price quoted.

We had the typical haze that looked and felt like salt residue which would not wash off or come off with cleaners, at least the many ones we tried.

I finally thought of and used a razor blade scraper. It took a few minutes per window but it took that haze off as a powder that was visible.. I had to keep flipping the scraper to keep a sharp edge on the glass but it worked.

The improvement was remarkable.
I then applied a past wax to each window.

JMO.

JMO,
Did the wax reduce the accumilation of future salt deposits?

If you have a Glass Doctor (windshield replacement) near you or see on in your travels, they carry a window cleaner that is beyound any windshield cleaner I have ever used before. This is a cleaner that other non-Glass Doctor places carry (which I own) but it has another name I can't think of.

Buddy of mine came over and told me he had something on his house windows and nothing he tried worked, I loaned him my window cleaner and his windows came clean. Don't know what's in it, but it works.

https://glassdoctor.com/windshields

Eric, the waxing was done late enough in the season and we have not put on enough hours so I can't really tell.
I SUSPECT it will but I don't know yet. I only thought of this early last fall.

Bon Ami and 0000 steel wool. Used it to scour unwanted Rain-X off glass.

Years ago we used to use fine toothpaste

Eric

We cleaned deposits off our windows with 3M rubbing compound and once clean wax them with carnuba wax twice a year. Lasts a long time. Also works well on windows on the truck and car.

Tom

After years of trying other products I have settled on this formula for boat glass cleaning:
2TBS Cornstarch
1/2 Cup of Ammonia
1 Gal. Warm water

I apply to mixture to the window with a blue Costco sponge and scrub with the scrubby side. I then squeege and wipe corners and anything left over with a towel.