How to Clean Auto Windshields

Scrubbing the windshield is the best way to get it completely clean and clear.

Your car's windshield comes in contact with dirt, rain and bugs, leaving it caked with grime and hard to see through. A dirty windshield can be a safety hazard in many ways. A windshield covered in bugs or mud is hard to see through during daytime driving. It is especially dangerous at night, when other headlights shine at your windshield, sometimes causing light to reflect into your eyes. Be safe and learn how to clean windshields so that you don't endanger yourself or your passengers.

Things You'll Need

• Car soap
• Water
• Netted sponge
• Waffle-weave microfiber towel
• Automotive glass cleaner
• Glass polish
• Foam polishing pad

Instructions

1. Wash the windshield with car soap and water. Scrub the windshield with a netted sponge to remove stuck-on bugs and heavy grime. If washing the windshield and your entire car, wash the windshield last. Park the car in the shade and let the glass dry completely.

2. Dampen the microfiber towel with the automotive glass cleaner. Wipe the cleaner onto the windshield, using small circular motions. Spray the cleaner directly on the windshield for tough stains.

3. Use a clean side of the towel to apply a second cleaning with the glass cleaner. Wipe the windshield up and down, and then side to side, using long strokes.

4. Turn the microfiber towel to a clean, dry side and buff the cleaned windshield to remove any remaining glass cleaner and streaks.

5. Pour some glass polish onto a foam polishing pad. Polish the outside of the windshield, using small circular motions. Once the polish begins to dry, buff it off with a clean, dry microfiber towel.

6. Clean the inside of the windshield with a microfiber towel and automotive glass cleaner. Dampen a clean microfiber towel with glass cleaner and use up-and-down, and then side-to-side strokes. Buff with a clean towel to remove any streaks.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the glass cleaner you use is safe for tinted windows (if your windshield has tint along the top of it).

• Don't use household glass cleaners to clean your car, since the ammonia can be toxic, especially inside the closed cabin of a car. Ammonia also dries out the tint and other materials in your car.