DIY : Car Windshield Cleaning. Low cost method to get the Best Shine

[ghpk]

Frankly speaking this is not my original Idea, read about this cleaning method on some thread on Team-BHP itself but it was not a detailed procedure, So thought of giving it a try.

Need for cleaning was frequent driving in dusty condition as roads in my entire town is dugged-up for new sewer line installation, and its dusty like hell, this also gives lots of mud splash if you pass on area where they sprinkle water to suppress/control the dust, this yellow mud splash/dust is a curse for windshield and one can scratch the windshield easily by dry wiping.

Used a small piece of foam
small non-Gel toothpaste, had it left somewhere for few years.
Half a bucket of water
small cloth, was a smooth Rag.

Washed the windscreen with little water, Applied two drops of toothpaste on windscreen from outside, rubbed it using the foam, washed it with water and kept rubbing with the foam and finally rubbed using the cloth to remove any water mark left from water used in washing.

Results are brilliant, and you can go through self explanatory pics.

Important: anybody following this method should wash the car before cleaning windshield else you would need to clean the windshield with cloth again as dirty water from roof would come to windshield for sure

Same method used on read windshield and got similar shiny results .

[rahul4640]

Brilliant result! But what type of cloth do I need? Will any old handkerchief serve the purpose? Do I just have to wipe the watermarks before the water dries?

[ghpk]

Originally Posted by rahul4640

Brilliant result! But what type of cloth do I need? Will any old handkerchief serve the purpose? Do I just have to wipe the watermarks before the water dries?

Cloth can be any household rag, but it should be a soft cloth, like in my case it was a Rag made from Old smooth cotton shirt, don't forget to REMOVE the buttons and collars to avoid scratching.

you can wipe it for final touch once most of water has been rubbed or evaporated.

I forgot that I had to wipe water twice as I decided to wash the car roof after this process which again brought some dirt and water on windshield.

IMP: 20 Minutes passed, can't edit the original post now, anybody following this method should wash the car before cleaning windshield else you would need to clean the windshield with cloth again as dirty water from roof would come to windshield for sure.

Mod note: Done! Note added to opening post. Please use report post for such requests.

[dot]

Great DIY! Other than toothpaste one could have used a shampoo too, followed by an spray of all purpose or glass cleaner.

Originally Posted by rahul4640

Brilliant result! But what type of cloth do I need?

Originally Posted by ghpk

Cloth can be any household rag, but it should be a soft cloth, like in my case it was a Rag made from Old smooth cotton shirt, don't forget to REMOVE the buttons and collars to avoid scratching.

Soft old cotton clothes like old vest and socks are best for this purpose.

[condor]

@ghpk - hope you did not forget to rinse the pastey water from the outlet

But good idea. Toothpaste helps in a lot of places.

[sukiwa]

@ghpk - I hope that foam was made wet by immersing in water before starting rubbing on windshield.

Originally Posted by condor

Toothpaste helps in a lot of places.

True, I use it to clean monograms/logos and space between letters of car name, variant et al. It cleans the area very well & restores some amount of shine.

[ilangop]

Originally Posted by ghpk

Used a small piece of foam
small non-Gel toothpaste, had it left somewhere for few years.
Half a bucket of water
small cloth, was a smooth Rag.

Hi GHPK,
That was a nice idea to make the glass shine. But taking a look into the contents of the toothpaste can help you better. Apart from the fluoride salts in it, there are also micro granular abrasives (Remember the toothpaste ad, "Has your toothpaste got any salt in it?") that give shine to the teeth. Toothpaste - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And the windshield also shines because of the same. What I feel is that, over time & continued usage of toothpaste can leave microscratches on the glass and blur the vision during night driving, and will also scatter the light from the On coming traffic.
I would rather stay away from toothpaste & better go with shampoo.

[FasterPhene]

Came to know from an uncle of mine that there is another method of getting your windshield clean and speck free. All you need is a small chunk of raw potato (read as not cooked) which you rub on the windshield and then wash off the same with water. This apparently is a trick employed by most truck drivers for a clear windshield.

[siddharthp]

I have added gel toothpaste(Such as Close-up) to my water reservoir which actually helps in cleaning the Nozzle spray as well as windscreen.You can avoid manual work by doing this.Moreover,gel toothpaste never clogs pipes,small holes on nozzles.I will suggest not to use toothpaste with more calcium contents.(For eg.Colgate)

Gel toothpaste can be used to clean monograms using old toothbrush very effectively as somebody already suggested.

[TN_37]

IMHO one must wash the windsheild first with water (not sprinkle water) first to get rid of the grime stuck to it & to aid the same one can also use their palm / fingers to wash it off then proceed with shampoo / tooth paste for further cleaning.

The procedure of SPRINKLING water and applying tooth paste and rubbing it with a foam will cause more harm than good to the glass, for the dislodged fine grit particles will still be in the glass and you will be rubbing the same all over the windsheild (like a rubbing compound)

the best way would be
1. wash with plain water (read running water) from hose / continuous pouring. use your palm / fingers to dislodge grime.
2. pour water to wash over any left out sand particles
3. Apply tooth paste / shampoo & work out a foam with a sponge, cloth or even with bare hands to remove the oiliness
4. Thorough rinse followed by pat dry with a absorbent towel
5. wipe with good quality soft paper towel / tissue / absorbent news papers

Go Ahead enjoy a speckle free wind shield for long

[mjothi]

Good you document it here

And you now what, these are the usual cleaning methods of those long distance bus drivers driving in the night. Yes, I remember the then TTC doing this. This along with the Tamil news paper was their best friend!!!!

[sierrakamat]

Originally Posted by siddharthp

I have added gel toothpaste(Such as Close-up) to my water reservoir which actually helps in cleaning the Nozzle spray as well as windscreen.You can avoid manual work by doing this.Moreover,gel toothpaste never clogs pipes,small holes on nozzles.I will suggest not to use toothpaste with more calcium contents.(For eg.Colgate)

Gel toothpaste can be used to clean monograms using old toothbrush very effectively as somebody already suggested.

team bhp must be the only place where not only is someone telling me that toothpaste is good for the windshield and someone else is actually suggesting a brand.way to go guys.

[babu.sundaram]

Originally Posted by ilangop

Hi GHPK,
That was a nice idea to make the glass shine. But taking a look into the contents of the toothpaste can help you better. Apart from the fluoride salts in it, there are also micro granular abrasives (Remember the toothpaste ad, "Has your toothpaste got any salt in it?") that give shine to the teeth. Toothpaste - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And the windshield also shines because of the same. What I feel is that, over time & continued usage of toothpaste can leave microscratches on the glass and blur the vision during night driving, and will also scatter the light from the On coming traffic.
I would rather stay away from toothpaste & better go with shampoo.

+1 on reason to avoid tooth paste.
Leftover / rinse liquid handwash also works fine.

Originally Posted by siddharthp

I have added gel toothpaste(Such as Close-up) to my water reservoir which actually helps in cleaning the Nozzle spray as well as windscreen.You can avoid manual work by doing this.Moreover,gel toothpaste never clogs pipes,small holes on nozzles.I will suggest not to use toothpaste with more calcium contents.(For eg.Colgate)

Gel toothpaste can be used to clean monograms using old toothbrush very effectively as somebody already suggested.

Soap concentrate (called "Soap Oil") also works fine. One / two teaspoons of it in reservoir clean beautiful, esp. when using with wiper in rains!

[ghpk]

wow so many responses.

Originally Posted by sierrakamat

team bhp must be the only place where not only is someone telling me that toothpaste is good for the windshield and someone else is actually suggesting a brand.way to go guys.

thats the beauty of Team-bhp, you come across so many ideas of smartly maintaining your wheels.

Originally Posted by FasterPhene

Came to know from an uncle of mine that there is another method of getting your windshield clean and speck free. All you need is a small chunk of raw potato (read as not cooked) which you rub on the windshield and then wash off the same with water. This apparently is a trick employed by most truck drivers for a clear windshield.

I would not like the idea of Rubbing Potato as it looks little more risky than using a toothpaste.
truck/taxi drivers rub tobacco also in rainy season, but I haven't tried and would not try it on my car atleast.

For Cleaning with shampoo, I've seen rainbow colored spots on windscreen it may be due to left over shampoo on screen or whatever.

toothpaste currently looks Promising, I am sure cleaning using toothpaste once in a month or two would not harm when handled carefully.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by ghpk

Frankly speaking this is not my original Idea, read about this cleaning method on some thread on Team-BHP itself but it was not a detailed procedure, So thought of giving it a try.

Good job. Thanks for sharing.

Now for some "gyaan" from the resident dentist:

Originally Posted by siddharthp

I will suggest not to use toothpaste with more calcium contents.(For eg.Colgate)

Originally Posted by ilangop

Hi GHPK,
That was a nice idea to make the glass shine. But taking a look into the contents of the toothpaste can help you better. Apart from the fluoride salts in it, there are also micro granular abrasives (Remember the toothpaste ad, "Has your toothpaste got any salt in it?") that give shine to the teeth. Toothpaste - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And the windshield also shines because of the same. What I feel is that, over time & continued usage of toothpaste can leave microscratches on the glass and blur the vision during night driving, and will also scatter the light from the On coming traffic.
I would rather stay away from toothpaste & better go with shampoo.

Originally Posted by TN_37

IMHO one must wash the windsheild first with water (not sprinkle water) first to get rid of the grime stuck to it & to aid the same one can also use their palm / fingers to wash it off then proceed with shampoo / tooth paste for further cleaning.

The procedure of SPRINKLING water and applying tooth paste and rubbing it with a foam will cause more harm than good to the glass, for the dislodged fine grit particles will still be in the glass and you will be rubbing the same all over the windsheild (like a rubbing compound)

All toothpastes have some basic things:
- abrasive to scrub the tooth
- detergent to dislodge stuck particles
- alkaline base to neutralize acid in the mouth that has been formed by bacterial attack on food
- flavoring agent
- colouring agent
- anti bacterial agents
- flouride

Now there are guidelines the manufacturer has to follow for each of these ingredients:

- abrasive cannot be so abrasive that it scratches and wears away enamel.
- detergent cannot be strong to cause oral ulcers
- can't be too alkaline so that it causes GI problems
- flavoring agent not to cause caries themselves
- colouring agent to be non staining
- antibacterial agents in small quantities that do not affect normal oral micoflora
- flourides not to be more or else will make teeth spotted

Let's take this in our car's context:

Abrasive: go ahead and use freely on glass. if it doesn't scratch enamel, it won't scratch your glass. What wears away enamel and causes sensitivity is over zealous brushing. its the bristles that harm and not the paste.

PS: gel toothpastes are more abrasive than regular pastes.

PPS: there are no free calcium radicals in the paste. The abrasive is mostly calcium carbonate / chalk in a very fine grit and water soluble.

Detergent: again good to wash your windshield. no controversy here

Alkaline base: won't affect the car adversely, but may neutralize the acid in bird ****. I'm guessing it's acidic since the damn thing really affects paint if not removed for a long time)

Flavoring and coloring agent may make the car happy especially for those who name their cars and treat them like people literally. (just kidding... )

Antibacterial agent useful if you wanna bake an omelet on your glass on a hot day

Flourides will do nothing to your car.

Not propagating the use of pastes, just putting things in perspective.

PPPS: salt, spice and limca in toothpastes are a marketing gimmick.

PPPPS: no calcium can ever be absorbed from the toothpaste onto your teeth. EVER.

Cheers.