Seattle SCone

As someone who has to clean optics to meticulous levels, I thought I would share some the experience of another field so the glasswork can match the level of detailing lavished on the paint. These are techniques used for cleaning the delicate, coated optics of $50,000 video projectors. Those lenses are incredibly fragile but need to be absolutely clean to render optimal imaging. At high projection light levels, ordinary photographic lens cleaners and (gag!) glass cleaners leave too much visible residue. Because the demands for cleanliness is so much higher for high intensity projection optics, cleaning your windshield and plastic surfaces using those same methods produces glass which is much cleaner than usually achieved with normal glass and window methods.

The best optical cleaner I've ever worked with is Formula MC. Hands down it leaves the least residue of any optical cleaning solution and I've tried with a lot of different professional optical cleaning solutions. Unfortunately it comes in a 1 oz bottle and is pretty impractical for doing large glass surfaces like windshields. I mention it because some may want it for the interior mirrors. The cleaner is applied by dampening a cloth and wiping onto the surface. Then buffing to a clean surface is needed. One is initially dismayed by a foggy appearance but that buffs off leaving the cleanest surface possible in a wipe down method. Formula MC is non-abrasive and actually intended for coated photographic filters and lenses. It is available from www.2filter.com but again it is too expensive for large surfaces.

Now on to a more practical, yet cheap, effective, and safe cleaning solution for coated optics. William Phelps, one of the home theater industry's finest setup technicians, first wrote about this cleaning solution and I heartily recommend it because it is fast, effective, safe, and very low cost compared to other optical cleaning solutions. You don't need to be stingy and that means you'll use enough of the solution rather than cringing as you spray from a 2 oz bottle of commercial lens cleaner. Frankly, his solution is as effective if not more so than most commercial solutions.

In an 8 oz spray bottle mix

4 oz of ANHYDROUS isopropyl alcohol
4 oz of distilled water
1 small drop CLEAR dishwashing detergent like Dawn
(tinted is okay, milky is not)

Shake and you now have an optical cleaner which dissolves both ionic and organic residue. Compared to commercial "glass cleaners" it does not have any ammonia which can dissolve optical coatings. It also leaves no powdery residue. The only caveat is that surfaces should be buffed lightly until the solution finishes drying.

Note that the alcohol is anhydrous, not regular rubbing alcohol. Regular rubbing alcohol can contain addtitives which leave a residue upon drying so don't substitute!

I recommend getting a box (or two) of Lens Crafters optical cleaning tissue. It is actually a cloth. Anticipate using almost an entire box to clean all the glass and plastic surfaces of your SC430.

Cover the areas of dashboard or painted surfaces near the glass with a towel to protect it from overspray of the cleaner. Work on at most only half a windshield at a time. Mist the glass and immediately begin gentle wiping with two wadded tissues. Turn the tisssue as you wipe to keep clean surfaces of the tissue in contact with the glass. The idea is to wipe away the grime, not grind it into the glass. When you have passed over the surface once, discard those tissues and grab new ones. Expect to use a lot of cleaning tissues.

Lightly mist again and repeat the damp wipe down. Once that pass is completed, quickly switch to yet some more clean tissue and do a final light buffing as the solution completely dries.

If any smudges remain, use a slightly dampened tissue to wipe off then buff dry that area again. On occasion, the oily buildup on a window may require several applications of the cleaning solution, but I've found two misting will take off the worst fogging my car has generated.

On some surfaces, like the rear view mirror or navigator screen, it is best to spray the tissue rather than the surface itself. Wipe with the dampened tissue then buff dry with another tissue. Takes those fingerprints right off the navigator screen. Yes, this is safe on plastic so you can use it on the clear rear air dam. Just don't dribble it on the leather interior.

BTW, the inside of the rear window can be cleaned by leaving the top in a sem-open position with the rear window oriented vertically.

Now go make those windows as clean as that super wax job shines.

1NICESC430

Scone ...

Thanks very much for taking the time to share all that glass-cleaning expertise. I plan to try this technique pronto.

One question ... not being much of a homemaker, I can recall seeing (and using on those rare occasions when I wash dishes) only dishwashing liquid that's blue or green - and I'm not even sure about blue.

What brand do you use that's clear?

Seattle SCone

The tinted (blue, green, yellow) clear ones are okay. Dawn is fine. Just avoid those which are milky looking. You'll be pretty amazed by just how clean you can get the glass. Even driving directly into the sun in late afternoon should reveal almost nothing on the windshield if you do it properly.

tfischer

This sounds like a good solution if you have a big problem and some time on your hands.

A less drastic alternative, but one that I have found to be the most effective glass cleaner out there, is the Zaino glass cleaner. It is thick and creamy, goes on like the old "Glass Wax," drys in a few minutes, and then has to be wipped off. It is different from others because it contains a mild abrasive. This gets off the film that forms on the inside of the glass, and the directions point out that this is not for every day use; more like once every few months.

I've used it on the inside of the windshield once every 4 months or so, and on the inside of the rear window once every 8 to 10 months. It works well on all the mirrors, and it's not bad on the TV screens and computer monitors either. It's already mixed up and has a long shelf life. I do regular window cleanings with various other stock auto window cleaners, including Stoners Invisible Glass, and those seem to do a pretty good job on a short term basis.

Still, it's always a surprise to drive into the sun and see all the crap and wipe marks still there. The Zaino glass polish is the only thing I have found to take that stuff off completely.

Zaino also makes a plastic polish which I use on the little plastic air dam between the rear seat headrests. This is also the only thing I have found that cleans that well without streaks. After this stuff, that piece is almost invisible. It's a creamy mixture much like the glass cleaner that hazes up and then is wiped off. As that's about the only plastic I have to use it on, and since I only use it 2 or 3 times a year, my one bottle should last the life of the car. At least you can get to that easily when the top is down.

I talked to the dealer about access to the inside of the rear window. He suggested, as noted above, stopping the top about half way, but be sure to leave the engine running the whole time. You can go back and forth at almost any point in the top cycle, but I found that once the rear window is beyond the verticle position, it will sink of its own weight when you take your finger off the button. That did not look good to me, so I raised it up again. It will stay in the verticle position as long as you want, and you can move it up/down to allow that black flap to be up or down, depending on what part of the window you want to get to.

The only real danger in stopping the roof in mid cycle is that if the battery fails in mid cycle, the car will loose its memory of where the top is, and it won't go either way. The dealer has to reset it, and maybe even lower it manually. If you have read the book about how to do this, you know what a pain it is. And the dealer says it's no fun, as the top is very heavy and it takes several guys to do it right, as you can't torque it or the arms, etc will bend. Just leave the engine running.

pot_head

Thats what i use to clean my bong. Shake Shake Shake and all the grime is gone

Do i sound like a rap star on MTV?

Seattle SCone

"Shake Shake Shake and all the grime is gone"

Actually that had me hearing the song from Beetlejuice.


The cleaning solution is just as easy to use as regular window cleaner, so it really shouldn't take you any longer to use it once you prepare a batch. The big difference is how much less residue you end up with on the glass.

BTW, I've also used it on the clear vinyl rear window of a Boxster to very good effect. Just had to be extra careful to avoid "dry wiping" while any grime was on a soft plastic window.

1NICESC430

Scone ...

Where does one purchase anhydrous isopropyl alcohol? When I asked the druggist, she just scewed up her face and told me to ask the person who recommended it.

I sure hope she doesn't make all that great a salary. A competent person would have at least made an attempt to give the question 5 minutes of research before giving up.

Seattle SCone

I routinely find it at drug stores on the shelf right next to the usual rubbing alcohol. It comes in the same type bottle so you have to read the label to differentiate it from rubbing alcohol. It will say 99%+ or anhydrous isopropyl. I've never seen it in the drug section of a supermarket, but it's been in every drug store I've looked.

1NICESC430

Thanks, Scone ...

I just looked at the bottle of alcohol I keep around here and it's 91% which means it does have water and whatever else might be lurking in that other 8%.

I'll look for the 99.