How to Clean a Car Windshield Inside and Out

Safety is the number one reason for windshield cleaning on a regular basis. It’s easy to spot and avoid potential hazards ahead with a clean windscreen while visibility is on the other hand hampered with a dirty windshield, putting you and other road users in danger.

Your car is also an expression of your personality. All the parts of your car, including the windshield, being clean gives the whip an appealing appearance, reflecting well on your being.

To help ensure you don’t have difficulty with road visibility because of dirt, grease, and grime, this resource explains the best way to clean the interior and exterior of your windshield. You will also learn about why windscreen picks up so much dirt and many more. So enjoy!

Why Windshield Gets So Dirty?

Doggie noses, fingerprints, dirt, dust, smog, smoke, road salt, off-gassing, and defroster vents are some of the reasons car windshield gets dirty.

Off-gassing, for example, refers to the interior windshield getting fogged up as a result of compounds released from various plastic and vinyl materials used in the interior of the car. Over time, these materials or compounds break down and get trapped within the car and tend to leave an oily residue on the interior windshield.

Defroster vents located near the base of the car windshield designed to defog the windshield can also introduce dirt and dust on the interior windscreen. A defroster works by its fans pulling in outside air from an opening near the windshield wipers. The car heating system warms the air and directs it toward the windshield to de-fog or -ice and improve visibility.

Where the problem comes in is that this process introduces dirty, dusty road-grime-laden air directly onto the interior windshield.

The type of dirt introduced depends on the area. For those living or driving in a densely populated area, the particles that build up may include tiny pieces of tire dust, concrete dust, diesel smoke, soil dust, and other pollutants.

Also depending on your parking location, bird droppings, dust and dirt, pollen, and tree sap are particles or substances that can adhere to your car’s windshield, leading to a dirty surface.

Easy Way to Clean Your Car Windshield on The Exterior

Regardless of what makes your car dirty, there are proven ways to rid its windscreen of any form of dirt or particles to enhance visibility and improve esthetic. First, let’s see how to do windshield cleaning on the outside.

Materials Needed to Clean Exterior Windshield

• Car windshield cleaner
• 2 X lint-free microfiber rag/cloth
• Clean water

Instructions for Cleaning Windscreen on the Outside

1. First, lift up the wipers to avoid damage to the wiper blades or the motor during cleaning. Raising the blades also ensures thorough cleaning and prevents scratching.
2. Spray plenty of water on the windshield to wet and wipe away any debris stuck to the windscreen. Dry afterward using one of the microfiber towels. Making your first pass with water this way goes a long way in preventing smudges and streaks after the actual cleaning.
3. Spray the windshield/glass cleaner on the windscreen.
4. Starting from the top and working your way down, wipe the windshield using the other microfiber cloth first in vertical lines, then horizontal lines
5. Finalize the cleaning by using a different side of the rag or perhaps a new one to buff out excess moisture or any remaining smudges or streaks.
6. Clean the wiper blades. You can use the windscreen cleaner to get this done, too.

Best Way to Clean the Inside of Your Windshield

As earlier mentioned, vinyl and plastic off-gassing as well as general dirt and grime are the primary causes of interior windshield dirt. Passenger activities especially from kids can also bring oil and grease onto the surface of a car’s windshield on the inside. A combination of these factors may mean putting in a little more effort to complete inside windshield cleaning. But don’t worry as we’ll cover the easy way to clean the inside windshield.

Materials Needed to Clean Exterior Windshield

• 2 X lint-free microfiber rag/cloth
• Glass/windshield cleaner
• Rubbing alcohol
• Clean water
• Spray bottle

Instructions for Inside Windshield Cleaning

1. Fill a spray bottle with a cleaning solution of water (70%), glass cleaner (15%), and rubbing alcohol (15%).
2. Wipe down the inside windscreen using one of the microfiber cloths.
3. Spray the solution onto the other microfiber cloth, not the windscreen, and clean the glass in circular strokes, working your way from the top down.
4. Using another side of the rag, completely dry the solution off the windscreen surface to ensure residue/streak-free cleaning.

Note: During winter or if you live in a seaside town, you can use a small amount of vinegar to remove sea salt from the surface of your windscreen.

Tips for Successful Windscreen Cleaning

Having seen the best way to clean the inside windscreen without streaks in addition to exterior windscreen cleaning, here are some recommendations to keep in mind. Applying these tips will ensure successful completion every time you clean your windshield.

#1. Use The Best Windshield Cleaner

The first step to ensuring proper and safe cleaning is having the right car windscreen cleaner or cleaning solution on hand. If you’re buying automotive glass cleaner, check the product label if it says the formulation is ammonia-free. Ammonia-based products can damage your car window tint, especially if the tint is not factory-installed but done by a third party. These products can also damage interior leather and vinyl surfaces. Glass cleaners from brands such as Meguiar, Rain-X, Griot, Invisible Glass, and Carpro are some popular effective options many have found useful. So you might want to look into any of those.

For a homemade cleaning solution, you can use a mixture of water and rubbing alcohol to remove dirt and grime from your windscreen.

#2. Do Windshield Cleaning in the Shade

If you are cleaning your windscreen in the afternoon, park your car somewhere it is not directly facing the sunlight. Cleaning your car windscreen in direct sunlight dries out the cleaning solution too quickly, leaving behind smudges and streaks. If you can’t find a cool, shaded area, then consider cleaning early in the morning or late in the evening when the sun is not high in the sky.

#3. Make a First Pass Using Water or Lint Roller

As mentioned earlier in the article, you want to start off cleaning by spraying enough water on the exterior windshield. This helps wet and clear off debris, loose dirt, bird droppings, and other particles that may be stuck to the windshield. Do this before going ahead with the actual cleaning with a car windscreen cleaner.
An alternative to using plenty of water is the use of a lint roller. Either of the options makes the “real” cleaning process much easier and effective.

#4. Use A Lint-free Cloth

Using a lint-free microfiber towel is part of the best way to clean the inside of your windshield and the exterior. Lint-free wiping cloths are made to not leave behind lint or streaks but trap and remove dirt, dust, and other particles.
To enhance the effectiveness of microfiber towel use, always work your way from the top of the windshield down. After some wipes, fold the towel or use its other side so you don’t spread dirt and grime around the windscreen.

#5. Clean the Wipers

The term windshield cleaning doesn’t readily call to mind the wiper blades, which are just as important as the windscreen itself. Dirt, dust, and grime can also build on the wiper arms and if not cleaned will spread dirt across the windshield surface as soon as you activate the blades.

#6. Appropriate Application of Windshield Cleaner

When cleaning the exterior windscreen, you can spray the glass cleaner or cleaning solution directly onto the windshield. But when cleaning the inside of the windshield, it’s recommended you spray the cleaner onto a microfiber towel instead of directly onto the windscreen. This helps prevent getting the solution on the dashboard or other parts of the car interior. This is especially important when the cleaner contains ammonia in its formulation or other chemicals that can negatively react with car upholstery or surface.

Let The Pros handle Your Car Cleaning!

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Bullet Point Summary

• Cleaning your vehicle windshield inside and out lets you clearly see what’s ahead, contributing to safe driving.
• In addition to enhanced visibility, a clean windscreen shows you care about the maintenance of your four-wheel investment.
• To ensure your vehicle windscreen stays clean at all times, make sure to follow the cleaning steps outlined in this resource and let the recommendations guide your windshield cleaning to successful completion.