Say goodbye to streaks on your windshield. Here's the right way to clean the windshield of your car

Print this recipe
Keeping your windshield clean is a vital part of car safety, as the driver must maintain a clear view at all times. When you think about your car windshield, you might think about bird poop and other gunk on the outside. The truth is that the interior isn't all that clean either. Dust, oils, smoking residue and other less desirable particles, such as from sneezing or coughing, are trapped on the interior windshield.
Perhaps you've tried to fix a dirty interior windshield with your spit, only to make matters even worse! By following the instructions below, your windshield will sparkle from the outside and the inside in no time. It's recommended you routinely perform the procedure below, such as once every two to three weeks, depending on how often you use your car.
Advertisement
How to clean the outside windshield
Materials needed:
- Microfiber towel or paper towels
- Bug remover spray
- Glass cleaner
- Water
- Mesh sponge pad
Directions
1. Cover the exterior windshield of the car with bug remover spray. Make sure you let the solution soak for around 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how dirty the windshield is. This spray helps remove any bug or tar stains that have built up on the windshield from being exposed to the outside environment.
Shutterstock
2. Use a mesh sponge to scrub the windshield. Use a mesh sponge to scrub down the windshield. The benefit of this type of sponge is that you don't need to apply too much pressure. It is stronger than a normal sponge without being too harsh or damaging to the windshield surface.
Shutterstock
3. Rinse windshield with water. Be sure to use clean water, and rinse until you don't see any suds or bubbles.
4. Lift your wiper arms. For a thorough clean, it's best to lift your wiper arms so you can clean the full surface of the windshield without missing the bottom.
Cooktop Cove
5. Spray glass cleaner on half of the windshield. Focusing on half the windshield at a time makes the job more manageable. With a clean microfiber cloth, wipe down the windshield using vertical strokes followed by horizontal strokes. This technique gets the best "streakless" finish.
Shutterstock
6. Repeat for the other half of the windshield.
7. Clean wiper blades. Before returning wiper blades back to their original position, use a wet paper towel to clean them off, focusing on the rubber part.
How to clean the interior windshield
Materials needed:
- 2 dry microfiber towel (or paper towels, but microfiber is superior)
- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
- Glass cleaner
Directions
1. Perform the initial wipedown. Make sure to use a circular motion with the microfiber towel as demonstrated in the picture below.
Cooktop Cove
2. Soak the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in water.
Cooktop Cove
3. Cover the dashboard of the car. Lay down a few clean microfiber cloths on your car dashboard to make sure you don't get the next step all over the inside of your car.
Cooktop Cove
4. De-grease the interior windshield. Using the eraser, de-grease the glass.
Cooktop Cove
5. Spray glass cleaner on microfiber cloth. Make sure you don't spray the glass directly, as it will get all over the inside of the car and you waste more product that way.
Cooktop Cove
6. Wipe down the interior of the car with microfiber cloth. Like the exterior, focus on half of the windshield before doing the other half. This step gives the glass the extra shine.
Cooktop Cove
7. Repeat for the other half of the windshield.
To see the above process in action for cleaning the inside of your windshield, be sure to check out the video below.
Advertisement
Resources
Print this recipe