Windshield cleaner what do you use?

[201Steve]

I use Novus, brillianize, prist, wash/wax all. They are all good for different coatings. Bugs vs pollen vs dust vs whatever. There is no one size fits all, just don’t rub dirt in without ample rinsing or dabbing when not available. 

[Hank]

3 hours ago, Ragsf15e said:

Alright, I won’t win the CB award, but I really like Plexus.  Come on, $20 can lasts me all summer, probably close to a year!  When compared with the rest of aircraft ownership it’s as cheap as it gets!

I buy a 20 oz. can of Plexus every several years, and keep white 100% cotton terrycloth washcloths to do the windows.

7 hours ago, Will.iam said:

Since our windshields are plexiglass and not glass I assume Rain-X is a no-no for our windshields?  I have been using aero's wash wax all . . . .

I use Wash Wax All blue for the plane, and red for the belly and gear. Not for the windows.

I also keep 100% cottonwhite 100% cotton terrycloth hand towels (12" x 18"?) for the Wash Wax All. Easy on, scrub with one towel, buff with another until I'm tired and quit. Really makes it easy to get bugs off the leading edges and cowl. There's just a lot of buffing when you do the whole plane!

[MikeOH]

Wash Wax All pink for the windscreen

[EricJ]

4 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

I searched on line to see what kind of animal they get microfiber from and this is what I came up with. 
 

They are kind of cute, It is a shame to harvest their fiber....

 

When I was a teenager and people asked what my Dad did (as opposed to my step-Dad), I'd sometimes say he had a Nauga ranch and supplied Naugahyde to the car manufacturers. 

 

[carusoam]

Herds of Naugas have been mentioned before...

https://mooneyspace.com/search/?&q=Nauga&search_and_or=or&sortby=relevancy

I believe the little critters enjoy becoming instrument panel coverings...

PP thoughts only not a nauga expert...

Best regards,

-a-

[Hector]

No, actually he’s correct, it’s absolutely the least damaging way to clean plexiglass, even a micro fiber towel will trap dirt and or insect exoskeletons and that will scratch the window, your hand won’t trap it and you can feel it it’s there.
Ideally a clean hand with flowing fresh water for the initial cleaning, followed with some mild soap, once clean and dry then go with the plexus or favorite plastic polish.
First your trying to remove the dirt etc without causing any damage, then once clean, polish if desired or Rain-X whatever.
Rain-X from my experience is excellent and doesn’t hurt anything, and rain just flies off of it. I don’t fly in icing, but have wondered if it helps there?
The pledge was a trick I learned in the Army, the theory is it fills in scratches so you don’t see them. 

Last time I checked Rain-x contains alcohol which is known to cause crazing in acrylic material with prolonged use.


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[carusoam]

Be sure to get the right rain X....

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/rainx09-05319.php

The wrong Rain X is an interesting nasty solvent that may not be plastic friendly...

Best regards,

-a-

[N201MKTurbo]

Ok, the best thing for the windshield is cloth diapers. My son is 27 and the last one deteriorated to shreds last year...

[Hank]

8 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Ok, the best thing for the windshield is cloth diapers. My son is 27 and the last one deteriorated to shreds last year...

Are cloth diapers still available for purchase anymore????

[N201MKTurbo]

10 minutes ago, Hank said:

Are cloth diapers still available for purchase anymore????

Not sure, the ex wanted to be all green. When she found the reality of the green thing, we went disposable.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GBKVBK6/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=Qu-RE1y7WmCTxYfUI7s6cA&hsa_cr_id=9547544840601&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=6064f08d-9c08-46ae-a411-17721fe92318&pd_rd_w=r5k6R&pd_rd_wg=hUiDN&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_1_img

 

 

[Ricky_231]

Plexus and cheap microfiber cloth. Let the Plexus sit for a moment to dissolve the bugs :-) (usually the time it takes for me to go around the cowling and spray the other side and come back)

[jaylw314]

17 hours ago, A64Pilot said:

I’ve been very pleased with this. just buy a spray bottle or reuse one, but $14 for a half gallon and it works well.

Holy smokes!  I'm still working on my little 6 oz spray bottle after a couple years! 

[jaylw314]

14 hours ago, EricJ said:

When I was a teenager and people asked what my Dad did (as opposed to my step-Dad), I'd sometimes say he had a Nauga ranch and supplied Naugahyde to the car manufacturers. 

 

Someone told me that when I was a kid and I totally believed that for years! 

[dzeleski]

Using just water will scratch a dirty windshield in a heartbeat. Same with using your hand, I cant even believe I just read that.

Use something safe for plastics, and a soft plush microfiber folded in quarters. Wipe in straight lines while rolling the cloth to slowly expose a clean section over the course of each wipe then flip the towel to an unused section after each wipe. Plexus says to use a microfiber specifically because if used correctly it captures the dirt and removes it from the window. Anything that you use must fully coat the window so its adequately lubricated to avoid scratches. Once you clean a window that microfiber goes in a bin waiting to be washed.

Never clean anything in circles, including paint. Always straight lines. If you do cause a scratch a circle is far more distracting then a straight line, and a straight line scratch is easier to repair.

If you do anything else you ARE scratching the windows, it happens slowly and then one day you realize its getting bad.

I personally use plexus, it works well and is hydrophobic, flying through rain is the same as having rain-x on my car windshield. Dont use rain-x on plastics, they used to make a plastic safe version but I dont think its being made anymore.

[Tom 4536]

1 hour ago, dzeleski said:

Using just water will scratch a dirty windshield in a heartbeat. Same with using your hand, I cant even believe I just read that.

Use something safe for plastics, and a soft plush microfiber folded in quarters. Wipe in straight lines while rolling the cloth to slowly expose a clean section over the course of each wipe then flip the towel to an unused section after each wipe. Plexus says to use a microfiber specifically because if used correctly it captures the dirt and removes it from the window. Anything that you use must fully coat the window so its adequately lubricated to avoid scratches. Once you clean a window that microfiber goes in a bin waiting to be washed.

Never clean anything in circles, including paint. Always straight lines. If you do cause a scratch a circle is far more distracting then a straight line, and a straight line scratch is easier to repair.

If you do anything else you ARE scratching the windows, it happens slowly and then one day you realize its getting bad.

I personally use plexus, it works well and is hydrophobic, flying through rain is the same as having rain-x on my car windshield. Dont use rain-x on plastics, they used to make a plastic safe version but I dont think its being made anymore.

REALLY! Just spraying lots of water on the windshield will scratch it? Same with rain?? NOT!

[dzeleski]

1 hour ago, Tom 4536 said:

REALLY! Just spraying lots of water on the windshield will scratch it? Same with rain?? NOT!

Come on... dont be obtuse. Using just water with a rag/cloth/hand will scratch it, there is not enough lubrication to protect the plastic.

[PT20J]

[carusoam]

Gents,

Lets be nice to each other...

Were all a bunch of nerds discussing tech details regarding cleaning plastic windows... with the fanciest of rags...

Who wants to be the meanest nerd in all of MS?

 

I’m sure there will be a prize for that...  

Best regards,

-a-

[dzeleski]

Thats insane that they say to use bare hands, absolutely do not do that. Your hands are not capable of pulling the dirt off the window without dragging it across causing scratches. You wouldnt wash your paint with bare hands for the same reason and 2k clear is way harder then plastic. I wouldnt use a sponge either for the same reasons, unless the window was already fairly clean to start with. No auto or airplane detailer will ever use or recommend using their bare hands to clean anything.

The Rag Company makes a cheap plush microfiber called the creature edgeless that will pick up the dirt and remove it before it drags it across the window, assuming you use the towel correctly. The only downside to the creature is that its a dual pile which means one side of the towel isnt soft enough for plastic or really even paint IMO. They can be washed and reused many times before they are garbage.

https://theragcompany.com/products/creature-edgeless

A slightly better option is the Eagle, they will both work well to clean plastic without causing damage and both sides of the towel are the same. The Eagle is the towel I use on all parts of the airplane that face up, but I have two bins, one for paint and one for plastic, they get washed separately and do not get mixed. I use a shorter pile towel for the really dirty parts of the airplane like the gear, gear doors, belly, etc, those towels are also stored and washed separately.

https://theragcompany.com/products/eagle-edgeless-600

Is all of this overboard? I dont really think so, paint work is expensive, and replacing windows is expensive and messy and requires paint touch up. Take all the steps you can to prevent scratches so you dont have expensive paint/window bills later on.
 

[RLCarter]

I’ve used my bare hand for 30 years on motorcycle windshields and paint and never damaged anything doing it, clean hands, lots of water and barely any pressure is no problem at all

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, RLCarter said:

I’ve used my bare hand for 30 years on motorcycle windshields and paint and never damaged anything doing it, clean hands, lots of water and barely any pressure is no problem at all

Doesn't the dirt on the plexiglass scratch your hands? 

[RLCarter]

2 hours ago, PT20J said:

Doesn't the dirt on the plexiglass scratch your hands? 

I was told if you draw blood, your using to much pressure 

[Rick7576]

On 4/7/2021 at 5:43 PM, A64Pilot said:

First your trying to remove the dirt etc without causing any damage, then once clean, polish if desired or Rain-X whatever.

Rain-X from my experience is excellent and doesn’t hurt anything, and rain just flies off of it. I don’t fly in icing, but have wondered if it helps there?

The pledge was a trick I learned in the Army, the theory is it fills in scratches so you don’t see them.

this is the correct and best answer.. Cheers

[A64Pilot]

16 hours ago, Rick7576 said:

this is the correct and best answer.. Cheers

Except that those that posted don’t use regular alcohol Rain-X are correct, I never had any problem with it, but it apparently WILL damage acrylics.

I guess I didn’t use it often or long enough for the damage to become apparent

[PT20J]

28 minutes ago, A64Pilot said:

Except that those that posted don’t use regular alcohol Rain-X are correct, I never had any problem with it, but it apparently WILL damage acrylics.

I guess I didn’t use it often or long enough for the damage to become apparent

Rain-X ingredients from the SDS: https://www.rainx.com/heres-how/safety-data-sheets/

Original: Ethanol, Acetone, Isopropanol

Plastic: Water, Propylene Glycol