The best glass cleaner
Written by: Vinnie van Rooij
It is often asked on detailing fora and social media: “what is the best glass cleaner”. Off course there is a difference between certain products and brands, but it is important to know what you are asking. In this guide I will try to explain what the problem is with this question unless it is asked more in-depth.
Contents
The general problem
When somebody asks what the best shampoo is, they are not letting other people know what they mean with “best”. A shampoo is developed with several characteristics in mind. It has to be slick, good soluble in water, good cleaning properties, wax/sealant-safe and several more. These properties can be very different between products and/or brands. In the question “What is the best shampoo”, it is nowhere specified if that person is looking for a shampoo that is very slick, if it just smells nice or if it is the least protection-affecting.
So it is almost impossible to give an answer.
What to keep in mind when you ask the question
Many detailers are searching for a certain product that offers good quality. This could mean that they are looking for a cheap product, one that smells good, etc. Before you ask the question which product is the best it is important to know what you are looking for. Are you looking for a wax that offers mainly gloss? Or is easy to buff off? Or one that offers as much gloss?
It is important to know what you are looking for, and to know that there will be cases in which 2 properties can not be combined. A shampoo that is really awesome at washing away stubborn grease can not be wax safe. Simply because you need a certain harshness to remove the grease, harshness that is more then the wax can handle. Even sealants are likely to be affected by this.
A list of things to consider
Here is a list of properties you might consider including in your question. These can be your own preferences, or just things you find important. This list is simply made to help you find out what you exactly want to ask, so you will get better answers that suit your search.
Glass cleaner
- Easy to use
- Leaves stripes/streaks
- Smells good
- Price
- Size of bottle
- Dilutable
- Removes oil, nicotine etc.
- Alcohol or polymer based
Surface tension is the energy a liquid contains that prevents its surface to be deformed by an object with a higher surface tension/energy. The surface energy of water has as a side effect that it can form beads on surfaces with a very low surface energy or high repulsive force....-
A primed pad will outperform a non-primed pad in cutting. So a primed pad should give a great polishing result on your car, but prime your pad for the goal you’re looking for....
-
Juicy Details Ltd is a detailing products brand from Suffolk, United Kingdom. John Bramhill is the man behind the brand, who has been a detailer for several years. Juicy Details sells many different products....
-
Paint protection film is a more extreme form of protecting the paintwork of your vehicle. Unlike chemical protectants, a PPF can protect against stone chips, small objects and even some very chemical liquids....
-
Powdercoating is a paint technique. Instead of spraying the liquid paint on a surface, and let it cure. A powder is sprayed over a surface and baked the cure. Powdercoating is very popular for coating wheels with paint....
-
Washing a car in the summer gives the risk of the sun evaporating the water quicker then it can be dried off. You either have to be quick or smart to prevent waterspots or dried up products. These tips might help you in reducing the risk....
Links to this article
There are no external links to this article. Yet.