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
- Leather itself has to withstand a lot of abuse over the years. Jeans rubbing over it, dirty clothes, UV, high temperatures, low temperatures, dry air, humid air, liquids, chemicals etc. To keep the leather looking fresh and prevent it from drying out, a leather protection can be used....
- Auto Finesse is an UK based brand of detailing products, although their aim lies mainly with automotive detailing, they also sells several items that can be used for marine detailing, motorbike detailing and/or aircraft detailing....
- iSHINE is an Arabic (Dubai) manufacturer of coatings based on nano-technology. The focus with the products manufacturerd by iSHINE lies on synthetic development and engineering of coatings for different vehicles and surfaces in the detailing industry....
- Microtext is an Asian manufacturer of products aimed at automotive detailing and general car care. The brand has not reached much customers in Europe yet, but has been in business since before 2010....
- An engine bay cleaner is a specific product that is designed to clean engine. This very heavy degreaser is designed to remove caked on carbon deposits, stubborn grime and dirt and caked on dust and sand....
- IPA stands for IsoPropyl Alcohol, and is a chemical compound often used in the world of detailing to remove polish residue. The liquid is colorless with a strong odor. Caution is required for this liquid is very highly flammable!...
Links to this article
There are no external links to this article. Yet.