Cleaning Glass?

[iloveredmeat]

Well, I hit an unexpected hurdle in my wing window restoration... the glass is clear and not cracked, but has "water spots" just like those TV commercial housewives of the 50's and 60's complained about.

I started with soap and water... decent first step, but the closer I looked I could see the water spots. Switched to 'glass cleaner'... that did not help.

Then I grabbed a "Magic Eraser" (which I've learned works amazingly on certain things), and that works (see attached), but oh my gosh, to clean 2 square inches took at least 10 minutes!

I'm not at all afraid of elbow grease, but I'm hoping there is better living through chemistry.

Does anyone have any experience with this issue? Any suggestions? I do not want to F up the glass.

I just now thought of 'Finish,' which seems to help in our dishwasher. I'll report back, but in the meantime, any suggestions are appreciated.

Thank you,
Peter

[keith0alan]

Vinegar

[iloveredmeat]

Vinegar

Oh! Good call. I will try that tomorrow and post the results.
Thank you!
pm

[Gregs672000]

I wonder if something like an auto body swirl remover would work... very light abrasives. Maybe try it on scrap glass to make sure it doesn't scratch. Looks like hard water deposits. I know they make glass buffing compounds to restore windshields but it's quite the process.

[mikeb]

We have the same problem with north facing exterior windows on our home. A fresh heavy-duty single edge razor blade works very well, without too much effort. It's best to wet the window with a window washing solution first. I buy them at Ace Hardware.

[Gregs672000]

We have the same problem with north facing exterior windows on our home. A fresh heavy-duty single edge razor blade works very well, without too much effort. It's best to wet the window with a window washing solution first. I buy them at Ace Hardware.

Great idea!

[Loy]

#0000 steel wool or a white scrub pad + cleaner. If scratches, there is window polish, cerium oxide and a wool polishing pad that can be bought.

[Pjackb]

Hey Peter
Dishwasher soap and hot water is is your friend
easiest get the pucks like this image below and a bucket of very hot water wet the window and rub the spots with the puck then let everything soak in the hot water for 5 minutes , spots will be gone and glass cleaned

https://i.insider.com/5c489877dde867574 ... &auto=webp
I use these to clean the glass showers at home and not water or soap spot resist

[Erock311]

Meguiars water spot remover. Used it on a black paint finish, worked great, and have used on glass, just as good.

[Florida Roadster]

Maybe you should move away from the ocean. Just saying.

I always use Lime A Way and a circular scrub brush on an electric drill for the shower glass, works great!

[iloveredmeat]

Thanks Everyone.

Here is my update:

As mentioned, I first tried soap and water, then window cleaner, with no results. Then I tried a Magic Eraser, which worked a little, but waaaay too much work.

Then I tried Vinegar. Nada.

With high hopes, I 'soaked' the window with a damp cloth of Finish. Still nothing!

Then, I reluctantly tried the razor blade. And that worked pretty darn well! As Mikeb suggested, I kept the glass damp with a thin film of Finish. That really seemed to help and made it much easier to see where I had scraped because the Finish is a gel and got kind of foamy.

I'm still surprised that none of the liquids even made a dent in it, but I am definitely going to try the Maguiars and the Lime A Way, because if my windshield has a similar problem, a little razor blade will be a big pain.

Thanks again!
Peter

[Curtis]

THe #0000 steel wool was recommended by my wife"s uncle. a former service manager. Been using it ever since.

[redroadster]

I'd try buffing with the Rouge and a electric buffer glass has pores

[nismou20]

CLR works pretty good in bath/tub so it’s an option. Spray bottle and spot spray over time would remove it along with razor blades.

[iloveredmeat]

Thanks again, everyone.

When I said the razor blade method worked "...pretty darn well...", I should have said it actually worked "extremely well".

My glass is as clear as I could hope for and I am ready for assembly!

But, as I said, if my windshield has the same issue, I will be trying all of your recommendations before resorting to a razor blade.

Thank you,

pm