Getting your windows tinted is an excellent way to enhance your vehicle. Window tint provides:
- Privacy
- Protection from the sun’s UV rays
- Sleeker appearance
Caring for your tinted car windows isn’t a complicated procedure but is one that has to be done right so your window tint will last as long as possible.
- Note: Factory-installed tinted windows are not a film and can be cleaned with commercial glass cleaners. The tint is inside of the glass.
Because window tint is a thin plastic film, it can be damaged by using the incompatible chemicals on it.
Clean the car windows with glass cleaner
- Select a glass cleaner that does not contain ammonia. Ammonia can damage the window tint over time, degrading it with each use. Many tint installers actually use ammonia products to remove window tint from glass, demonstrating why it’s not a good idea to use ammonia glass cleaners on your window tint.
- Tip: Avoid blue-colored glass cleaners as they typically have ammonia in them.
Materials Needed
- Glass cleaner
- Paper towels or lint-free cloth
Step 1: Spray glass cleaner onto your tinted window. Use an ammonia-free product. If you want to avoid spots on your car’s interior parts, you can spray the glass cleaner onto your cloth instead.
Step 2: Clean entire window. Wipe the glass cleaner all over the window, right to every edge.
- Tip: Work quickly as glass cleaner tends to dry fast.
Step 3: Wipe in a pattern. Wipe in a vertical pattern, then in a horizontal pattern, until the glass cleaner dissipates completely.
Step 4: Check for streaks on the window. If you have streaks, it’s usually caused by excessively dirty windows or a dirty cloth.
Step 5: Repeat if necessary. Re-clean the window if you have streaks, making sure to use a clean side of your cloth.
Step 6: Clean all your interior windows in the same way.
You can clean your exterior glass with the same product.
There can be instances where your car’s interior windows are very dirty. This can be the case if your heater core has leaked and you have coolant residue on your glass, and is common for those who smoke inside their vehicle.
Residue that sticks to your windows can take several treatments with glass cleaner to remove, so the best treatment is to use a soap and water mixture, then follow up with a normal glass-cleaning process to remove streaks
- Tip: Use a dishwashing soap that has a grease-cutting formula to remove cloudy residue from your windows.