How To Get Rid Of Hard Water Marks From Windows

[SS8_Gohan]

but surely all this harsher stuff you have to be ultra careful with the cars trim/rubbers etc?

[RBnub]

Yeah but like with anything corse you always have to be careful of trims and paint. I usually cover or tape around the outside of the area.

[Jonno34]

Gohan do you seal your glass with FI Seal?

Havent heard of sealing the glass yet, I usually just clay bar .. never polish it either

I sometimes use glass cleaning solution (atm meguiars nxt)

But only ever on the outside surface, since it doesnt say its tint safe ..

otherwise i use FI's Glass system (microfibre + glass cloth)

[Rekin]

Hi guys,

I'm a professional glass restorer and am constantly removing hard-water stains from car/boat windows, shower screens etc...

For stage 1 glass corrosion (95% of windows will have at least some of this), I use a product called Winsol Crystal Clear 550 (CC550). This usually removes most of the stains with ease. It works by dissolving the mineral build-up and is the quickest and least messy way of completing the job.

For more stubborn water spots (you can do it this way for light stains too), I use cerium oxide powder which is mixed with demineralised water to form a slurry. I then use a felt pad and polishing tool to polish the stains out. My polishing tool is worth over $1500 but for the DIY guys, you can use a felt pad (purchased from your local hardware store) attached to your household drill and remove the stains this way. It's a lot quicker than polishing by hand but if you have to go down that road, use Superfine Steel Wool (0000 gauge). This is abrasive enough to remove the stains but will not scratch the glass. I get all my supplies from these guys as they are the cheapest around http://fcwc.com.au/shop

Once the glass is restored, I apply a product called Sani-Shield which offers a lasting protection for up to 12 months from the hard-water stains forming again. A cheaper option is RainX

To clean the glass/window/shower screen, simply use soapy solution. You don't want to use anything too harsh otherwise you may compromise the protective sealant.

Thanks for the advise.

[Rekin]

Hi guys,

I'm a professional glass restorer and am constantly removing hard-water stains from car/boat windows, shower screens etc...

For stage 1 glass corrosion (95% of windows will have at least some of this), I use a product called Winsol Crystal Clear 550 (CC550). This usually removes most of the stains with ease. It works by dissolving the mineral build-up and is the quickest and least messy way of completing the job.

For more stubborn water spots (you can do it this way for light stains too), I use cerium oxide powder which is mixed with demineralised water to form a slurry. I then use a felt pad and polishing tool to polish the stains out. My polishing tool is worth over $1500 but for the DIY guys, you can use a felt pad (purchased from your local hardware store) attached to your household drill and remove the stains this way. It's a lot quicker than polishing by hand but if you have to go down that road, use Superfine Steel Wool (0000 gauge). This is abrasive enough to remove the stains but will not scratch the glass. I get all my supplies from these guys as they are the cheapest around http://fcwc.com.au/shop

Once the glass is restored, I apply a product called Sani-Shield which offers a lasting protection for up to 12 months from the hard-water stains forming again. A cheaper option is RainX

To clean the glass/window/shower screen, simply use soapy solution. You don't want to use anything too harsh otherwise you may compromise the protective sealant.

Thanks for the advice.

[R TUNE]

Another option to try is the kleenex shower wipes. They made for removing sope scum of shower windows and sinks but have found they work extermly well on cars.

first you wipe on the window, then rinse and wipe with a dry cloth.

can be brouht from woolies or coles.

[R TUNE]

Another option to try is the kleenex shower wipes. They made for removing sope scum of shower windows and sinks but have found they work extermly well on cars.

first you wipe on the window, then rinse and wipe with a dry cloth.

can be brouht from woolies or coles.

[madbung]

There used to be a product available called white powder that was used for this type of work, used it a lot was great.

If it's not available use toothpaste with a buffer if you have one or just a soft cloth and some effort to polish them off...guaranteed to work without wasting $.

[madbung]

double your pleasure..

Edited June 25, 2011 by madbung

[Antonio_Waxit]

Hi Guys,

In regards to stains on glass, the first thing to work out is if it is a deposit sitting on the surface of the glass or has it etched into the glass. Generally if it is a surface deposit it can be removed quite easily with the right products.

One recommendation no has added is to use a glass polish designed for Automotive Glass.

We have a few options available on the Waxit Online Store. You can try having a look here.

Firstly I would try white vinegar on a sponge, this seams to break down the alkaline in the mineral deposits on the glass, Soak a few paper towels in vinegar then leave them on the windscreen for 5-10min. Use another vinegar soaked paper towel to remove now dried paper towel and check to see if this has worked for you.

[SS8_Gohan]

Gohan do you seal your glass with FI Seal?

Havent heard of sealing the glass yet, I usually just clay bar .. never polish it either

I sometimes use glass cleaning solution (atm meguiars nxt)

But only ever on the outside surface, since it doesnt say its tint safe ..

otherwise i use FI's Glass system (microfibre + glass cloth)

Yep, last time i was putting SEAL down on the car, i did glass as well. Nothing sheets water quicker on the car than the glass, fun to watch I clay, and machine polish the glass everytime i detail. Add a wax or sealant ontop and it's damn slippy Be careful with windscreens as some products can react a little funny, but i haven't had any issues with Seal regular or P21s

I have the FI glass cloth, but it's for the inside only as far as i know. Works great and i use it with Stoners invisible glass, fantastic product for the inside.

If you're inside glass is really dirty i will either do a warm water wipe down with glass MF to get rid as much of the build-up as possible, rinsing regularly (you'll see the green MF looking pretty dirty quickly) THEN do the Stoners invisible glass. You could do a couple passes of invisible glass, but the key is having the glass MF squeaky clean for the next wipe down. Absolute must.

[Jonno34]

i clayed the windows on this detail but i was really worried about marring them so i lubed the crap out of the windows haha

bit hestitant to machine polish though, doing my first machine polish on the 34 at the moment, 2 passes of CAP medium and 1 or 2 of CAP extra fine, still only done 1 of CAP medium though

I'll definitely give my windows a seal as I do the car although i have heard that they are making a glass sealant

my inside glass is never dirty for some reason, i just use water on the glass MF and the glass cloth.

im still using my meguiars NXT gen glass cleaner on the outside (not too sure if its tint safe so dont use it on inside)

and i get what you mean about having clean cloths ... we use rags at work to clean windows takes me almost 20 minutes per car just to do glass ... with a good MF and stuff at home it takes me all of 2-5 minutes i think?

[SS8_Gohan]

i find you can put a bit of pressure on the glass, i use to just use my old Edge green pad with a medium polish. So FI Orange with med would be find i reckon, pretty sure i did that last time. It's tougher than your paint, so don't worry too much

[SVD115]

Wow lots of different ways to clean glass but by far the best is MOTHERS- Glass Cleaner Pro Strength Formula Ammonia Free

Been using it all year and its the ONLY product on the market to promise SAFE ON TINT also doesn't leave marks or anything on trim

Works great on showers to

[SVD115]

Wow lots of different ways to clean glass but by far the best is MOTHERS- Glass Cleaner Pro Strength Formula Ammonia Free <div>Been using it all year and its the ONLY  product on the market to promise SAFE ON TINT also doesn't leave marks or anything on trim </div><div>Works great on showers to <img src="http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/woot.gif" alt="" class="bbc_emoticon"></div>

[Jonno34]

most of the detailing stuff you buy online such as stoners from FI is all tint safe

but yeah the megs NXT glass cleaner i use doesnt really advertise tint safe ....

[GeorgeLow]

Easy. Dishwashing liquid.

[yunghumma]

Well i been on the net looking for a solution and nothing seems to work on my beautiful water stains on my windows (vinegar, autoglym polish, rainx stong cleaning stuff, lemon juice, razor, toothpaste, ultimate compound etc...) I tried everything, then i saw an old kitten cutting compound in the shed n tried it on a MF pad + sprayed some quick detailer as lub and started rubbing and it all vanished, bit of elbow grease (not to much pressure we don't want to scratch it ) and it was gone, but gotta be careful to use clean MF cloth to wipe out and not let dry, kinda barbarian but works

[yunghumma]

Well i been on the net looking for a solution and nothing seems to work on my beautiful water stains on my windows (vinegar, autoglym polish, rainx stong cleaning stuff, lemon juice, razor, toothpaste, ultimate compound etc...) I tried everything, then i saw an old kitten cutting compound in the shed n tried it on a MF pad + sprayed some quick detailer as lub and started rubbing and it all vanished, bit of elbow grease (not to much pressure we don't want to scratch it ) and it was gone, but gotta be careful to use clean MF cloth to wipe out and not let dry, kinda barbarian but works

[yunghumma]

Well i been on the net looking for a solution and nothing seems to work on my beautiful water stains on my windows (vinegar, autoglym polish, rainx stong cleaning stuff, lemon juice, razor, toothpaste, ultimate compound etc...) I tried everything, then i saw an old kitten cutting compound in the shed n tried it on a MF pad + sprayed some quick detailer as lub and started rubbing and it all vanished, bit of elbow grease (not to much pressure we don't want to scratch it ) and it was gone, but gotta be careful to use clean MF cloth to wipe out and not let dry, kinda barbarian but works