Windshield cleaner

Robin Hood

Robin Hood

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Robin Hood
So I am needing windshield cleaner for my plane. Is there a specific brand I should be buying?
 
Robin Hood said:
So I am needing windshield cleaner for my plane. Is there a specific brand I should be buying?
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I use WashWax All, but just wait for the “use Pledge” bandits to show up. Must be real Pledge, not faux furniture cleaner.
 
I use this. With a microfibre cloth. Makes short work of the the bug residues. Learned about it from the local motorcyclists. Spruce sells it, but I found I can get it cheaper at the bike shop.

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Water.....................followed by Lemon Pledge. Three big cans from Costco for $10.

Use Costco's microfiber clothes as well.
 
I use Plexus and I very gently scrub bugs off, using my finger. I also only go up and down. I'm shocked at how some people scrub their windows. They scratch so easy.

My friend is getting a windshield put in his 170 now. It was the original one, so it made it 66 years, but it was getting really bad.

As far as Lemon Pledge, I guess it works as good as anything. I remember at a fly-in at Fort Parker Flying Field, I looked over to see my friend frantically hitting his plane with a rag. It seems the fire ants really liked the Lemon Pledge too. They were all over his windshield.
 
I used Pledge for decades. Works well enough, but can leave an oily sheen that takes a while to buff out.

Someone recommended TurtleWax Ice Detailer. I find it much better, and use it pretty much exclusively now.
 
a CFI showed me to sprinkle some water on it, rub with bare hand, dry off in vertical up/down motion with microfiber towel. Repeat if necessary. Avoid swirls that can catch light easier when you inadvertently scratch it. Its been working great for me.
 
Lots of water and microfiber towels for me. If it needs more than that I like one of our fellow board members product: Eyes Outside (I think that's the name) from PlanePerfect.
 
Good topic. I've always used Plexi-Clear from Spruce and it appears to work fine, but since I have new plexiglas, I'd like to use some of that wax type paste that also protects and makes it easier to get the bugs off. Anyone know what it's called?

BTW, I've always used Pledge on the leading edges and it dissolves the bugs within 30 seconds. The fake stuff doesn't. I believe it is because of the citric acid (lemon) in the real Pledge.
 
RH,
Not sure what your experience level is with planes, but you should know that plexiglas can't be treated like glass - never use glass cleaner like Windex, which contains ammonia. Use cleaners specifically made for plexiglas, or use time proven methods and materials (like Pledge).
 
Plexus. Still on the first can after 2 years so haven't tried anything else...
 
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Since we're going to replace our canopy anyway (a big, very expensive chunk of acrylic, otherwise known as Plexiglass) I haven't been too picky about what I use to clean it. I'm still picky about seeing out of it, though -- I hate scratches, pits and swirls. We don't have water available at the hangar, so that's out. We've used Windex, generic Wally World brand spray bottle glass cleaner, the foaming stuff in spray cans from Sam's Club or Costco, and Meguiar's Quick Detail spray. Maybe a couple other things from time to time. All used with clean microfiber towels.

All of them get the plastic clean.

None of them leave scratches.

None of them have had any noticeable detrimental effect on the plastic over the past 4 years.

Once in a while I hit it with Novus #1 polish, which nicely cleans up any minor swirls. I think I used Novus #2 a couple years back to get out some more noticeable scratches and swirls that were there when I bought it.
 
JohnAJohnson said:
BTW, I've always used Pledge on the leading edges and it dissolves the bugs within 30 seconds. The fake stuff doesn't. I believe it is because of the citric acid (lemon) in the real Pledge.
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Not sure why the off brands don't work, but FWIW, lemon pledge is artificially scented. They don't list citric acid anywhere.
 
And.................Lemon Pledge, quite definitely does not leave an oily finish.

But yes..........all sorts of automotive spray detailers work great.
 
Have had good luck with this stuff (Aircraft Spruce). Recommended by another Flight Design owner. Windshield and entire plane are "plastic". Slippery, waxed feel afterwards... easy to apply. I water/soap "wash" the plane beforehand, however, the product can be used as the "wash" as well, which I will do on a zone basis such as the prop only, etc.210.png
 
Water. Soft cloth, not dirty, as in, no tiny little particles of grit etc.

In the end, you're just slowing down how fast the scratches accrete; it's plastic, not particularly high end either, so it will, inevitably, be scratched.

We've used Rejex on the leading edges, and it keeps the bugs from sticking for a few months at a time. Throw the clothes away after; don't try washing them as it is futile.
 
I use Plexus, seems to work well and no problems. I use it on my motorcycle helmet visor too.
 
Robin Hood said:
So I am needing windshield cleaner for my plane. Is there a specific brand I should be buying?
Click to expand...

We have an aircraft detailing service which cleans 150+ aircraft a year. We have best results with (in order):

1 - Plexus
2 - Prist
3 - Clear View
4 - Wash & Wax All

We have never tried Pledge and it may work just fine but we don’t put furniture polish on customer airplanes.
Hope this helps.
 
We use nothing but DI water or a mix of DI and isopropyl alcohol and some special rolled cloth.
 
Just an aside, everyone thinks when they see circles in the perspex (windshield) that is from people making circular motions with a cloth. Don't think so. It's just how the light hits the millions of random defects on the surface. It's like how a circular rainbow is formed, everyone knows how that works. Besides, no way anyone could be moving the cloth in such absolutely perfect circles, all over the windshield!
 
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Water and microfiber cloth for heavy cleaning. Novus PC-10 Plastic Clean and Shine and microfiber cloth for final cleaning and non-stick finish.

A little pump bottle will last a long time, and you can refill from a larger container of it if needed. I keep a pump bottle in the back of the plane to remove bug splats promptly. The silicone finish keep bugs from sticking badly to the windshield.
 
Brillianize. Great stuff! You only need a little spritz, and it polishes away with no haze at all. I bought a 32-oz. bottle when I finished my -9A 3.5 years ago, and I still have half a bottle left.

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