One of the most common problems car owners have—tinted windows or not, are hardened water spots during winter. Hard water spots are caused by minerals like calcium and magnesium content in water. When a surface gets wet—whether it is covered with tint film or not, the water evaporates the moment it was exposed to heat. However, the mineral deposits are left behind. The stuff that’s left behind is super-concentrated, so it’s hard to see through and even harder to remove
Meanwhile, water spots are a mixture of water and soap, acid rain, or some other type of contaminant. When the water dries, all that’s left on your windshield is the chemical.
Sprinklers, car washes, and rain showers, and even snow can all cause hard water spots to form on glass. Chemically speaking, these deposits are alkali, requiring an acid to remove them away. This may sound easy for car owners, especially because of the numerous choices of acid based cleaners there is in the market today. However, cleaning tinted car windows requires a little bit more of research.
The main difference of cleaning tinted windows from cleaning non-tinted windows is the things you should use, and the things you should avoid. Knowing what products are bad for your tinting will help prevent you from accidentally doing damage to it or reducing its life. Cleaning newly-tinted windows is a simple process as long as you know what materials and cleaners to avoid. You have to be extra careful on cleaning your tinted windows if you want your tint to last a long time, still looking good as new.
Tinted windows are more delicate, given that the film installed are thin and can be easily removed if you’re not careful. You’ll need to use gentler cleaning products on your tinting to preserve it, and under no circumstances should you use a cleaner with ammonia in it. Ammonia based products can reduce the darkness of your tint or cause its material to become dry, brittle, or otherwise imperfect.
Here are some of the DIY and store-bought solutions you can try in removing water spots on your car windows:
Vinegar Solution
Vinegar is one of the most common acid based liquid you can find in your home or at the local stores. Making this vinegar solution is very simple and easy. The best vinegar to use is plain white distilled vinegar, which is inexpensive and effective. A higher concentration of vinegar may be even more effective, so adjust the vinegar to water ratio based on the severity of the water spots.
Make a solution of equal parts water and equal parts vinegar. Transfer it into a spray bottle and squirt some of the solution directly on to the glass. Make sure to fully saturate any stubborn water spots or areas of concentrated buildup. Allow the vinegar to soak, and reapply a couple of times for particularly dirty areas.
After a few minutes, wipe the are with a soft towel with the same vinegar solution. You can allow the towel to sit over the area so that the vinegar can soak in thoroughly. Allow the vinegar solution to sit. The worse the stains are, the longer the vinegar will need to do its work.
The hard water spot will look like it is soaked after a few minutes. Gently scrub the area with the same towel. The bumps on the towel should act as an abrasive to help remove the spots and allow the vinegar to penetrate the mineral build-up.
You can now remove the vinegar solution with a dry towel or squeegee. If there are remaining spots or traces of the build up, you can repeat the process, or just use a damp cloth. Make sure you do not allow the vinegar solution or water to dry on the surface of the glass, as this will continue to leave more spots.
Lemon and Water Solution
Just like vinegar, lemon is also one of the most popular and easy accessible natural bleach readily available almost every where. You can also use it to clean your hard water-stained tinted windows. Lemon juice has the same acidic properties as vinegar, and can be equally as effective.
You can buy manufactured lemon juice, but squeezing fresh lemons is cheaper and could always work better than the bottled ones.
To make your concoction, roll the lemon on a hard surface with some pressure before cutting it open. This will make the lemon easier to juice. Squeeze the juice out of a lemon and place in a spray bottle with water or use a towel to apply the lemon juice to the glass window. Alternatively, you don’t want the hassle of following a recipe, can use the lemon itself on the surface of the glass. Just cut the lemon in half and rub the open area on the glass with a fair amount of pressure. Allow the juice to soak in the stains.
A couple of minutes after, remove from the glass using water or a traditional glass cleaner. Just make sure you use an ammonia-free glass cleaner afterwards.
Toothpaste
Another home remedy for hard water stains is found on your bathroom sink: toothpaste. This hygiene product is made to remove build-up after all, so it works fairly well on hard water spots, which are similar to tartar on human teeth.
Water down the toothpaste with some water so that it spreads more easily and so that you can use less toothpaste. Apply the paste to the glass and allow to sit. Scrub lightly with a brush, a towel, or a sponge.
Wash the paste away from the glass with water. Clean the glass with water or an ammonia-free glass cleaner and thoroughly dry it, eliminating the chances of water spots reformation.
Baking Soda
Some abrasive cleaners which are store-bought contain properties similar with the DIYs. Some of these ready to use, Store-bought Cleaners which comes in powder form is just baking soda.
Wet the surface of the glass. It is easiest to wet the glass first, then apply the powder to it. This way, the powder will stick to the surface of the glass. The water and the abrasive will work together to make a sort of cleaning paste.
Apply the powdered cleaner to the glass.
However, if you don’t have the time or energy to make a hard water spot cleaner from scratch, there are many available options found at your local store. Just make sure to follow these tips so that you will get the most out of your bought product:
Follow the directions on the packaging.
Some products require being sprayed on or applied using a sponge or towel. Others are recommended to be left alone and saturate the area which you intend to clean. Some products suggest wiping them on and off, but not scrubbing them because scrubbing can lead to unwanted splatter.
Test a small portion first.
To make sure that the product will not make any unwanted result to your car window, make sure to test it out first on a surface to be sure that a product will not damage.
Be area specific.
Put and keep the product on glass areas only you are cleaning. Your cleaner may damage adjacent walls, window sills, tile, flooring, or car paint.
Wear some protective gear if necessary.
Many cleaners are caustic and can be damaging to humans or animals. Be sure to wear gloves and protective eyewear such as goggles if necessary. Wash your hands immediately after contacting any cleaner, and never put your hands to your mouth, nose, or eyes immediately after contact with cleaners.
Store the products safely.
Cleaning products should always be stored outside of the reach of children and pets, with the lid securely in place and any spilled cleaner wiped away from the outside of the bottle. On a high shelf behind a door with a childproof latch on it is ideal.
