• Use your glass cleaner in horizontal motions.
• Take out the headrests for ease of access.
• Be very gentle.
• Clip your fingernails beforehand.
• Use a microfiber block.

Why You Should Clean Your Back Window

Everybody knows how important it is to have a clean windshield in your car. A clean and clear windshield makes driving much easier and of course much safer. Not only do you need to remove any dirt or whatever else you might have on your windshield.

You also need to make sure that you clean your windshield and all your windows properly. Have you ever cleaned your windshield only to drive towards the sun and suddenly you can see all the streaks you left behind? These streaks drastically reduce your visibility and are quite dangerous.



While your back window is not quite as important as the front windshield, it still is important to have it looking clean and clear even when driving away from the sun so you can have full awareness of your surroundings around you.

A Word On Defroster Wires

These defroster wires are incredibly useful in the winter, they clear up whatever frost, or fog you have on your back window so you can see. These wires are very delicate. if you do happen to break one of them, that section won’t work when winter rolls around and you’ll always have that one spot where ice doesn’t melt. How annoying would that be?

Step One, Clean The Outside Glass

You are going to have difficulty knowing if the streaks on on the inside or outside if you don’t first clean the outside. So make sure you clean the outside glass first.



For this I recommend:

This is a microfiber waffle weave towel.



• A microfiber towel for cleaning.
• A microfiber towel for drying (I prefer waffle weave towels for drying).
• A glass cleaner.

We could get into which glass cleaner is best but there are hundreds of them and any glass cleaner will be just fine. Your technique will be much more important that which brand of glass cleaner.

Fold your towel into fourths. Spray your glass cleaner onto your microfiber towel. Apply your towel to your back window and begin wiping off whatever dirt you have on the glass.

Warning: Do not do this in the heat or direct sunlight. If you do this when the glass is hot the glass cleaning solution will dry faster than you can dry it and will leave watermarks everywhere. Make sure you have a cool surface before you begin.

I would recommend you work in sections. Once you finish one section you will take your drying towels and you wipe up any leftover solution. Make sure to do this thoroughly to have a streak-free clean. If you notice that your drying towel isn’t working very well make sure to flip over to a new dry side. Rubbing a wet side of your towels will only make more smears appear.

Repeat this process over until you’ve successfully cleaned the whole back window.

Clean The Inside Glass

Now we are ready for the part we’ve all been waiting for. Time to clean the inside glass. This depends on what kind of car you have have. If you have a 5 door car, one that opens up this will be much easier. If you have a sedan it will be a little more tricky but we can still get it done.

Fortunately the inside glass normally isn’t too dirty. You might have some fingerprints or some smears. People (or kids) tend to not touch those windows as much as the front windshield and side windows.

This is a microfiber block.



For this side, you need the same microfiber towels and glass cleaner that you used on the outside glass. Although I prefer having a microfiber block. This makes things a bit easier, especially if you’re working with a sedan. It is a bit tricky to handle the towel when working in tight spaces. Using the block will give you more control and you will risk less accidental fingerprints.

If you are in a sedan you might find it helpful to remove the headrests in the back seat. This will make it easier to move and maneuver around in that tight space.

Apply the glass cleaner to your towel or microfiber block and apply it to the inside of the back window. This time you need to be cautious and careful around the wires. Normally the majority of those wires run from one side of the vehicle to the other. So make your cleaning passes in that direction. however, there are also wires that go up and down so make sure to be careful. Make your cleaning passes in the direction that most of the wires are going.

After you finish cleaning one section take your drying towel and wipe down the clean section. Make sure you are using a a dry clean side of your towel.

Repeat the process until you’ve cleaned the whole window. Congratulations! you’ve just cleaned your back window.

Tips:

Cut your fingernails: You want to minimize any risk you can of scratching or damaging one of the defroster wires. These wires are incredibly useful in the winter. I’d hate to see you without them.

Use gloves: if you have any latex or nitrile gloves on hand you can put some of those on to protect you from your chemicals, and also to avoid putting any unnecessary fingerprint marks back onto the glass.

Remove the headrests: Like I said above, it will make things a bit easier if you take out the headrests before you start cleaning the back window.

Use a microfiber block: Again, I use this because it’s much easier than using a towel. You can get them online or you can just use the towel you have.

Related Questions

Do I really need a microfiber towel?

I’ve seen some people try to use other things like kitchen towels, paper towels, or even newspaper. You are going to get the best result with microfiber towels. Fortunately you can get them at Walmart or your local auto store for a few bucks. I highly recommend it. If you use regular kitchen towels you will just be smearing those streaks around.

What is a waffle weave towel and why do I need one?

A waffle weave towel is a microfiber towel that has a waffle pattern. See picture above. This patter helps to absorb and water or glass cleaner. This patter is popular among detailers because it makes drying this a bit easier.

Video

Here is a video in which I show you how to clean your back window without hurting your defroster wires.

https://youtu.be/gRslItKjd2o