Best Car Glass Cleaners

Your windshield deserves to be clean. A car wash may be able to clean your car’s exterior, but it won’t leave streak-free windows as a streak-free glass cleaner would. The best car glass cleaners not only make your car look newer but also ensure you have perfect visibility on the road.

There are dozens of glass cleaning products, but this review will highlight the best auto glass cleaners for cleaning glass on your vehicle. Our review team will cover the pros and cons of each auto glass cleaner and which products will leave you with clean, clear auto glass.

The Stoner Invisible Glass Cleaner and Window Spray is a scent-, soap-, and dye-free automotive glass cleaner that’s safe for tinted and non-tinted windows. You can also use this liquid spray on stainless steel surfaces. In consumer tests, the auto glass cleaner outperformed many other products. It cuts through dirt, grease, and grime while leaving no streaks or hazing.

Key Features

• Multi-packs available
• Ammonia-free
• Safe for kitchens, cars, boats, and stainless-steel surfaces
• Scent-, soap-, and dye-free

What Customers Are Saying

With over 6,000 Amazon customer reviews, this high-quality auto glass cleaner holds 4.6 out of 5 stars, and 79 percent of buyers give it a full 5-star rating. Positive customer reviews report the spray’s exceptional cleaning performance on cars, kitchen appliances, and more. However, some buyers say the auto glass cleaner isn’t suited for use with paper towels, as they cause some streaking.

Another Stoner product, the Invisible Glass Foam Cleaner, is one of the best car glass cleaners if you don’t want the liquid to drip down your windows after spraying it. Once the foam makes contact with the vehicle’s surface, it lifts dirt and debris away, making it easy to clean your glass, windshields, and mirrors. The ammonia-free cleaning solution is tinted-window safe. Like the Stoner Spray Cleaner, the Foam Cleaner is formulated without soaps, scents, or dyes.

Key Features

• Foaming application
• Multi-packs available
• Ammonia-free
• Safe for kitchens, cars, boats, and stainless-steel surfaces
• Scent-, soap-, and dye-free

What Customers Are Saying

Only a handful of reviews back the Stoner Invisible Glass Foam Cleaner, although it does hold a 4.6-star rating. Customers report that the product cleans glass quickly and efficiently – and one buyer says they cleaned their car windows in two minutes. Negative reviews often mention that the automotive cleaner may cause window fogging in colder climates.

The third product on our best car glass cleaners list, Sprayway Glass Cleaner, is another foaming spray. The ammonia-free cleaner is safe for tinted and plexiglass windows. However, this auto glass cleaner has a “fresh” scent, so it may not be best for customers sensitive to strong smells. Sprayway Glass Cleaner is affordable, easy to use, and applies drip-free.

Key Features

• Foaming application
• Multi-packs available
• Ammonia-free
• Affordable

What Customers Are Saying

Sprayway Glass Cleaner has an impressive 4.7-star rating on Amazon from over 700 customer reviews. Eighty-five percent of buyers give this product a full 5 stars. Customers like the cleaner’s easy application and price point. Many also recommend using it with microfiber cleaning towels rather than paper towels for the best shine.

Rating:

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4/5

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These two bottle systems stood out to us as an option for more discerning drivers. The TechCare Auto Glass Cleaners uses a two-bottle system. One is used on the glass exterior to help repel water and the other is used on the interior to mitigate fog.

Key Features

• Smear-free and streak-free formula
• Safe on tinted windows
• Biodegradable formula 

What Customers Are Saying 

TechCare’s glass cleaners have very few reviews from customers, although most of the say the product works well. One review published on RealTruck claims the formula really is streak free. Other critical reviews posted on Weathertech.com, the manufacturer’s website, report a residue lingering after application.

From a tried-and-true car detailing brand, the Meguair’s Perfect Clarity Glass Cleaner is a liquid spray formula. It’s ammonia-free, safe to use on tinted windows, fast-acting, and affordable. Per the manufacturer’s recommendation, this premium glass cleaner works best when you use it with microfiber towels to ensure no streaks are left behind.

Key Features

• Can be used on tinted windows
• Ammonia-free
• Strong scent

What Customers Are Saying

With nearly 4,000 customer ratings, Meguair’s Perfect Clarity Glass Cleaner has a 4.6-star rating. Customers report that the spray quickly cleans dirt, water spots, tree sap, soap scum, and smears. It’s also suitable for your inside windshields. The biggest customer complaint is this product’s smell – many buyers note that it has a strong, perfumy scent.

The final product on our list of the best car glass cleaners is the 3M Glass Cleaner. The unscented auto cleaner has an aerosol spray applicator, making it easy to clean your windows with little effort. It’s also foaming, meaning no drips. You can use the product on automotive glass as well as vinyl, chrome, and interior plastic.

Key Features

• Foaming application
• Ammonia-free
• Unscented

What Customers Are Saying

The 3M Glass Cleaner holds a 4.6-star rating on Amazon based on over 900 customer reviews. Buyers praise its ease of use and cleaning performance. Many customers also report that it’s effective on inside windshields. However, the 3M Glass Cleaner is pricier than other auto glass cleaners – about $14 for 19.0 ounces – and a small number of buyers report streaking and hazing after using the product.

Cleaning your windows, windshield, mirrors, and other auto glass is a great finishing step in your detailing process. It adds a showroom-ready look to your vehicle with minimal effort. Additionally, clean windows and windshields play an important role in your safety. Hazy, streaky, or water-spotted windows could impair your visibility while driving.

There’s more to getting window cleaning right than grabbing a spray bottle and some towels. Here are some things our product review team recommends keeping in mind while shopping:

Interior Glass Vs. Exterior Glass

From road grime to trash build-up caused by passengers, make sure your auto detailing products are suitable for the part of the car you’re cleaning. Heavy-duty, commercial-grade car glass cleaners work on the toughest stains but may damage car upholstery and steering wheel leather if used carelessly.

If you’re cleaning tinted windows, we recommend using a weaker cleaner that won’t break down the tint.

Smart Formulas

Besides cleaning bird droppings off the windshield, the best auto glass cleaners are functional. Some are designed to have a residue-free drying process and a streak-free finish for improved visibility.

Others might advertise a rain-repellent formula, which might improve performance with the best windshield wipers.

Use The Right Tools

For the best results, our team members believe it’s imperative that you make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Some car glass cleaners may recommend using a microfiber cloth, squeegee, or another cleaning tool to prevent smudges or streaks.

Keep in mind that if you do use a standard towel, it may not leave a lint-free finish.

If you’re looking to clean your car’s windows, purchasing one of the best auto glass cleaners is only the first step. We recommend using a microfiber car drying towel, preferably a waffle-weave towel, when applying and drying the car glass cleaner. Unlike conventional paper towels, microfiber towels won’t leave debris on your windows. They also make it easy to buff and get a streak-free shine, depending on the cloth’s weave.

We also recommend drying your auto glass using the box method. The box method involves the following steps:

1. Apply the car glass cleaner
2. Wipe the perimeter of your car windows
3. After wiping the perimeter of the window, follow with one pass of vertical wipes and one pass of horizontal wipes
4. You may then clay bar your windows to remove industrial fallout, but this step is optional

*Data accurate at time of publication.