Stains on your windshield need to be addressed faster than any other stains on your car. This is because they can act as a hindrance with visibility when you’re driving. Most stains come off easily with plain water or glass cleaning solutions, but some stains and substances are pretty difficult to handle and can be a nuisance. Here are three examples of difficult windshield stains, and home-based techniques with which you can get rid of them.
Sticker Remains
There are many offices, club memberships and places that require you to have a sticker on your vehicle to be able to enter. These stickers sometimes expire and need to be removed. But, when you try and remove them, they leave behind a messy, sticky residue. This residue is very difficult to remove with water, and we don’t advise using soap on your windshield, as some forms of soap can be too harsh.
A good solution to this problem is rubbing alcohol. Take a bit of rubbing alcohol on a cloth and gently rub the stain. The sticker remains should come off easily and leave your windshield looking spotless.
Chewing Gum
Chewing gum is one of the most frustrating things to have stuck to your car, especially the windshield. Because of its sticky and sturdy consistency, it’s almost impossible to remove and, if not handled correctly, can smear and spread, making the issue worse.
A good way to handle gum stains is with ice. The trick is to harden the gum enough that it comes off whole, without spreading. To do this, you can wrap ice in a plastic bag and hold it onto the gum for a few minutes. When the gum is cold and hardened, it should come off much more easily. If there is any residue left after, just use rubbing alcohol on it.
Bug Splatter
Bug splatter is a common stain on windshields, but it’s also difficult to get rid of if you don’t have a proper bug removal spray. There are many home remedies for this, but we find the easiest way to remove bug splatter is with WD-40. This acts as a perfect substitute for bug removal spray and gets the job done quickly.
If you have stains on your windshield that simply do not get cleaned no matter how hard you try, it may be time for a replacement. At SA Auto Glass, we offer car windshield repair and replacement so you can have 100% visibility while driving. Visit our website to learn more.