Tinted glass is an excellent choice for those wishing to filter out the sun rays and look good when doing it. In technical terms, the transmission of solar radiation is reduced through the glass while not impairing visibility.
However, to maintain longevity and effectiveness of your tinted glass, you?ll need to follow care instructions down to the T. By doing so, you?ll prevent the tint from being torn, scratched or worse, ruined by using the wrong process or cleaning products.
Below are a few cleaning tips to keep you on top of your tinted glass cleaning routine.
1. Wait
Wait for a few days up to weeks for the adhesive to dry up before cleaning your tinted windows for the first time. Doing it too soon may cause the tint to be crinkled or stuck when you roll down the windows.
2. Things to avoid
A cleaning product that makes your kitchen spotless may be the one that will damage the tint. Avoid using the following:
- Ammonia-based products: Ammonia can cause your tint to fade and/or deform with each use. Eventually, the tint will become brittle and just fall apart like crumbs.
- Abrasive cleaning tools: avoid using bristle brushes, abrasive scrubbing sponges or other materials that could scratch the film
- Sharp tools: sometimes, bubbles may appear after installation, which is perfectly normal as it would go away over time on its own after the tint is cured. Using a sharp razor or even knife to push the bubbles to the side or popping it with needles will just ruin the tint.
3. Things to use
Tint can easily be cleaned with a soft clean cloth with alcohol-based cleaner or plain water. In fact, you can DIY the cleaning products by combining two tablespoons of rubbing alcohol, a few drops of baby soap and some distilled water.
4. Action
The key is to be gentle. Start by spraying some ammonia-free cleaning products onto the tint and follow by gently wiping it away. Make sure your cloth is clean or risk transferring the dust, dirt or oil onto the glass. Remember to dry the surface with another clean cloth.
5. Save it for the last
As windows are made of glass, it is also the most visible part. The trick is to clean both the interior and exterior of the tinted surroundings thoroughly before moving onto cleaning the tinted windows. This helps prevent unnecessary splattering, spraying of dirt onto the glass while cleaning other parts.
6. Do it in the shade
Cleaning tinted windows out in the sun is a big no no as the cleaning liquid tends to dry up too fast before you can rinse them away leaving behind spots and streaks. Wait for a cloudy day or when there is some shade before cleaning your tinted windows.
Tinted windows offer more than just enhancing the exterior aesthetics. It comes with a number of benefits such as filtering 99% of UV radiation protecting the skin from the harmful rays, blocking solar heat for internal comfort, protecting windows from shattering easily while protecting privacy. Maintain it right and it can serve you well for a long time.