The International Cessna 170 Association

I knew to never use paper towels on Plexiglas wind screen

Was going to use Windex the blue ; Googled and some said no!

I need current Sage Advice on thoroughly cleaning plexiglas windscreen inside and out.

Please advise

Wash with copious amounts of water and a terry cloth towel. DO not use paper towels ever. Rinse windscreen first to get any dust off before using the towel. When cleaning windscreens only clean with an up and down straight motion from the cowl to the wing. do not clean in circles. Plexiglass cleaner can be used after dirt is washed off with water. Use Pledge or other plexglass polish to wax windscreen. RESIST the temptation to clean windscreens without water.

This is like asking what kind of oil to use or how often to change it. You'll get lots of different opinions, all of them firmly held.

I used to use Pledge but found it attracted dust. Now I use Plexus and a cotton rag or blue shop towel. Once a year I use some Aeroshell Flight Jacket Plexicoat, which polishes out scratches. I go through less than one can of Plexus a year and am still working on a ten-year-old bottle of Plexicoat.

That's what I do. Any other method is WRONG.

I've had very good luck using Klasse All‑in‑One Polish and a micro fiber towel.
Cleans and also can work out minor scratches from paper towels. Also beads water off nicely.

I also used it on paint. Really brings out the shine.

Use lots of clean water and your bare hand to gently clean the windows. No paper towels ever and never touch anything to a dry windshield or scratches are guaranteed. Dry with a clean cotton towel. Some have said microfiber scratches plastic so I don't use it. If I need a product, I only use WashWaxAll products made specifically for airplanes and are water soluble. Available online and at pilot supply shops.

50/50 water and isopropyl alcohol, flood the windshield with it, use a micro fiber towel with up and down motion, use one towel to remove the dirt and water and the the other clean one to finish one if needed, fold and turn over the towel as you remove the dirt, rewet the windhield if needed until it is clean.

Using your hand is good too make sure you have no rings on your fingers, and no long painted nails with anything that will scratch the window. Take your watch off, had a partner that put a huge deep scratch in a window with a watch.

If you drop a towel on the ground, get and use a clean one, use Plexis, or another plastic acrylic windshield product to finish, never use a paper towel or windex etc.

Don't use Windex!!! (Or any other ammonia based cleaner.) This will cause the plexi to craze.

For many years I used Pledge and a towel or terry cloth. Worked good. To really make it pop follow up with a spritz of water and buff it. A year or two ago I ran out of Pledge and started just using straight water and clean microfiber towels. Works pretty much just as good. I imagine that's in part due to the healthy layer of Pledge built up over the years. I think the ideal would probably be Pledge every 5th time or so, the rest water. I wash the front window just about every time I fly if the weather is above freezing. That's probably excessive too, but my Dad did it religiously and I guess it's just been ingrained.

DEM

flyboy122 wrote:Don't use Windex!!! (Or any other ammonia based cleaner.) This will cause the plexi to craze.

For many years I used Pledge and a towel or terry cloth. Worked good. To really make it pop follow up with a spritz of water and buff it. A year or two ago I ran out of Pledge and started just using straight water and clean microfiber towels. Works pretty much just as good. I imagine that's in part due to the healthy layer of Pledge built up over the years. I think the ideal would probably be Pledge every 5th time or so, the rest water. I wash the front window just about every time I fly if the weather is above freezing. That's probably excessive too, but my Dad did it religiously and I guess it's just been ingrained.

DEM

Also, be aware that most common RTV products (silicone sealants) are cured via ammonia. (Ever notice the smell?) Using it near Plexiglas can embrittle and craze the window.