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Aug 05, 2023

Magic Erasers Are The Secret To Cleaning Glass In The Car With One Exception

You'd think that cleaning a glass surface would be as simple as running some clean water over it, maybe with a little dish soap for good measure, but when it comes to the glass windows of your car,

You'd think that cleaning a glass surface would be as simple as running some clean water over it, maybe with a little dish soap for good measure, but when it comes to the glass windows of your car, it's anything but simple. Due to the sheer amount of assorted crud a typical car window endures on a regular basis, it's not unusual for big, gross, and worst of all, stubborn stains to remain hard-caked on both sides of its surface. Plain ol' water definitely won't cut it if you're looking to clear that stuff out.

What are you supposed to do to get it clean and, more importantly, stop obstructing your vision? You could take it to the car wash for a long and potentially expensive detailing session, but there may be a more economical solution available to you. Rather than visiting the car wash, you should visit your local supermarket, because there's a simple household product that's surprisingly adept at cleaning the gunk off of your car's windows: Magic Erasers.

Magic Erasers are a particular type of disposable household cleaning tool that's excellent for scrubbing out stubborn stains. Technically, "Magic Eraser" is a product name, as part of the Mr. Clean line — the generic term for such a product is melamine sponge. It's like a Band-Aid versus adhesive strip type situation.

Melamine sponges are made of, well, melamine, an organic compound that's rich in nitrogen. It's usually a foam, but when compressed into a solid form, i.e. a sponge, it can then be wetted and squeezed to release itself in controlled bursts. Those little clouds of foam, despite being so light and fluffy, are actually highly abrasive. That's what gives a Magic Eraser its mojo, the ability to forcefully scrub smeared-on messes even if you're not exerting that much force into it.

Magic Erasers are usually used to clean hard or porous surfaces around the house like bathtubs, sinks, stone-made tables, and other such stuff. If you've got one lying around, though, it could be just what you need to clean your car's windows.

Melamine sponges, when wetted and given a good squeeze, can be used to clean just about anything off either side of your car's windows. Stubborn, staining pigments like ink or paint that have been accidentally dripped onto your windows can be cleaned off with a bit of scrubbing from a melamine sponge by itself usually, or in the worst case scenario, a melamine sponge with some extra assistance from something like isopropyl alcohol or toothpaste. A melamine sponge can even be used to clean dog slobber, one of the most notoriously staining and stinky substances that could potentially get on your windows.

There are a couple of things you should be aware of before using a melamine sponge on your car, though. Firstly, the sponges are safe to use on most glass surfaces, i.e. windows. The only exception to this is windows with an after-market tint film applied to them. The sponge will scrub the tint off, and you won't be able to use it again.

Secondly, while the cleaning power of the sponge is tempting, it should only be used on the glass surfaces of the car. Melamine sponges are too abrasive to use on the car's main body or internal upholstery. The only other part of your car that a melamine sponge may be okay for is the faces of your wheels, but not the tires.