Window Tinting Care and Maintenance Tips for Car Owners
Things You Should Avoid Using
Did you know that window tints can block about 99 per cent of UV rays?
While ultraviolet radiation levels are usually much lower inside the car than in full sunlight, UV rays can still penetrate the glass. To protect your skin from damage and your upholstery from fading, you must get professional window tinting. Apart from blocking UV rays, tinted car windows also keep your vehicle cooler and increase privacy.
Once window tinting is installed, proper maintenance is a must to ensure the tint films last. But cleaning newly tinted windows can be complicated.
Below is a window tinting care and maintenance guide to help you:
Tips and Tricks for Tinted Window Maintenance
Want to clean your windows? Here are some general tips and tricks to follow to prevent damaging your tints for car windows.
Clean Windows Tints in the Shade
No one wants streaks in their car windows. These streaks are often more noticeable if you have tinted windows. To keep streaks away, you should wash your windows under a shade instead of direct sunlight. This is because sunlight causes cleaning products to dry too fast on your windows, leaving streaks behind.
Don’t Saturate Your Edges with Cleaners
If you have window tints, you know that the edges of your windows are the most vulnerable. When cleaning tinted windows, you should not soak the edges with cleaners. The cleaning products can cause bubbling, making it easy for your tints to start peeling.
Use Soft Material for Cleaning
Always use a soft material when cleaning or wiping dust off your tinted car windows. For instance, you can use a microfiber cloth to clean the surface because they don’t leave any scratching. Coarse objects like steel or plastic sponges can scratch and damage your windows.
Make Sure Your Tints Are Completely Dry
After washing your window tints, ensure you dry them out completely. If you leave any water residue, it can cause the tints to lose their hold over the glass surface and peel off over time.
Wait Before You Wash
Did you install your car window tints recently?
It’s best to wait a few days before you consider window tinting care. If you wash your window tints before they cure, water can cause the window tints to lose their hold or form imperfections due to bubbling.
Why Do You Need to Care for Tinted Windows?
Caring for tinted windows comes with a lot of benefits:
Increase Visibility
Dirt on your window tints can limit visibility, increasing your chances of causing an accident. This is why it’s important to keep your tinted car windows clean if they are tinted. You should clean them at least every two weeks.
Boost Durability
Installing car window tints can be expensive. If you want them to last longer and give you value for your money, it is good practice to clean and maintain them often.
Tint-Friendly Cleaners and Tools
When maintaining your car tints, you should be careful to avoid destroying the tint film. Since tints are prone to fading and scratches, ensure you use proper tinted window care products. These include:
- Gentle ammonia-free cleaning solution
- Two clean microfiber cloths
- Distilled water
- Bucket
- Spray bottle
DIY – Tint-Friendly Cleaners
Want to save money and still care for your car tints? You can make your own ammonia-free tint-friendly window cleaner at home.
You can make a homemade cleaning solution out of baby soap and rubbing alcohol. To mix this car tint cleaner, you should place 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol and a few drops of baby soap in a spray bottle.
Then, fill the bottle with distilled water and swirl the ingredients until they’re well mixed. The alcohol in your cleaner not only disinfects the surface of your tint but helps to dissolve grease and oils from the window.
You can also mix equal parts of white vinegar and water to make a simple cleaner. It helps fight smudges and odours while being gentle to your car tint.
Window Tinting Care: How to Clean Tinted Windows Properly
Cleaning tinted windows should be stressful. Simply follow the steps below:
Step 1: Clean the Other Car Parts Before Moving to Your Windows
After parking your car in a shade, clean the other parts of the car before you move to the tinted window tints. This way, you won’t end up spreading dirt onto windows you’ve just cleaned.
Step 2: Spray Tint-Friendly Cleaner
Grab a microfiber cloth and spray your cleaning solution on it. You’ll need to use one microfiber for the cleaner and leave one for drying. When spraying the cleaner, try not to drench the edges of your tint with it.
Step 3: Wipe Away the Dirt
Wipe your windows vertically and horizontally. If you see streaks left behind, it means your microfiber cloth is very dirty. You can rinse it, reapply the cleaner, and continue wiping.
When wiping along the tint film edges, pass a damp cloth to clean and follow with a dry cloth as soon as possible to dry the edges. It’ll stop the cleaner from seeping under the tint film.
Step 4: Dry the Window
Using the dry microfiber cloth, wipe away any cleaning solution left on your window. Never use a paper towel to dry your windows since it can cause scratching.
What to Do If You Spot Imperfections
If you notice any bubbles on your tinted windows, wrap a credit card in a microfiber cloth and press on the surface of the bubble.
Push the bubble to the edge and use a fine-point needle to poke a small hole in the bubble and release the trapped air.
What to Avoid
During tinted window maintenance, you should avoid using the following cleaning tools and products.
Ammonia
Apart from discolouring your car tints, ammonia-based cleaning solutions can make them dry and brittle.
Abrasive Materials
Keep abrasive products like newspapers, paper towels, and scouring pads since they can scratch and damage your tint films.
Razor Blades
Don’t use razor blades to remove bubbles in your window tints. They can destroy your tint film.
Steam Cleaning
Steam cleaning can damage your tinted windows. If you want to steam clean the interior of your car, keep your tinted windows rolled down.
Should I Wax My Car Windows?
As part of car care and maintenance, it’s recommended to wax your car windows at least twice a year to keep away dirt and enhance their look. For more on car window tinting care, get in touch with us today.