Windshield cleaners??

jd21476

jd21476

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jd21476
I used to use Plexus but Im finding prices have gone way up and I refuse to pay $25 a bottle of a plastic spray. What are some alternatives?
 
Really? Lemon pledge on your windshield. Ive neve heard of using it on plastics. Does it leave it clean without a film build up or anything? Do you use it one the inside as well?
 
jd21476 said:
Really? Lemon pledge on your windshield. Ive neve heard of using it on plastics. Does it leave it clean without a film build up or anything? Do you use it one the inside as well?
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Yep it’s almost perfect for both inside and out.. I think my flight school used it on all their aircraft way back when I learned to fly and have used on both aircraft I have owned over the last 25 years. No film it’s actually great to remove bugs and works equally well to repel rain drops. I just buy the big cans from Costco and keep on in the baggage compartment so I can always freshen up the windows as needed on a trip.
 
John Pringle said:
Yep it’s almost perfect for both inside and out.. I think my flight school used it on all their aircraft way back when I learned to fly and have used on both aircraft I have owned over the last 25 years. No film it’s actually great to remove bugs and works equally well to repel rain drops. I just buy the big cans from Costco and keep on in the baggage compartment so I can always freshen up the windows as needed on a trip.
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I actually don’t really have to ever polish the paint ether because I always wipe down the entire outside with some pledge and one of those yellow microfiber towels and my 20 year old paint always looks new
 
Novus is an excellent product. I've also been pretty happy with results from a squirt bottle with just a little dish soap mixed with water alternated with plain 'ol water from a similar spray bottle.
 
I use Pledge to clean the bugs off the leading edges and make the next batch easier to remove. Maybe I'll try it on the windshields when my bottle of Plexus runs out.
 
Pledge? Not sure I would use that on plexiglass.

I use Zep. Ammonia free cleaner. Cheap and easy to get. Use microfiber cloth.

Used by many...
 
Lemon Pledge on a microfiber cloth as a plexiglass window cleaner is a tip as old as the hills. I've been using it for 20 years (past 11 years on the same windscreen) with no issues. Like others, I use it on the leading edge too.
 
Turtle Wax and Dry...works on airframe, windows, etc...Pledge is good also.
 
I have used Pledge for both inside and out for quite a while on the windscreen. Lately, I have been using Plane Perfect’s Eyes Out with a micro cloth. Way cheaper than Plexus (which I use for my motorcycle) and seems to work pretty well. A single bottle get me through a season. I also wash my plane from time to time and if the windshield has any kind of grit or dust, I rinse it with water before attempting to clean it with any product. But I still have a can of Pledge and some micro cloths for when I travel.
 
So when you do get a scratch/scuff in the windshield, can you use an automotive headlight-style repair kit to sand/buff/polish out the scratches/scuffs? Like the 3M or Meguiars kit that comes with the different grits and compounds specifically for plastic.
 
Pledge for the windshield. It's also good on the leading edge of the wings. Pledge makes it a lot easier to remove stupid bugs that run into you during the summer months
 
Novus #1 clean and shine and a microfiber cloth.
 
One more for Pledge. My old flight instructor turned me on to this method. I get the almost empty can from my wife, so it does not go against the aviation budget......budget, I crack myself up :D
 
Been flying for over 50 years. I used to use Maguire's Mirror Glaze but switched to Lemon Pledge about 20 years back so I can attest it works perfect, causes no damage and is in stock on the shelf at your local grocery store.

In regards to micro-fiber towels they are great but be careful where you set them down or store them because they are like Velcro when it comes to debris such as metal shards, grindings, sticks and other general grit.
 
+1 for Pledge and microfiber towels. Windshield and leading edges both.

Jim
 
I’ve been using this stuff for probably 12 years and am happy with it. Somewhat hard to find but reasonably priced when I find it at an FBO, typically near OSH (the company is in Racine). First found it at a TINY FBO at a large field near Austin, so it is/was around.

A7766E10-6FA4-4EDB-A50C-49C65F7CCF47.jpeg
 
Funny, Lemon Pledge does exactly the same thing but all it says on the can is "Natural Beauty"
 
Rgbeard said:
I swear Plexus is priced in such a way that one of the ingredients must be unicorn semen.

I use Plexus on the windscreen and on motorcycle windscreens too. Most of the Goldwing riders I know use Pledge. I may change depending on the continuing market price for unicorn spluge.
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Never have priced unicorn semen...
 
Radar Contact said:
I guess I’m on an island. One can of plexus every 6 months seems pretty small in the aircraft ownership game. Besides, I think I’m addicted to the smell. :)
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man they cleaned my windows inside and out with it at annual- that would smell awesome in my car but man I couldn’t wait to pour on the oily smelling cabin heat and get that vintage airplane smell back!

If you think I’m lying I’ll give you my GFs number she’ll vouch for me :)
 
Llewtrah381 said:
I’ve been using this stuff for probably 12 years and am happy with it. Somewhat hard to find but reasonably priced when I find it at an FBO, typically near OSH (the company is in Racine). First found it at a TINY FBO at a large field near Austin, so it is/was around.

View attachment 95362
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$7 on Aircraft Spruce
 
Radar Contact said:
I guess I’m on an island. One can of plexus every 6 months seems pretty small in the aircraft ownership game. Besides, I think I’m addicted to the smell. :)
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I hear ya Kevin. I'm addicted to Lucas' Slick Mist speed wax which smells like bananas. That, together with Lemon Pledge makes for a really fruity smelling airplane.
 
jd21476 said:
Really? Lemon pledge on your windshield. Does it leave it clean without a film build up or anything?
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Yes.

And silicon is the main ingredient, which a lot of airplane people like to stay away from.
 
172andyou said:
Yes.

And silicon is the main ingredient, which a lot of airplane people like to stay away from.
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What is so scary about the element silicon? Gotta stay away from all those computer chips in your avionics in that case.

Edit: gallium is one element I would be scared of, but not silicon.
 
172andyou said:
Yes.

And silicon is the main ingredient, which a lot of airplane people like to stay away from.
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Silicon (or silicon dioxide or silicon carbide) would be really bad for acrylic--too abrasive. o_O On the other hand, silicone (a polymer) is pretty inert, and provides a slippery, wax-like surface that is ideal for cleaning and preserving acrylics.

The main difference between lemon Pledge and an acrylic cleaner like Novus #1 is the carrier. Novus is suspended in isopropyl alcohol, whereas Pledge is suspended in naphtha. (Pledge also contains some paraffin and fatty esters in addition to silicones.) I wouldn't leave naphtha sitting on on acrylic windows for a prolonged period. Spray on and wipe off should be OK.
 
I ran out of the two bottles of stuff I got from Sportys several years ago and had the FBO give me a can of Plexus and told them to put it on my monthly bill. I have no idea how much it cost, but it works great. Even if it does cost $25 a can, it will last a year or two, so amortized it’s probably a buck a month or less.
 
My canopy is Plexiglas but the front windscreen is Lexan. Pledge works well for both.
 
I've used almost everything. Brillianize is my favorite.
 
5QK said:
I've used almost everything. Brillianize is my favorite.
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Same here, Brillianize. Hangar friend been using it on his 1976 A36 for the last 40 years, along with paper towels (no microfiber). Windshield and windows are original and look new.
 
Another Brillianize fan. You only need a small amount, and it leaves no haze. I like to use water first and soften up the bugs; then Brillianize. I'm still on my first 32-oz. bottle, after 5 years of flying!

Plexus works well too, and I've used some slightly more abrasive Novus polish to get rid of some minor scratches.
 
If Pledge damages windshields I guess it takes about 70 years so I'm half way there.
 
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