The secret to Water spot removal is you need an acidic cleaner. The majority of cleaners , aka Glass cleaner , detailers spray, brasso, etc are all basic or ph neutral so will do little for water spots. The toilet bowl cleaner u picked has a ph of 4-4.5~. The one people prolly intended to recommend was likely one that contained hydrochloric acid with ph around 1-2. Barkeepers friend combines an acid (oxalic ph~ 1.5-2.5) and some mild abrasive bits (feldspar) which kinda gets you the best of both worlds. As the acid dissolves/breaks down the calcium/magnesium, the abrasive helps scrub/break it apart exposing more to the acid . Plus the thickener in it keep its clinging to the surface, unlike vinegar and clr. Tbh i'd guess the barkeepers friend would be just as concerning as the clr straight as it has a ph of ~2. I wouldn't be that worried as long as you do it out of direct sunlight and rinse well after without letting it dry.
@@AmplifyDIY anytime, it was great to see you do a shootout of all the items given the same amount of time. I've tried 2 clay bars, glass cleaners, car compound, etc which were all meh before doing a deep nerd dive and finding out the ph is the key. I edited my post to add a lil extra detail. Thanks for the great Vid! If you were interested in making a round 2 i'd recommend oven glass cooktop cleaner, a hydrochloric acid toilet cleaner, and a commercial hard water spot remover marketed for cars like meguiars/griots.
Thanks, Jeff! Not sure I'll do another round (have to wait until next summer for all the water spots to re-develop on that car - it is parked in the same area, where overspray from sprinklers is unavoidable) - but if I do, I'll stick to a smaller set of products, with specific ph levels, and probably that are already aimed at doing this job. I really liked the idea of finding a way to remove water spots with something that my viewers possibly already had on hand at home, so I've stayed away from the commercial cleaners such as meguiars/griots/chemical guys. Maybe a shoot-out between those and my current favorite combo of BF + Bronze wool to see which is better / cheaper. Thanks again for the feedback, and for watching!
Ok. I'm back. I clicked your link and bought the products I needed for the winning solution. My Son helped me clean every window and it worked! I tried so many things to get rid of those spots. I couldn't even drive at night because the on-coming headlights reflected off of the spots and I couldn't see! Well, it took a little over an hour with both of us using Bar Keepers liquid and bronze wool and I'm happy to tell you that I'm able to drive at night again. I'm 67 years old and I'm enjoying my 3 year old car again ❤❤❤. Thank-you so very much for this video. It's one of my most helpful and saved videos.
Thank you so much!!! You just saved me about $8000. I have several floor-to-ceiling glass wall showers in my house that were severely etched with hard water spots. I've tried everything imaginable to get the spots off incuding an orbital buffer with a glass buffing compound. Nothing has worked. I was told by several different glass contractors that nothing could be done to salvage them. They all said replacement was the only option and the quotes were all around $8000. I watched your video with a little skepticism but thought maybe one last try was in order. I went to the local Ace Hardware and bought fine bronze wool and Barkeeper's Friend. I worked a small area of the glass with light pressure for about 30 seconds and rinsed. I am totally blown away! It made the glass crystal clear like new. Thank you!
I used the BAR KEEPERS FRIEND AND IT WORKED JUST FINE. 1. APPLIED IT TO THE WINDOW WITH A MICROFIBER PAD SWIRL MARKS. 2. TOOK A PAPER TOWEL AND SOAKED IT WIPED IT OFF YOU CAN SEE THE WATER SPOTS HERE SCRUB A BIT UNTIL YOU HERE SWEAKING. YOU CAN RINSE IT. THEN USE GLASS CLEANER. I applied twice.😊 Great video!
It was really fun to try out so many viewer suggestions, to see for myself which ones worked well. Thank you again to all my awesome viewers for all the ideas!
@@nelsonassociate1 Specialty products like that can work well, but they are *much* more expensive. For example, a 16oz bottle of the ChemicalGuys stuff runs $20 + shipping + tax, all in comes to over $26. That's more than $1.50/oz. Compare that to Barkeeper's Friend: I can pick up a *26oz* bottle at my local Wal-Mart for under $3.00, or for around *11 cents* / oz. To many, this may not matter, but to some, saving every penny is important... and the whole point of my testing in this video was to try to find a solution with something that you may already have lying around the house in your cleaning supplies. Thanks for watching!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK!!!! I had all but given up on my windshield and was preparing to get a new windshield! i watched your video and then bought Bar Keepers Friend.... my windshield is now clear as new.... i did go over it twice and also used a non scratching kitchen pad... THANK YOU
Thank You so much for taking the time to setup a very scientific method of comparison. I went out and bought a Bottle of Bar Keepers Friend at Lowes for just under 4 bucks. Within less than an hour all the glass on my 2018 Civic Si looked amazing. I used very little pressure. I wiped on an initial coat and then worked in a quick second coat. Buffed off with clean towels and was blown away. I tried several other paths too in the recent past. This is Hands Down the easiest to use with the best results.
Im glad that I came across your video. I have been fighting with these water spots on my glass for a few months now. Barkeepers Friend was a solid choice and my glass has never looked better! Thank you!
This was such a very helpful video and timely since I was really having a hard time removing waterspots on my windshield and I'm about to waste a ton of money testing out products that might not work. Thank you for this very thorough video. Keep doing a great job. You're helping a ton of people.
Thanks so much. I needed advice immediately, and found your vid. The only thing I had around was white vinegar and Bar Keeper's Friend. I started with BKF and the scrubby side of 3M sponge. My water spots were weeks old, not months old, and that did the trick without much scrubbing. No need for vinegar. I rinsed clean and finished with glass cleaner. Sparkling.
He only used 1 product out of 10 that was made for the car. Even then he didn't use it per it's intended purpose as the clay bar is for removing items from the paint
I used this method with the barkeeper's friend and bronze wool pads linked above and, while it worked, it also left very fine scratches in the glass. However, I used the Barkeeper's friend just on some blue shop paper towels and it worked great with no scratches. It didn't take but a minute or two per window.
Why not just use 0000 steel wool and toss it when done? The bronze wool is intriguing but I bet with the cost difference, the steel wool is a more disposable option.
Good to know! I'll definitely put some Bar Keepers friend in my detailing kit! It's a bit messy so I think I'll use it on exterior glass only. For interior glass the only thing I think the BKF might be worth the risk of spillage would be for Fog X residue or the film left behind by a leaking heater core. I use cerium oxide (lapidary compund) use for those situations and it is like magic. I'll take a small amount of the cerium oxide and a plastic cup and make a thick paste and dab a damp towel in the paste and wipe it on and rub it around and then, with a clean damp towel, I'll wipe off the excess. Then get a new ramp towel and wipe it off again. And again. And again. I'm not joking. It's an ultra fine powder and it does not dissolve in water. That's why I only use it in those extreme situations. Because the clean up is so time consuming the potential to have some of the paste or powder getting on the carpet the seats isn't worth the risk. If you do make a mess, grab a squirt bottle and a shop vac and spray and lift until gone. Seriously, it's a nightmare to clean up. The only reason I'm interested in whether or not the BKF will do the same job is that 1 oz of the cerium oxide costs $15 at my local gem shop. Sounds ridiculous but anyone that's ever tried getting Fog X or coolant film off a windrow will tell you what an absolute nightmare it is.
Objective: Happy Life............"Next time you want to test window cleaning products and procedures, do it on the living room windows!" says the wifey. You make some of the BEST videos. More please!!!!
WOW 👍👍👍👍👍👍. I have been trying to remove the water spots that looked exactly like the ones on your windows for a while now with disappointing results. I decided after seeing your video and results to give the Bar Keepers and Bronze Wool a shot. Holy s*%t it did an awesome job. I stopped cleaning the windows just to put a positive comment as I was so impressed. The only thing for those who read this is a recommendation to put painter tape on the bottom seal as the wool sheds and is hard to remove. Thanks for the great video a a happy viewer. Please keep the great content coming! UPDATE.... When I did this in the driveway with the products that you had links on and did it on an overcast day the results looks awesome. In the bright sun today I see some swirling and was curious if you noticed any on yours? Thanks
Hi John - I did notice some very faint whorls or nicks in the glass of the first window I cleaned this way, but they did not line up with the cleaning pattern I used... i.e., I used very small circles, these were longer, straighter sorts of marks... and so faint as to be basically invisible. I went back and checked my footage, and with the strong flashlight on some of my test footage I could actually see some of these blemishes in the window *before* I cleaned them. After I cleaned the first of my truck windows, I went and looked very (and I mean VERY) carefully at the others - still covered with water spots... and could just barely make out similar marks sort of being hidden/masked by the massive water spot problem. My conclusion is that these marks on the glass were actually there *before* I cleaned anything, and the cleaning was so effective at removing the water spots now you can see these blemishes which were previously hidden. The only caveat to that: rear-view mirrors. I cleaned my driver's-side rear view mirror with the bronze wool, and it *definitely* left some very very faint swirl marks that matched my cleaning movements. I only used barkeepers friend on the passenger side and there are no similar swirls there. My only conclusion from that is the rear view mirrors are either not actually glass (polycarbonate or some other polymer, perhaps?) or they have a coating on them to reduce glare. No matter how the faint blemishes wind up on a window, the easiest way to get them gone is with a DA polisher and some polishing compound. Most homeowner's don't have access to those, but if the blemishes really bug you, that's the next step. Good luck!
@@johnw1178 curious did you use the Da polisher on the swirls? I do residential and commercial window cleaning. I use both bars keepers friend and steel wool for cleaning. I would not recommend using the steel wool with bars keepers because it does scratch the glass. Im not 100% sure if bronze wool scratches the glass when using both but I know for sure steel wool does. Which would lead me to believe bronze does the same. And it will only show up in certain sunlights throughout the day if you catch it with your eye is the only thing. It’s very fine scratches. So I’m wondering if a da polisher would remove them?
@@ShamarHenderson Shamar, I did find some noticeable swirls and even with the DA it was difficult to remove them. Fortunately I only did one small rear window on my truck. I found some other interesting videos with one that I think works great. It removed the swirls from my attempt with the Bar Keepers and bronze wool. I ended up purchasing Meguiar's Water Spot Remover and Multi Surface Polish. I tired it on the other rear window without using the Bar Keepers and wool. Using the DA and Meguiar's the results were perfect. I also purchased a 3" pad specific for window polishing. Never having done this before I took my time and had to make a few passes and the windows look like new. I sealed them with Rain-X after I was finished and they shed water amazingly. When done it was hard to tell if the window was open or closed which says it all! I hope this helps in your efforts.
Comet, Ajax, Bar keeper friend, all work the same. Just wet the towels, apply powder to it, then rub it on the mirror scrubbing like buffing it then rinse. I used it on side rear view mirror of my car, window, windshield and it 100% working.x
I literally just fell over this video. I've been struggling for ages with hard water spots on my suped up Turbo Mitsi. I did OOOO steel wool and got the glass kind of clean and just shrugged shoulders and thought that be me. Not anymore thanks to you sir! I am going to get Barkeepers Friend tomorrow and finally going to actually clean my windows. Should I use it with OOOO steel wool too? Thank you. I subscribed to learn more DIY from you. Best from me Down Under in Middle Earth!
Sorry for the late response! I hope you were able to get your spots handled - I recommend Barkeeper's Friend alone first, and if you need more scrubbing power add in the bronze wool I showed in the video. Good luck!
Ha! I knew it! Oxalic Acid. I`ve been using it on regular tub tiles and it makes them spotless, and keeps them and the white grout cleaner much longer. Amazing on most things around the kitchen and bathroom too.
I once use a touch-less car shampoo, the one that is supposed to be used with water lance, but I use it manually by using 1:3 water mix and use wash mitt. it magically removed all those water spots. It also cleaned the car pretty easy, like I just swap it once and it's clean! I'm afraid to use it often because I think it contains hard chemicals.
Great comparison, and I liked how you kept it scientific. One question: with using both Barkeepers Friend and the copper wool... did you apply the BF with the wool pad, or was it simply a two step process (each individually)? Thanks in advance!
I don’t normally comment but I just bought a house that’s glass shower doors have never been cleaned, tried almost everything home remedy and nothing worked. Even tried BKF with just a non scratch sponge and it did nothing. Tried again but this time with bronze wool. WOW. Literally can see the glass again. Look no further-BKF and bronze wool!! Thank you so much!!!
Thank you so much for your clear (hehe) demonstration of solutions! I have a window that gets hit by sprinkler water and is a mess of hard water spots because we couldn’t find a solution to ever remove them. I’m definitely going to try the BKF and fine wool pads this weekend and see how it goes!
Definitely enjoyed this comparison. I always wondered if Barkeepers Friend would work on those stubborn water spots… now we know! Grabbing some steel wool tomorrow … I’ve been putting off scrubbing the windows all year and now is a good a time as any before the winter hits and the road salt really makes the windows impossible to look through lol
PS - I actually went with the #0000 steel wool… why? Because I located it first lol. I did the 30 seconds rub on all areas of all windows, and easily saw around a 75% improvement. I was doing it during a rainstorm and it worked out just fine. When the weather finally clears up (we’ve been dealing with the remnants of a tropical storm for days now) I will polish up all areas again which I’m sure will clear everything off. I may try the Barkeepers Friend if I don’t get satisfactory results on the next go-around. Again thanks for this vid series my friend! You likely saved thousands of folks from pulling their hair out from those spots.
I haven’t tried it myself but asked on Facebook about removing hard water spots from sprinklers and several people suggested trying ( chemical guys- heavy duty water spot remover )
I’ve used similar techniques. The one I find works best is to wash the windows with Windex, followed by sprinkling baking power on the windows. Spray with diluted ammonia to create a paste-like consistency. Using 9 volt battery, attach wires to each terminal and the other ends to opposite sides of the window (example: the left corner and right corner… or conversely front and back). Let sit for 10 minutes. Wash the window with deionized water. Apply a fine mist of concentrated lemon juice. Apply a fine mist of vinegar. Now apply baking SODA to the window… this can be done in any manner you see fit, a lot or a little it doesn’t matter too much. Tune the car radio to a station that has a LOT of static / white noise. Turn the volume of the radio to 95%, or near full volume making sure the bass frequencies are raised all the way up. Let the static play for 20 minutes… 25 minutes for tough water spots. Wash the cake of Baking Soda off windows. Grab an acetylene blow torch. Apply medium high heat to affected area for 2 seconds. Watch the magic happen. You’re welcome.
After multiple days of unsuccessfully trying several different methods (including some that are in this video) you finally gave me a solution. Thank you so much!
@@AmplifyDIY Do you have a recommendation for getting water spots off of side mirrors? The same method that works for the windows doesn't work for the mirrors unfortunately
Can confirm that barkeepers friend works! I used with 0000 steel wool and omg its saving me $400 in replacing my front windshield due to how bad the water was on it! and it only costed me $10 and some sore muscles to do a couple rounds. thank you sooo much!
I use cerium oxide and found that it works very well and fairly easy even by hand because c.o. is used for polishing gemstones. Some windscreen products (eg. Sonax profiline glass polish) probably includes some cerium oxide powder.
I have used 0000 steel wool in the past with no issues, but I recently bought a truck with horrendous water spots accumulated over a decade. I used steel wool and dawn to get them off, and it worked for the most part, but I was left with a lot of micro scratches in the glass. Fortunately, I have Ceriglass and a rayon pad that will clean them up, but when going to use steel wool, I probably should have knocked the mineral deposits down with a chemical before using the steel wool, since I imagine the mineral build up is what did the scratching.
I tried many types and brands of watermark remover. None of them really worked. The simplest and easiest way to remove those watermarks is by using normal car polish that you already have. I use the liquid type car polish. easy to apply and using normal pressure to rub it off.
I'm glad to find a more economical product not just for our old truck windshield but we will try it on the exterior windows that have a thick film of hard water deposits from our swamp cooler leaking this summer. Sure hope that goes well.
I just found this July 21 2023 because my home's windows are covered in water spots from sprinklers (unrelenting NM winds!). I understand that Bar Keeper's Friend is the best product to remove them, with either 0000 bronze or 0000 copper wool. It's not clear which of those you mean because you say "copper", yet show bronze. Could you please clarify that so I buy the right product? Also, is quadruple 0 important? I have 00 steel wool on hand, but will buy the bronze since you say it doesn't rust and is a bit more gentle (if I remember that correctly). Thanks so much for doing this experiment. I've tried them all over the years (except fabric softener-really?!). An old TH-cam video recommended toilet bowl cleaner, but specified the original Lysol. He was very emphatic about getting that one and no other, for what that's worth. I got the one he recommended and found it didn't work all that well, although far better than just a cup of vinegar & a few drops of Dawn in a bucket of water. I may have already ruined our Low-E windows with the toilet bowl cleaner, so trying Bar Keeper's Friend (far more gentle) probably won't make matters worse. I even ordered and tried the water spot remover and detailing spray from The Chemical Guys (cars). That combo didn't do a thing for my windows, unfortunately, and I ordered 2 bottles of each---live and learn! At least with Bar Keepers Friend I can use it on the household sinks if it doesn't work on the windows. It's the best cleaner for stainless steel sinks (and Instant Pot liners!) that I've found, but that''s another video! Thank you again. Please post the correct type of wool to use.
Hi Marilyn - apologies for the confusion on the type of wool. I should have consistently said "Bronze Wool", just get the finest grade you can get. I believe the package I used is not listed with numbers like #0000 but rather just says "Coarse", "Medium", or "Fine". Before you use any metals at all though, try the BKF by itself with just a simple cleaning cloth or sponge. That may be all you need. If that does not do it, move on to using a fine bronze wool as well. Good luck!
Great video! thanks, very helpful. I knew that the winner would be bar keepers - my wife suggested it and we use it in the kitchen. Works on the inside of my wood stove door
I've never had a water spots problem on my car windows BUT I have had a real problem with hard water deposits caused by lawn sprinklers on building windows. The solution I finally learn that Really Works is "Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Advanced Power, without bleach." A quarter size amount on an old wash rag will clean the average size window in no time. Depending on how long those deposits have been there a little elbow grease may be necessary. I use a hose to rinse it off and the water flows off just like a newly waxed car. After squeegeeing, the glass shines like new. In addition to my homes windows I wash 64 windows at our church plus several glass doors. Other church members are amazed at how clean the windows are now so I tell them what I used and their feedback has been positive using this product. So on your next test of products try this formula of Toilet Bowl Cleaner and see what you find.
At 11:05, you say copper pad. Obviously you mean bronze pad - so you might want to put in a *bronze on the screen - like you did at 11:21 and 11:40. You're a great & calm speaker and a great video!
There are dedicated hard water stain removers that professional window cleaners use that aren't expensive. They are basically bar keepers friend but already premixed into a paste. Some brands include Titan A1, Diamond Magic, Bring-It-On etc. In the last couple of years, Super-fine grade bronze wool is not being manufactured anymore, and from my experience "Fine" grade bronze wool scratches glass. Instead use 0000 grade Steel wool with a dedicated Hard Water Stain Remover for the best results.
THANK-YOU!!! I've been having to stay home after dark because the oncoming headlights hitting my water-spotted windshield makes it impossible to see. I've watched so many videos on this subject and tried ALL of them (except the razorblade one😱) and nothing worked. My car has less than 20K miles so it's not an old car. I just clicked your Bar Keepers Friend link and ordered it! I'll let you know how I do in a few days. I just turned 67 and my patience is almost non-existent 😂. 😅❤
Hello there how’s things I use a Ali brite aluminium and stainless steel whipe on and then let dry wast off with windex spots gorn no hard scratching easy whole car in 15 minutes
Thank you for a great video. Editing was great. I am going to try the Barkeepers, but what is the next step? I hope to have great results, but the glass with be "raw" after. Is there a sealant (ceramic, car wax, RainEx) that you would recommend after the glass is super clean?
Thanks so much for this, I had good luck with the 0000 steel wool, and intend to try the Bar Keepers with the brass wool. Now I have a question for you; since the Bar Keepers is a soft cleanser, it prompted me to try Soft Scrub all purpose cleanser. The label doesn't mention glass, but it is safe for glass top stoves. I tried a small test spot on my car windshield, and it removed virtually all of the water spots with very little effort! My question, what is your take? I don't see any damage to the glass, but maybe you would have an opinion. Also, would stove top cleaner be effective and safe to use? Thanks in advance for your advice!
I had not thought to try soft scrub, but it is listed as safe to use on glass. If it works well for you, then that's great! Both soft scrub and typical glass stove top cleaners use an abrasive approach to cleaning tough stains / kitchen messes. As long as the product is listed as safe for glass, then the abrasives in it should not scratch your car's windshield...However, I prefer Bar Keeper's Friend because it combines a mild abrasive similar to what is in Soft Scrub with an acid that specifically targets the mineral deposits typically left behind in water spots. For me, this has been an excellent solution. Thanks for watching!
Nice job !!! Love the scientific method. Though 30 seconds is not enough to really show what a 30 min soak would do...gonna get some bar keeper and copper or brass wool... Other products that you would use on glass top stoves would make a great follow-up video. Like pink stuff and scrub daddy my goto or several specific glass top compounds. Anyway Thank you 😊
I went with 30 seconds because that's about how long it takes if you use Barkeeper's Friend. If I have to let something sit and soak for 30 mins... that's no longer a fast and easy job. Thanks for watching!
I got a new black vehicle and had perfectly horrible water spots on both the glass and the paint after washing. I thought a coat of wax would take care of the water spots on the paint, but, if anything, it made them more noticeable. Today, I went to Walmart and got a chamois and I can’t believe what a great job it’s doing all by itself, just plain water. The areas I waxed I will have to use waterless wash to take care of those spots, I assume it’s taking off the wax, as well. Chamois all by itself, just moistened, seems to be all you need! Time for another test?
I use Rain-X All Season windshield cleaner. It works great. I don't understand all the muss and fuss over water spots with steel wool & and the extremes people go to , just to remove them. Rain-X has a high alcohol content that makes it a great cleaner and it coats the glass with a protective coating. I wash my house windows with it. I used to wash my house windows around every 3 months. Now, I do it far less. Its the coating that repels dirt. The stuff is the best and removes road tar, etc.
@@secessionnow4133 It shouldn't require steel wool, polishing blocks or extraordinary measures to remove water spots. Water spots in and of themselves shouldn't be some enigma or bulletproof and difficult problem to tackle. They should be easy to remove under normal circumstances. I live in the country, maybe theirs toxic rain and / or tap water where you live? My water spots come off with ease my well water is very hard. Its not good for washing cars.
Hi there. Great video. I want to try the bronze wool, but the suggestion in the "SHOP" section of the video description says "#000" bronze wool, but the only bronze wool I can find do not have that identifier. Are "#000" and "fine" the same thing for bronze wool?
The Fine grade is perfect, and is what I used in this video. Some manufacturers call it Fine, others do things with the numbering system. I changed the shop link label to reflect how it's listed on Amazon. Apologies for the confusion, and thanks for pointing this out!
Oh, yeah. I almost forgot to mention that the fastest best way to remove water spots is Maguiar's Ultimate Compound and a random orbital buffer/polisher. Can't be beat.
Just used powdered barkeepers friend with a scrub daddy on my glass shower doors and it worked with very minimal scrubbing. I tried EVERYTHING (toilet bowl cleaner, vinegar, CLR, scrubbing the hell out of it, etc) and nothing worked. Thank you, I was losing my mind trying to get that glass clean.
I can't believe you didn't try plain old alcohol... Actually, that's what's in most class cleaners. Maybe ammonia, too? Works much better than vinegar.
Hi Rocker - I would *NOT* recommend sandpaper of any kind. If you don't have copper wool, try the Bar Keeper's Friend alone. If that does not work, you can try a buffing/polishing compound from your local auto parts store. This will require a lot of elbow grease or an electric buffer if you have one.. but will definitely remove anything that the Barkeeper's Friend does not. Good luck!
I just got done power buffing my windows with barkeeper's friend. I watched this video because I had no success whatsoever with barkeeper's friend. Imagine my surprise to find out it was the best thing tested. In my experience, it is worthless. I applied it with distilled water as a kind of paste, spread it around, let it sit for a couple minutes, buffed with a power buffer, washed it off, dried it, just as many spots as when I started.
Interesting - this may seem like a dumb question, but is there any chance the spots are on the *inside* of the glass? Also, there is a possibility that the glass is actually etched rather than full of deposits from hard water stains... The only solution I've ever seen work with etched windows is to use a cutting compound and DA polisher. Good luck!
Hi Nikhil - yes, #0000 steel wool works well. Test it on a small area first to make sure you don't have any special coatings on the glass that the steel wool might scratch. Good luck!
FYI-I watched another video where a guy compared plumbers putty with soapy water to the clay bar & soapy water on cleaning windows and car paint and the plumbers putty was the winner.
That's interesting - I never would have thought to try plumber's putty... but honestly, Barkeeper's Friend works so well, I'm not sure I'll bother even trying anything else. Thanks for watching!
I know from experience, that when you combine a product like Bar Keepers friend with 0000 steel wool you will get amazing results - I would not recommend 0000 steel wool on tinted windows and always try another product on a small area first
Hi Wade - I just followed the instructions on the bottle of BKF, which say to get the surface wet... I believe it was just plain water that I used. Good luck!
Back in the 60s my mom cleaned windows with Glass Wax. It was kind of like a liquid rubbing compound for windows. You would smear it on and let it dry. Then wipe off the residue with a clean cloth.
The secret to Water spot removal is you need an acidic cleaner. The majority of cleaners , aka Glass cleaner , detailers spray, brasso, etc are all basic or ph neutral so will do little for water spots.
The toilet bowl cleaner u picked has a ph of 4-4.5~. The one people prolly intended to recommend was likely one that contained hydrochloric acid with ph around 1-2.
Barkeepers friend combines an acid (oxalic ph~ 1.5-2.5) and some mild abrasive bits (feldspar) which kinda gets you the best of both worlds. As the acid dissolves/breaks down the calcium/magnesium, the abrasive helps scrub/break it apart exposing more to the acid . Plus the thickener in it keep its clinging to the surface, unlike vinegar and clr.
Tbh i'd guess the barkeepers friend would be just as concerning as the clr straight as it has a ph of ~2. I wouldn't be that worried as long as you do it out of direct sunlight and rinse well after without letting it dry.
Thanks for the extra insight. That 1-2 punch of the oxalic acid and feldspar is really effective!
@@AmplifyDIY anytime, it was great to see you do a shootout of all the items given the same amount of time. I've tried 2 clay bars, glass cleaners, car compound, etc which were all meh before doing a deep nerd dive and finding out the ph is the key. I edited my post to add a lil extra detail. Thanks for the great Vid!
If you were interested in making a round 2 i'd recommend oven glass cooktop cleaner, a hydrochloric acid toilet cleaner, and a commercial hard water spot remover marketed for cars like meguiars/griots.
Thanks, Jeff! Not sure I'll do another round (have to wait until next summer for all the water spots to re-develop on that car - it is parked in the same area, where overspray from sprinklers is unavoidable) - but if I do, I'll stick to a smaller set of products, with specific ph levels, and probably that are already aimed at doing this job.
I really liked the idea of finding a way to remove water spots with something that my viewers possibly already had on hand at home, so I've stayed away from the commercial cleaners such as meguiars/griots/chemical guys. Maybe a shoot-out between those and my current favorite combo of BF + Bronze wool to see which is better / cheaper.
Thanks again for the feedback, and for watching!
I really like the barkeeps friend and will give that a shot. I also have muriatic acid. Would that be equal to hydrochloric acid???
@@Fresh-tw7ev yeah it’s the same stuff but imo is a bit to hazardous to be worth the trouble.
Ok. I'm back. I clicked your link and bought the products I needed for the winning solution. My Son helped me clean every window and it worked! I tried so many things to get rid of those spots. I couldn't even drive at night because the on-coming headlights reflected off of the spots and I couldn't see! Well, it took a little over an hour with both of us using Bar Keepers liquid and bronze wool and I'm happy to tell you that I'm able to drive at night again. I'm 67 years old and I'm enjoying my 3 year old car again ❤❤❤. Thank-you so very much for this video. It's one of my most helpful and saved videos.
Thank you so much!!! You just saved me about $8000. I have several floor-to-ceiling glass wall showers in my house that were severely etched with hard water spots. I've tried everything imaginable to get the spots off incuding an orbital buffer with a glass buffing compound. Nothing has worked. I was told by several different glass contractors that nothing could be done to salvage them. They all said replacement was the only option and the quotes were all around $8000. I watched your video with a little skepticism but thought maybe one last try was in order. I went to the local Ace Hardware and bought fine bronze wool and Barkeeper's Friend. I worked a small area of the glass with light pressure for about 30 seconds and rinsed. I am totally blown away! It made the glass crystal clear like new. Thank you!
Did you try it on car window?
Hey T - that's fantastic! I'm so glad that this is going to help save you so much money!
@@Kuasarakyat2 no my car windows don’t need it. It was glass shower walls.
I have the same problem with a shower door, so how do you do? You polishing with circle motions till the barkeepers dry up totally?
I used the BAR KEEPERS FRIEND AND IT WORKED JUST FINE. 1. APPLIED IT TO THE WINDOW WITH A MICROFIBER PAD SWIRL MARKS. 2. TOOK A PAPER TOWEL AND SOAKED IT WIPED IT OFF YOU CAN SEE THE WATER SPOTS HERE SCRUB A BIT UNTIL YOU HERE SWEAKING. YOU CAN RINSE IT. THEN USE GLASS CLEANER. I applied twice.😊 Great video!
It was really fun to try out so many viewer suggestions, to see for myself which ones worked well. Thank you again to all my awesome viewers for all the ideas!
All you need for this is chemical guys’ heavy duty water spot remover.
@@nelsonassociate1 Specialty products like that can work well, but they are *much* more expensive. For example, a 16oz bottle of the ChemicalGuys stuff runs $20 + shipping + tax, all in comes to over $26. That's more than $1.50/oz. Compare that to Barkeeper's Friend: I can pick up a *26oz* bottle at my local Wal-Mart for under $3.00, or for around *11 cents* / oz.
To many, this may not matter, but to some, saving every penny is important... and the whole point of my testing in this video was to try to find a solution with something that you may already have lying around the house in your cleaning supplies.
Thanks for watching!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK!!!! I had all but given up on my windshield and was preparing to get a new windshield! i watched your video and then bought Bar Keepers Friend.... my windshield is now clear as new.... i did go over it twice and also used a non scratching kitchen pad... THANK YOU
Awesome!
Thank You so much for taking the time to setup a very scientific method of comparison. I went out and bought a Bottle of Bar Keepers Friend at Lowes for just under 4 bucks. Within less than an hour all the glass on my 2018 Civic Si looked amazing. I used very little pressure. I wiped on an initial coat and then worked in a quick second coat. Buffed off with clean towels and was blown away. I tried several other paths too in the recent past. This is Hands Down the easiest to use with the best results.
Awesome, thank you Tiger!
Im glad that I came across your video. I have been fighting with these water spots on my glass for a few months now. Barkeepers Friend was a solid choice and my glass has never looked better! Thank you!
Awesome, Brent!
This was such a very helpful video and timely since I was really having a hard time removing waterspots on my windshield and I'm about to waste a ton of money testing out products that might not work. Thank you for this very thorough video. Keep doing a great job. You're helping a ton of people.
You are so welcome!
Thanks so much. I needed advice immediately, and found your vid. The only thing I had around was white vinegar and Bar Keeper's Friend. I started with BKF and the scrubby side of 3M sponge. My water spots were weeks old, not months old, and that did the trick without much scrubbing. No need for vinegar. I rinsed clean and finished with glass cleaner. Sparkling.
Thanks for testing all these! I hate how these companies make you waste your money on car cleaning products that don't do anything!
He only used 1 product out of 10 that was made for the car. Even then he didn't use it per it's intended purpose as the clay bar is for removing items from the paint
I used this method with the barkeeper's friend and bronze wool pads linked above and, while it worked, it also left very fine scratches in the glass. However, I used the Barkeeper's friend just on some blue shop paper towels and it worked great with no scratches. It didn't take but a minute or two per window.
Why not just use 0000 steel wool and toss it when done? The bronze wool is intriguing but I bet with the cost difference, the steel wool is a more disposable option.
@@AllRightsReservd the steel or bronze wool scratches. Just use the barkeepers friend alone.
Good to know! I'll definitely put some Bar Keepers friend in my detailing kit! It's a bit messy so I think I'll use it on exterior glass only. For interior glass the only thing I think the BKF might be worth the risk of spillage would be for Fog X residue or the film left behind by a leaking heater core. I use cerium oxide (lapidary compund) use for those situations and it is like magic. I'll take a small amount of the cerium oxide and a plastic cup and make a thick paste and dab a damp towel in the paste and wipe it on and rub it around and then, with a clean damp towel, I'll wipe off the excess. Then get a new ramp towel and wipe it off again. And again. And again. I'm not joking. It's an ultra fine powder and it does not dissolve in water. That's why I only use it in those extreme situations. Because the clean up is so time consuming the potential to have some of the paste or powder getting on the carpet the seats isn't worth the risk. If you do make a mess, grab a squirt bottle and a shop vac and spray and lift until gone. Seriously, it's a nightmare to clean up. The only reason I'm interested in whether or not the BKF will do the same job is that 1 oz of the cerium oxide costs $15 at my local gem shop. Sounds ridiculous but anyone that's ever tried getting Fog X or coolant film off a windrow will tell you what an absolute nightmare it is.
Objective: Happy Life............"Next time you want to test window cleaning products and procedures, do it on the living room windows!" says the wifey. You make some of the BEST videos. More please!!!!
WOW 👍👍👍👍👍👍. I have been trying to remove the water spots that looked exactly like the ones on your windows for a while now with disappointing results. I decided after seeing your video and results to give the Bar Keepers and Bronze Wool a shot. Holy s*%t it did an awesome job. I stopped cleaning the windows just to put a positive comment as I was so impressed. The only thing for those who read this is a recommendation to put painter tape on the bottom seal as the wool sheds and is hard to remove. Thanks for the great video a a happy viewer. Please keep the great content coming!
UPDATE.... When I did this in the driveway with the products that you had links on and did it on an overcast day the results looks awesome. In the bright sun today I see some swirling and was curious if you noticed any on yours? Thanks
Hi John - I did notice some very faint whorls or nicks in the glass of the first window I cleaned this way, but they did not line up with the cleaning pattern I used... i.e., I used very small circles, these were longer, straighter sorts of marks... and so faint as to be basically invisible. I went back and checked my footage, and with the strong flashlight on some of my test footage I could actually see some of these blemishes in the window *before* I cleaned them. After I cleaned the first of my truck windows, I went and looked very (and I mean VERY) carefully at the others - still covered with water spots... and could just barely make out similar marks sort of being hidden/masked by the massive water spot problem.
My conclusion is that these marks on the glass were actually there *before* I cleaned anything, and the cleaning was so effective at removing the water spots now you can see these blemishes which were previously hidden.
The only caveat to that: rear-view mirrors. I cleaned my driver's-side rear view mirror with the bronze wool, and it *definitely* left some very very faint swirl marks that matched my cleaning movements. I only used barkeepers friend on the passenger side and there are no similar swirls there. My only conclusion from that is the rear view mirrors are either not actually glass (polycarbonate or some other polymer, perhaps?) or they have a coating on them to reduce glare.
No matter how the faint blemishes wind up on a window, the easiest way to get them gone is with a DA polisher and some polishing compound. Most homeowner's don't have access to those, but if the blemishes really bug you, that's the next step. Good luck!
@@AmplifyDIY Thanks for the reply and suggestions. I am going to try the DA with some compound and see where I get.
@@johnw1178 curious did you use the Da polisher on the swirls?
I do residential and commercial window cleaning. I use both bars keepers friend and steel wool for cleaning. I would not recommend using the steel wool with bars keepers because it does scratch the glass. Im not 100% sure if bronze wool scratches the glass when using both but I know for sure steel wool does. Which would lead me to believe bronze does the same.
And it will only show up in certain sunlights throughout the day if you catch it with your eye is the only thing. It’s very fine scratches. So I’m wondering if a da polisher would remove them?
@@ShamarHenderson Shamar, I did find some noticeable swirls and even with the DA it was difficult to remove them. Fortunately I only did one small rear window on my truck. I found some other interesting videos with one that I think works great. It removed the swirls from my attempt with the Bar Keepers and bronze wool. I ended up purchasing Meguiar's Water Spot Remover and Multi Surface Polish. I tired it on the other rear window without using the Bar Keepers and wool. Using the DA and Meguiar's the results were perfect. I also purchased a 3" pad specific for window polishing. Never having done this before I took my time and had to make a few passes and the windows look like new. I sealed them with Rain-X after I was finished and they shed water amazingly. When done it was hard to tell if the window was open or closed which says it all! I hope this helps in your efforts.
Comet, Ajax, Bar keeper friend, all work the same.
Just wet the towels, apply powder to it, then rub it on the mirror scrubbing like buffing it then rinse.
I used it on side rear view mirror of my car, window, windshield and it 100% working.x
Not even powder BKF works as well as the cream he tried here. Sorry but hard disagree..BKF cream is king for tough stains
I literally just fell over this video.
I've been struggling for ages with hard water spots on my suped up Turbo Mitsi.
I did OOOO steel wool and got the glass kind of clean and just shrugged shoulders and thought that be me.
Not anymore thanks to you sir!
I am going to get Barkeepers Friend tomorrow and finally going to actually clean my windows.
Should I use it with OOOO steel wool too?
Thank you. I subscribed to learn more DIY from you.
Best from me Down Under in Middle Earth!
Sorry for the late response! I hope you were able to get your spots handled - I recommend Barkeeper's Friend alone first, and if you need more scrubbing power add in the bronze wool I showed in the video. Good luck!
Ha! I knew it! Oxalic Acid. I`ve been using it on regular tub tiles and it makes them spotless, and keeps them and the white grout cleaner much longer. Amazing on most things around the kitchen and bathroom too.
I once use a touch-less car shampoo, the one that is supposed to be used with water lance, but I use it manually by using 1:3 water mix and use wash mitt. it magically removed all those water spots. It also cleaned the car pretty easy, like I just swap it once and it's clean! I'm afraid to use it often because I think it contains hard chemicals.
Great comparison, and I liked how you kept it scientific. One question: with using both Barkeepers Friend and the copper wool... did you apply the BF with the wool pad, or was it simply a two step process (each individually)? Thanks in advance!
Hi Livenhfree - I did them separately, though you may be able to save some time by doing them together. Thanks for watching!
I don’t normally comment but I just bought a house that’s glass shower doors have never been cleaned, tried almost everything home remedy and nothing worked. Even tried BKF with just a non scratch sponge and it did nothing. Tried again but this time with bronze wool. WOW. Literally can see the glass again. Look no further-BKF and bronze wool!! Thank you so much!!!
That's great to hear, Angelica! I hope you love your new home!
Very cool - I'm looking forward to trying this out. The results on the tinted windows are amazing!
Thank you so much for your clear (hehe) demonstration of solutions! I have a window that gets hit by sprinkler water and is a mess of hard water spots because we couldn’t find a solution to ever remove them. I’m definitely going to try the BKF and fine wool pads this weekend and see how it goes!
Definitely enjoyed this comparison. I always wondered if Barkeepers Friend would work on those stubborn water spots… now we know! Grabbing some steel wool tomorrow … I’ve been putting off scrubbing the windows all year and now is a good a time as any before the winter hits and the road salt really makes the windows impossible to look through lol
PS - I actually went with the #0000 steel wool… why? Because I located it first lol. I did the 30 seconds rub on all areas of all windows, and easily saw around a 75% improvement. I was doing it during a rainstorm and it worked out just fine. When the weather finally clears up (we’ve been dealing with the remnants of a tropical storm for days now) I will polish up all areas again which I’m sure will clear everything off. I may try the Barkeepers Friend if I don’t get satisfactory results on the next go-around. Again thanks for this vid series my friend! You likely saved thousands of folks from pulling their hair out from those spots.
I haven’t tried it myself but asked on Facebook about removing hard water spots from sprinklers and several people suggested trying ( chemical guys- heavy duty water spot remover )
I’ve used similar techniques. The one I find works best is to wash the windows with Windex, followed by sprinkling baking power on the windows. Spray with diluted ammonia to create a paste-like consistency. Using 9 volt battery, attach wires to each terminal and the other ends to opposite sides of the window (example: the left corner and right corner… or conversely front and back). Let sit for 10 minutes. Wash the window with deionized water. Apply a fine mist of concentrated lemon juice. Apply a fine mist of vinegar. Now apply baking SODA to the window… this can be done in any manner you see fit, a lot or a little it doesn’t matter too much. Tune the car radio to a station that has a LOT of static / white noise. Turn the volume of the radio to 95%, or near full volume making sure the bass frequencies are raised all the way up. Let the static play for 20 minutes… 25 minutes for tough water spots. Wash the cake of Baking Soda off windows. Grab an acetylene blow torch. Apply medium high heat to affected area for 2 seconds. Watch the magic happen. You’re welcome.
You forgot to mention the need to place 3 tea candles on the roof, and 3 more on the hood during the step when the radio plays static for 20 minutes.
Groovy. Bet that did the job. Now, vacation before anybody asks you to do theirs. Lol
@@AmplifyDIY 😂😂
Love barkeeper's friend. Been using it for years, good stuff.
After multiple days of unsuccessfully trying several different methods (including some that are in this video) you finally gave me a solution. Thank you so much!
You're welcome!
@@AmplifyDIY Do you have a recommendation for getting water spots off of side mirrors? The same method that works for the windows doesn't work for the mirrors unfortunately
Can confirm that barkeepers friend works! I used with 0000 steel wool and omg its saving me $400 in replacing my front windshield due to how bad the water was on it! and it only costed me $10 and some sore muscles to do a couple rounds. thank you sooo much!
Awesome! Great work!
I use cerium oxide and found that it works very well and fairly easy even by hand because c.o. is used for polishing gemstones. Some windscreen products (eg. Sonax profiline glass polish) probably includes some cerium oxide powder.
Years ago a TV show “shade tree mechanic” showed the clean glass done by “bon ami”. Same type as bar keepers but hard to find in stores.
I have used 0000 steel wool in the past with no issues, but I recently bought a truck with horrendous water spots accumulated over a decade. I used steel wool and dawn to get them off, and it worked for the most part, but I was left with a lot of micro scratches in the glass. Fortunately, I have Ceriglass and a rayon pad that will clean them up, but when going to use steel wool, I probably should have knocked the mineral deposits down with a chemical before using the steel wool, since I imagine the mineral build up is what did the scratching.
I'd be curious to know if Bar Keeper's Friend would do anything at all to your deeply-etched damage. Thanks for watching!
Great video! I'd like to see a shootout between BK and Schaeffer's Citrol Cleaner w/Bronze wool!
I tried many types and brands of watermark remover. None of them really worked. The simplest and easiest way to remove those watermarks is by using normal car polish that you already have. I use the liquid type car polish. easy to apply and using normal pressure to rub it off.
I'm glad to find a more economical product not just for our old truck windshield but we will try it on the exterior windows that have a thick film of hard water deposits from our swamp cooler leaking this summer. Sure hope that goes well.
Good luck!
CLR Brilliant bath cleaner and chemical guys water spot remover have worked flawless for me.
Thx u soooooo much. I changed them by myself. Great tutorial!
I just found this July 21 2023 because my home's windows are covered in water spots from sprinklers (unrelenting NM winds!). I understand that Bar Keeper's Friend is the best product to remove them, with either 0000 bronze or 0000 copper wool. It's not clear which of those you mean because you say "copper", yet show bronze. Could you please clarify that so I buy the right product? Also, is quadruple 0 important? I have 00 steel wool on hand, but will buy the bronze since you say it doesn't rust and is a bit more gentle (if I remember that correctly). Thanks so much for doing this experiment. I've tried them all over the years (except fabric softener-really?!). An old TH-cam video recommended toilet bowl cleaner, but specified the original Lysol. He was very emphatic about getting that one and no other, for what that's worth. I got the one he recommended and found it didn't work all that well, although far better than just a cup of vinegar & a few drops of Dawn in a bucket of water. I may have already ruined our Low-E windows with the toilet bowl cleaner, so trying Bar Keeper's Friend (far more gentle) probably won't make matters worse. I even ordered and tried the water spot remover and detailing spray from The Chemical Guys (cars). That combo didn't do a thing for my windows, unfortunately, and I ordered 2 bottles of each---live and learn! At least with Bar Keepers Friend I can use it on the household sinks if it doesn't work on the windows. It's the best cleaner for stainless steel sinks (and Instant Pot liners!) that I've found, but that''s another video! Thank you again. Please post the correct type of wool to use.
Hi Marilyn - apologies for the confusion on the type of wool. I should have consistently said "Bronze Wool", just get the finest grade you can get. I believe the package I used is not listed with numbers like #0000 but rather just says "Coarse", "Medium", or "Fine". Before you use any metals at all though, try the BKF by itself with just a simple cleaning cloth or sponge. That may be all you need. If that does not do it, move on to using a fine bronze wool as well.
Good luck!
I'm going to pickup some bar keepers friend today. Thanks for the video
Great video! thanks, very helpful. I knew that the winner would be bar keepers - my wife suggested it and we use it in the kitchen. Works on the inside of my wood stove door
Awesome!!! Thank you for the revisit.
Some have used Mothers Aluminun / chrome polish [ paste ] and four 0000 zero , steel wool .
I've never had a water spots problem on my car windows BUT I have had a real problem with hard water deposits caused by lawn sprinklers on building windows.
The solution I finally learn that Really Works is "Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Advanced Power, without bleach."
A quarter size amount on an old wash rag will clean the average size window in no time.
Depending on how long those deposits have been there a little elbow grease may be necessary. I use a hose to rinse it off and the water flows off just like a newly waxed car.
After squeegeeing, the glass shines like new.
In addition to my homes windows I wash 64 windows at our church plus several glass doors. Other church members are amazed at how clean the windows are now so I tell them what I used and their feedback has been positive using this product.
So on your next test of products try this formula of Toilet Bowl Cleaner and see what you find.
Thanks for the tip!
household white vinegar is not a good cleaning agent, however they make 30% white vinegar as a cleaning and herbicide agent
I love bar keepers for my air fryer too.
Wheel acid diluted 1:1 works wonders. Its been working for me for over 10 years...just wash the window afterwards to neutralize the ph scale😊
Which one do you use? A lot of the pre made spot removers state that their product will work as intended on paint but will etch glass.
I use barkeepers friend on my glass top stove and it works super good.
At 11:05, you say copper pad. Obviously you mean bronze pad - so you might want to put in a *bronze on the screen - like you did at 11:21 and 11:40. You're a great & calm speaker and a great video!
Excellent video! Very well done.
Thank you! Cheers!
Awesome video and good stuff.👍👍👍
Thanks 👍
@@AmplifyDIY But how could we contact with you?
@@hoists1829 You can email me directly if you wish: amplifydiy (at) gmail (dot) com
@@AmplifyDIY Great , thank you very much.
There are dedicated hard water stain removers that professional window cleaners use that aren't expensive. They are basically bar keepers friend but already premixed into a paste. Some brands include Titan A1, Diamond Magic, Bring-It-On etc. In the last couple of years, Super-fine grade bronze wool is not being manufactured anymore, and from my experience "Fine" grade bronze wool scratches glass. Instead use 0000 grade Steel wool with a dedicated Hard Water Stain Remover for the best results.
very informative thanks..
Thank you. The hype is real👌
THANK-YOU!!! I've been having to stay home after dark because the oncoming headlights hitting my water-spotted windshield makes it impossible to see. I've watched so many videos on this subject and tried ALL of them (except the razorblade one😱) and nothing worked. My car has less than 20K miles so it's not an old car. I just clicked your Bar Keepers Friend link and ordered it! I'll let you know how I do in a few days. I just turned 67 and my patience is almost non-existent 😂. 😅❤
I'd love to hear how it goes for you. Good luck!
Thanks for the thorough testing!
thank you so much for this video.
It's my pleasure!
Thanks man. I am definitely going to try the barkeeper and bronze wool combo.
Good luck!
Hello there how’s things I use a Ali brite aluminium and stainless steel whipe on and then let dry wast off with windex spots gorn no hard scratching easy whole car in 15 minutes
It was so much fun watching this! Thank you!
Thank you, Janine!
Excellent video. Well done.
Tremendously useful and inexpensive water spot solution!
thank you for this video !
great video! Thank you!
Thank you for a great video. Editing was great. I am going to try the Barkeepers, but what is the next step? I hope to have great results, but the glass with be "raw" after. Is there a sealant (ceramic, car wax, RainEx) that you would recommend after the glass is super clean?
Hi Leightri - I like to use either Rain-X, or ArmorShield IX... but I probably lean towards Rain-X for windows. Good luck!
Great job!
Thank you! Cheers!
You are correct, it will not hurt your glass.
Good stuff. Ordered some.
Thanks so much for this, I had good luck with the 0000 steel wool, and intend to try the Bar Keepers with the brass wool.
Now I have a question for you; since the Bar Keepers is a soft cleanser, it prompted me to try Soft Scrub all purpose cleanser. The label doesn't mention glass, but it is safe for glass top stoves. I tried a small test spot on my car windshield, and it removed virtually all of the water spots with very little effort! My question, what is your take? I don't see any damage to the glass, but maybe you would have an opinion. Also, would stove top cleaner be effective and safe to use?
Thanks in advance for your advice!
I had not thought to try soft scrub, but it is listed as safe to use on glass. If it works well for you, then that's great!
Both soft scrub and typical glass stove top cleaners use an abrasive approach to cleaning tough stains / kitchen messes. As long as the product is listed as safe for glass, then the abrasives in it should not scratch your car's windshield...However, I prefer Bar Keeper's Friend because it combines a mild abrasive similar to what is in Soft Scrub with an acid that specifically targets the mineral deposits typically left behind in water spots. For me, this has been an excellent solution.
Thanks for watching!
Nice job !!! Love the scientific method. Though 30 seconds is not enough to really show what a 30 min soak would do...gonna get some bar keeper and copper or brass wool...
Other products that you would use on glass top stoves would make a great follow-up video.
Like pink stuff and scrub daddy my goto or several specific glass top compounds. Anyway Thank you 😊
I went with 30 seconds because that's about how long it takes if you use Barkeeper's Friend. If I have to let something sit and soak for 30 mins... that's no longer a fast and easy job. Thanks for watching!
I got a new black vehicle and had perfectly horrible water spots on both the glass and the paint after washing. I thought a coat of wax would take care of the water spots on the paint, but, if anything, it made them more noticeable. Today, I went to Walmart and got a chamois and I can’t believe what a great job it’s doing all by itself, just plain water. The areas I waxed I will have to use waterless wash to take care of those spots, I assume it’s taking off the wax, as well. Chamois all by itself, just moistened, seems to be all you need! Time for another test?
Interesting - I'm glad a chamois worked for you. I may have to give that a try as well!
How about cerium oxide? Can u compare them
LOL agree. Barkeepers Friend is an abrasive. Sure it cleaned the window, but it left micro-scratches.
I use Rain-X All Season windshield cleaner. It works great. I don't understand all the muss and fuss over water spots with steel wool & and the extremes people go to , just to remove them. Rain-X has a high alcohol content that makes it a great cleaner and it coats the glass with a protective coating. I wash my house windows with it. I used to wash my house windows around every 3 months. Now, I do it far less. Its the coating that repels dirt. The stuff is the best and removes road tar, etc.
Would it damage your vehicle's paint when it flicks off your windshield? Wouldn't it be better to manually coat the glass to protect it?
Rain x doesn’t work on my windshield
@@secessionnow4133 It shouldn't require steel wool, polishing blocks or extraordinary measures to remove water spots. Water spots in and of themselves shouldn't be some enigma or bulletproof and difficult problem to tackle. They should be easy to remove under normal circumstances. I live in the country, maybe theirs toxic rain and / or tap water where you live? My water spots come off with ease my well water is very hard. Its not good for washing cars.
That was an amazing result.
I have good luck with dawn/ water and a magic eraser. Magic Eraser is the key.
Hey thanks so much for your help.
I’m a first timer to your site 👍 🙏
You're very welcome!
Mcguires cleaner,polish and wax worked the best for me.
Hi there. Great video. I want to try the bronze wool, but the suggestion in the "SHOP" section of the video description says "#000" bronze wool, but the only bronze wool I can find do not have that identifier. Are "#000" and "fine" the same thing for bronze wool?
The Fine grade is perfect, and is what I used in this video. Some manufacturers call it Fine, others do things with the numbering system. I changed the shop link label to reflect how it's listed on Amazon. Apologies for the confusion, and thanks for pointing this out!
Thanks!
Thank you, Matt! You're amazing!
did bar keepers friend or steel wool look as good from the inside out
BKF + steel or bronze wool looks amazing from inside and out.
Oh, yeah. I almost forgot to mention that the fastest best way to remove water spots is Maguiar's Ultimate Compound and a random orbital buffer/polisher. Can't be beat.
Just used powdered barkeepers friend with a scrub daddy on my glass shower doors and it worked with very minimal scrubbing. I tried EVERYTHING (toilet bowl cleaner, vinegar, CLR, scrubbing the hell out of it, etc) and nothing worked. Thank you, I was losing my mind trying to get that glass clean.
I'm so glad it worked well for you!
Lime-A-Way does nothing just so you know. I tried it on some light shower stains and it did nothing.
Thanks for the excellent content
Thanks for watching!
Well Done
I can't believe you didn't try plain old alcohol... Actually, that's what's in most class cleaners. Maybe ammonia, too? Works much better than vinegar.
If I don't have the copper wool can I use very fine sandpaper wet or dry?
Hi Rocker - I would *NOT* recommend sandpaper of any kind. If you don't have copper wool, try the Bar Keeper's Friend alone. If that does not work, you can try a buffing/polishing compound from your local auto parts store. This will require a lot of elbow grease or an electric buffer if you have one.. but will definitely remove anything that the Barkeeper's Friend does not. Good luck!
Awesome test!! One year later but I appreciate it so much!! Hugs from Costa Rica 🌎
Thanks! I've visited Costa Rica - it's beautiful there!
I just got done power buffing my windows with barkeeper's friend. I watched this video because I had no success whatsoever with barkeeper's friend. Imagine my surprise to find out it was the best thing tested. In my experience, it is worthless. I applied it with distilled water as a kind of paste, spread it around, let it sit for a couple minutes, buffed with a power buffer, washed it off, dried it, just as many spots as when I started.
Interesting - this may seem like a dumb question, but is there any chance the spots are on the *inside* of the glass? Also, there is a possibility that the glass is actually etched rather than full of deposits from hard water stains... The only solution I've ever seen work with etched windows is to use a cutting compound and DA polisher. Good luck!
Could I use copper wool with bar keepers friend together ? Can you use barkeepers friend on car paint ?
Yes, you can use copper wool with BKF - but don't use BKF on *any* painted surface. Glass, tile, ceramic, steel, etc is fine. Good luck!
Thanks for the excellent video. Can I use BKF with steel wool #0000 instead if bronze wool is not available?
Hi Nikhil - yes, #0000 steel wool works well. Test it on a small area first to make sure you don't have any special coatings on the glass that the steel wool might scratch. Good luck!
FYI-I watched another video where a guy compared plumbers putty with soapy water to the clay bar & soapy water on cleaning windows and car paint and the plumbers putty was the winner.
That's interesting - I never would have thought to try plumber's putty... but honestly, Barkeeper's Friend works so well, I'm not sure I'll bother even trying anything else. Thanks for watching!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
You're welcome!
I tried limeaway and vinegar on my window. Nothing. I can attest to it not working. Now to do it right.
Superrrr🎉 thank you sir
I know from experience, that when you combine a product like Bar Keepers friend with 0000 steel wool you will get amazing results - I would not recommend 0000 steel wool on tinted windows and always try another product on a small area first
Barkeepers friend contains oxalic acid. I guess you could use that too (diluted to the right amount).
What did you use to dampen the window, when you used Bars Keeper and Fine Bronze Wool? Was it still soap & water?
Hi Wade - I just followed the instructions on the bottle of BKF, which say to get the surface wet... I believe it was just plain water that I used. Good luck!
Thanks!!! The bronze wool should arrive at Home Depot tomorrow I hope, and then I will getter done!
Back in the 60s my mom cleaned windows with Glass Wax. It was kind of like a liquid rubbing compound for windows. You would smear it on and let it dry. Then wipe off the residue with a clean cloth.
Another commenter also mentioned Glass Wax, but I've never seen it...
I will try that on my dinning room windows….thank you very much!!
I will try the Barkeepers Friend, thank you. But no way will I put steel wool against my glass.
I think you'll be happy with the results from BKF. Good luck!