Windshield slime is not a good thing; my question is how to get rid of it. I'm referring to the gray goo that forms on your windshield and smears at every pass of the wipers. It makes night driving in the rain much more fun than it needs to be.

I've tried everything imaginable to get it off the windshield. It may be from road oil, or car wax, but it is a pain in the ass and a safety hazard.
I've tried just cleaning the windshield, wiping it with Simple Green and other degreasers; I've even tried steam cleaners.
I've also tried the pumice-based products advertised for this problem, and they scratch the windshield.
My current experiment is dishwasher detergent mixed strongly in my windshield washing bucket; the jury is still out on that.

So, my question; do any of you have a real solution to this problem? New wiper blades ( especially Bosch Icons) sometimes seem to help; other times they just smear. Help me out here, folks.
Thnx,
Moon

 

Tried Rain-X?

 

Whatever rain-x puts down to bead raindrops seems to be made of slime. (Silicone?) I stopped using it.

Using abrasive cleansers on your windshield is excessive.

I'd stick to ammonia based glass cleaner and maybe use old newspaper to wipe with. There's an old wive's tale that the black ink helps clean glass. Don't tell my wife I'm talking about her.

 

INVISIBLE GLASS glass cleaner by Stoner Products. Available in Cleveland Ohio at Auto Zone and other car parts places. Smells like lacquer thinner but it gets the gunk off.

 

+1 on the Invisible glass cleaner. As a last resort my dad bought windshield polish to remove blast marks from a bottle rocket fired by our asshole neighbor. Took it right off.

 

A mixture of water and distilled vinegar is a cheap and effective solution.

 

yeah, vinegar might be the ticket; I suspect whatever the slime is from is acid soluble (acid rain might've caused it).

 

Yeah, years ago on my one-wiper Scirocco. Long as you didn't have to run the wiper at all, the raindrops squirted off the windshield above about 25 mph. When you actually had to USE the wipers, they smeared.
No more Rain-x, except on the aero light covers; makes the dirt slide off.
Any more ideas?
This junk just WON't come off, and it happens on all the cars. Less an issue with the Jeep due to the flat, nearly vertical windshield. With the steeply sloped Honda, the condition is more noticeable.
Thnx,
Moon
ETA- think I tried 'Invisible glass'; worked okay on the INSIDE, but this problem is on the OUTSIDE.
M

 

Hey! That was a whole bunch more than 2 words...

 

Try rubbing alcohol, works for taking off a lot of greasy stuff...

 

I think you need to investigate where your slime is coming from. That does not sound normal and is probably unique to your situation and is probably coming from something unique and out of the ordinary. The only thing I've seen that stubborn was calcium deposits from sprinkler systems. Are you sure that's not what you're dealing with? I use Stoners invisible glass too and while it's good, it's not fantastic, imo. It certainly won't work in extreme situations. Try that mix of water/vinegar. You can even try straight vinegar too. Last resort, have a pro get at it. But the origin of that slime has to be determined so you can try and avoid it. It sounds like anything but what we normally deal with.

Dan

 

what are you putting in your washer bottle?

 

Btw- I happen to really like rain-x in the resevoir. It never slimes like this. I use it exclusively.

Dan

 

Try cleaning the wiper blades with 91% rubbing alcohol. You'll be amazed at how much crap comes off.

 

Shockwave-
Likely culprits are two...anytime I wax the car, some of the wax residue finds its way on the windshield. Hate to wax cars for that reason alone; otherwise it's not a bad job thesed days.
Second is road oil, dripped off cars and washed back up from puddles.
Hate to admit it, but what helps is the road dirt/grit that gets splashed up in snowy weather; suspect the suspended dirt helps remove the grease or residue.

Selden, I clean the wipers often, either with alcohol or with the scrubber side of my window squeegee; then I wipe 'em with paper towels. It's a good tip, and stretches the life of wiper blades.

Hondamatic, I'm putting garden variety windshield spritz; it's water and some kind of antifreeze. I've been known to add a little dish detergent or amonia to the washer tank, but I got a nozzle jam from something I used, so now it's back to straight spritz.

BTW, a buddy put ENGINE ANTIFREEZE in his washer tank...talk about slime! Didn't freeze, I 'spect.
Moon

 

Let us know if you find a solution.

 

The dishwasher detergent mix in the windshield wash water is showing some promise. I will report back if it works.
I'm probably due for wipers as well; hate to replace them prematurely at the price of the Bosch Icons (over $20), and you can only get one to fit the big wiper.
I have tried literally everything, including a prep-sol type degreaser, and so far no silver bullet.
Keep the ideas coming....
Moon
ETA- My daughter's car sits out; often wonder if the combination of rain, sun, dust, etc, helps keep her windshield/wipers free of slime. Her wipers haven't shown the same problems.
M

 

Where do you live? I wonder if it's something in the cloud?

In all the years I have been driving. I have never gotten any kind of slime on my windshield. Whether it is rain or snow.

Actually the Rain-X Latitude 28" is a better wiper and cost less than $20 at Wal-mart. It's also a beam wiper

 

lol...b4 u do anything, spray your windshield with any kind of glass cleaner, or even water. Then you use some steel wool to scrub it a bit. it should clean all the crap off. wipe it up with paper towel or microfiber until its dry and streak free.

then do wutever else everybody is suggesting

 

Let me better define/explain 'slime'.
We're talking about the haze or smear that follows a wiper stroke. It is particularly a problem at night with opposing headlights. It dissapates as the wiper moves on, only to reappear on the return stroke. It varies by degree.
Running the wiper less frequently often helps somewhat; a really wet windsheild squeegees better.
'Dark' and 'precip' are part of life in our misty mountains, so I'd like a reliable fix. The cars could use a coat of wax in the garage this winter (my bride is lobbying for me to do her new panzer), but I'm holding off b/c of the slime thing.
I may try another brand of wiper, but I've read that the silicone-based blades leave residue of their own.
Moon