What do you think? Good idea? They come as “sensitive”, alcohol free, some say “like water”. They typically are sold in small bags that can be closed.
Reason is that I often fly to places but like to have a clean windshield..and am still looking for something handy.
I just buy and carry a lot of microfiber cloths, and some motorcycle visor cleaner from Motul. Another popular spray is Plexus, but I have struggled to find it in Europe.
The problem with many liquids is that you just can’t know what’s in them, and some will damage plexiglass.
Some people like furniture wax/cleaner, but every brand is slightly different.
I have spoken to many aircraft window and windscreen plexiglass suppliers at various trade shows, and they almost all say to only use water and microfiber cloths to clean.
There are some plastic headlamp cleaning and polishing products out there that might be safe.
It would be great to get more options.
Baby wipes are very useful, but even the zero-everything ones still contain some oils and fragrances, and I don’t know how they would affect perspex in the long term.
I use microfibre cloths either dry, with plain water, or with Autoglym glass polish/cleaner. Make sure any cleaning products say they’re safe for perspex and check the ingredients: definitely avoid alcohol and ammonia (in most normal glass cleaners).
This and some still water. Buy two and use alternatively (take one home to rinse/clean).
I don’t like the microfiber towels and use them at the most when super clean on paint (reluctantly.
Put a dry microfiber cloth over dry skin… thousands of hooks. My feeling is they are scratchy. I prefer cotton.
The last thing I want to see around airplanes is baby wipes (but that’s a different story) 😜.
Car detailer (non water wash & wax) wiped with a new microfiber soft quality for car polishing has worked well over 5 years now.
From the regular application the dirt, flies etc does not really stick to the plastic anymore.
My favorite is Surf City Garage Speed Demon Wax Detailer Gallone, others work also. I buy a gallon and refill a small spray bottle.
In the US, a lot of pilots praise the use of Pledge, sold in the EU as Pronto.
Funnily enough, looking at the ingredients, it is naphta as solvent and a silicon oil (dimethicon), not sure how good that could be.
I used baby wipes for about everything except on my aircraft :-) but I think empirically evidence will show that baby wipes will leave streaks on your windshield, also you may potentially scratch when dust/dirt sits on it…
I use already years, this for the whole airframe and use it plentiful on the windshield also:
https://www.aero-sense.com/en/online-shop/cabin-and-exterior-cleaning/airframe-cleaner
Final touch is with pledge when all dirt is removed on the windshield with microfiber..no streaks
https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2014/august/pilot/p_frugal..
Although the classical approach may works also :-)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamois_leather
I would not use baby wipes because they are likely to contain various chemicals, and/or stuff (e.g. some antiseptic) that leaves residues.
Plexus should be available in Europe.
Here in the US the universally used stuff is Pledge, a furniture polish. Applied with microfiber cloth.
Advice I was given years ago was to use water and your bare hand. The hand can feel the dead insects etc and be careful not to make them cause a scratch.
