In todays show a young man asked how to get rid if spots on the windshield and driving mirrors. While you answer was funny it did not really help him. This question was asked about 5 years ago and the answer then, from a listener, was to use the very finest steel wool you can find with a little water and gently rub the glass. The spots are caused by lime residue drying on the glass and washing soap will not dissolve it. The use of Acid is dangerous to the paintwork and chrome. I have used this and it works really well
Vinegar does a great job removing these stains. Otherwise, a little dilute CLR will do magic. Don’t let CLR get on your paint, however.
Bob!, Ray! steel wool?? Kid’s got bad (or “hard”) water there. No steel wool!..it leaves fine trace metal shavings which do rust. He should scrape clean the windows with a single edge razor blade. Then he needs either the vinegar and water or good glass cleaner and old fashioned newspaper. Oh, no razor on the mirrors! Many of them are plastic and not glass. Guess how I know…Otherwise your advise was “spot on”
I guess really super-fine steel wool might be ok. But I’d worry about it scratching the glass and causing reflection/halo problems obstructing view during night-time driving. I have this problem on my Corolla, but the lime spots are only where the windshield wipers don’t reach. When I wash the car, I always wipe it dry with a couple of clean towels afterwards. So I’m assuming the water spots happen when it rains or when I squirt the windshield using the on-car WW squirter. Me, I just ignore those spots, as they are not in the field of view. I have had some luck removing this kind of spot on glass before though, using straight lemon juice on a clean cloth, squeezed from an actual lemon.
10-4 on the hard water. If the water from the hose isn’t softened (the way things are plumbed around here in Minnesota, where all the water is hard), he could do a final rinse with ‘inside’ water while the car is still wet from being sprayed. Drying the glass can’t hurt, either. It was a dark color—wonder why he didn’t see spots on the painter areas?