Dish soap on my car left it messed up!?

[jackdaniels]

Hello,

So the other day i tried washing my car with dish soap (yes, i now know its a stupid idea, that's besides the point) so now the windows look fogged and have white stains all over them.

I tried using paint thinner to get it off because a man at the car wash said it would work. subsequently it didn't.

What can i use to get it off? It's blocking my vision and making it extremely hard to drive, especially at night.

 

[chip]

sounds shady. i've washed my car with dish soap before. the only downside to using it is that it takes the wax coat off of the paint. but if you don't wax your car, or it's been a while, it won't make a difference. you could try a scratch remover, or bug/tar remover. the thing is, i don't think the fogging is from dish soap. (think about it, if dish soap fogged glass, all your glass cups and dishes would look like crap.) personally, i think you have a lighter colored car, and the oxidized paint from the roof washed onto your windows and dried, and you think it's soap residue. have you tried windex? i dunno. try those out, and if not, maybe take a razor blade to it. good luck.

 

[chip]

sounds shady. i've washed my car with dish soap before. the only downside to using it is that it takes the wax coat off of the paint. but if you don't wax your car, or it's been a while, it won't make a difference. you could try a scratch remover, or bug/tar remover. the thing is, i don't think the fogging is from dish soap. (think about it, if dish soap fogged glass, all your glass cups and dishes would look like crap.) personally, i think you have a lighter colored car, and the oxidized paint from the roof washed onto your windows and dried, and you think it's soap residue. have you tried windex? i dunno. try those out, and if not, maybe take a razor blade to it. good luck.

 

[Joe]

The paint thinner was a bad idea, and might have permanently damaged any plastic surfaces.

To cut the soap scum, try some white vinegar in water. Not too strong: maybe one part vinegar to three parts water. Rinse well.

Good luck.

 

[Roger]

dish soap messed up the windows ?? thats really odd, I dont know, personally I know that dish soap strips waxes off of vehicles but I never heard of it damaging the windows. If your paint was in decent shape, you may have to use two or three coats of wax to see if it will bring back the lustre, That less than 5 dollar car was wax soap is going to look pretty good, its a shame you did not ask that question here first, before using dish soap
I found an online web site that talked about cleaning foggy windows in a house, by using sos pads, the key was use enough water to lubricate and do only a four inch square at a time, do not use a dry pad it will scratch but a clean soft cloth and water and sos pad you use your fingertips and a small area and almost polish the glass carefully. frequently wipe the soap residue, and compare the treated area with the untreated. This is a painstakingly patient job, do not get frustrated, try it, if it works, great, just keep water and the pad lubricated and carefully do small sections at a time. also you may consider calling a glass shop and explaining the problem and see if anyone has somne suggestions. if the sos works on windows, when you are done use glass cleaner and crumpled up newspaper only, for cleaning glass this works the best.this may take several days, same with waxing, you may have to do it several times, good luck.