I use methylated spirits* to clean the wiper blades. A tip given to me by a police advanced driving instructor pal of mine. The rubber looks like new afterwards.
*If I can prise the bottle out of the wife’s fist, that is…
P.S. only joking about the last bit. She gave up meths when she went blind.
Stop getting your paper from the chippy
Will second Paul W, meths works fine for me - on the glass that is.
Nothing complex nor expensive.
Sometimes I wonder if I enjoy cleaning my car more than I do driving it.
The best way to do it is to use a dedicated car polish such as CarPro Ceriglass, then top it with a sealant like GTechniq G1 ( i wouldn’t dream of using a wax on a windscreen )
I wouldn’t have suggested any of this if I hadn’t first proved it worked for me, other cars owned by family and friends or my neighbour’s seven… or is it eight now… cars.
Where I live, the streets are lined with huge trees and it doesn’t take long for cars to be covered in tree sap, so it’s not a matter of neglect, just reality. I’ve used 0000 grade wire wool and wax on my last four or five car’s screens without any bother at all. I don’t doubt that there are other ways to achieve results but for removing tree sap and other screen-based crap, it works well for me.
As for waxing the screen. Never had any issues with this either.
Of course, a car cover or screen cover would resolve this but it’s unlikely to happen every time I either want to use or park my cars.
I suppose such posts should carry a bit a small print… but really?
I almost choked on my polenta when I read that!
I have the same problem as many with tree sap. I generally find a quick rinse with soapy water (car shampoo not fairy Liquid) does the trick. I’m not concerned about the windscreen being crystal clear at all times but each to their own. Biggest issue I have is falling leaves in the autumn. Not sure vinegar and wire wool will help with that though…
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Biggest issue I have is falling leaves in the autumn. Not sure vinegar and wire wool will help with that though…
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It can be a big problem: 
0000 wire wool is the finest grade readily available but it will still scratch glass. It it steel just like any other grade of wire wool. Think of it as a fine grade sandpaper, the abrasive quality is still there but the impact far less noticeable.
0000 grade wire wool is great for paint stripping furniture, applying blueing to gun barrels, removing serious rust, etc but Do Not Use Wire Wool on your Windscreen.
Try using brown wrapping paper instead of newspaper if you must use this method.
You may want to try my method.
Look above where the wiper blades clean the glass, and if you look properly, you will see an area that has a fine coating of what comes off the roads and trees etc. This is difficult to remove with most cleaners that I have tried, over a number of years, even cellulose thinners can’t shift it. This method will give you a windscreen so clean it will look like you have fitted a new screen.
What you use is red coloured rouge powder, obtained from “The Polishing Shop”, google it to find their address.
Using a clean cloth made into a bun shape, wet slightly one side of it and press it into the rouge and apply it to the windscreen using a circular motion to clean it. It will start to dry out very quickly so spray a little water onto where you are working on the screen and give it a good rubbing. Do it in areas of about one quarter of the screen then wipe it off with another cloth. Don’t think about washing it off as it will stain parts of the rubber surround with the rouge. When finish try wiping the edge of the wiper blades to get their edges nice and clean, and again wipe the residue off with a cloth.
When finished to your satisfaction polish the screen with a clean cloth. I tend to use old flannelette sheets torn into 18" x 18" squares for most of my car jobs. How I get these bed sheets is to go to car boot sales in the spring and buy up as many as I can to last ‘till the following Spring. You get a lot more rags for you money this way, about £1.00 per sheet. that’s up here in North Yorkshire tho’.
I only use microfibre when I am polishing the car body.
My daily runabout goes to work and back, and that’s about it.
This consists of mostly A1 and M62, so it’s no surprise that the windscreen gets greasy and I’ve found absolutely nothing which will fix this.
The only thing which seems to work for me is to replace the wiper blades every 6 months. Luckily, we buy blades for peanuts at work.
Maybe new wiper blades have the ability to absorb the grease… i don’t know ???
over the years I’ve tried all sorts of lotions and potions, some of which would be regarded as acceptable and some unorthodox, but anything has got to be be worth a try.
Earlier this week, i tried another unorthodox solution and low and behold it worked.
We sell a rust removing chemical called Jenolite, it a very mild phosphoric acid.
A little soaked in some kitchen roll, wiped over the glass, then wiped off with dry kitchen roll and washed with water, and I can see again.
Considering Phosphoric acid is found in fizzy drinks, I wonder if Rola Cola would do the same job.
I know a number of car enthusiasts who swear by using cola to clean out cooling systems. I haven’t heard of it being used on windscreens, though.