How do you guys get your windshield so clean?

[-]

ohjaimiea@reddit

Dump the bucket and add a good squeeze of dawn dish soap or just any dish soap and use the water thing to fill it back up with water

Reply

[-]

Soak the hell out of the window go to the other side then come back to the first side re wet the squeegee then start scrubbing.....I usually rinse it clean with the wiper fluid instead of scraping it dry

Reply

[-]

No_Actuator4619@reddit

Scrubby brush for dishes served me well

Reply

[-]

D-Ray1469@reddit

Also depends on where you fuel. PFJ uses a special washer solvent that aids in bug removal. Loves just uses water. Petro/TA, I have no idea since I hardly ever fuel there.

Reply

[-]

theWolfeman88@reddit

This isn't accurate. Some Loves use soap/washer fluid, too, and some PFJs use water.

Reply

[-]

metalman71589@reddit

It’s really just down to whoever refills the buckets and how much they, or their bosses give a shit.

Reply

[-]

Subject_Ferret_967@reddit

For the real bad bugs, I get up on the tire, ( I use a tire step to get up and not slip off, (look it up)), and use window cleaner and "0000 grade" steel wool, shit works great and doesn't scratch. Other than that, it's a little Dawn on the squeegee.

Reply

[-]

DirtyOldTrucker68@reddit

Yeah I have some steel wool in the truck that I use

Reply

[-]

OGsalty30@reddit

I use green power it works really good I spray it on then set the pumps in the tanks then go scrub it off

Reply

[-]

Brandnewbroski@reddit

Tap the windshield with the squeegee to leave a bunch of foam all over it. Let it sit for a minute or two it should dissolve the bugs, brush it again, and then you know the rest.

Reply

[-]

tvieno@reddit

Drive slow enough that bugs just bounce off your windshield.

Reply

[-]

TheFirstCrew@reddit

Raider?

Reply

[-]

ScotiaG@reddit

I have a spray bottle with cheap degreaser mixed with water. Spray the windshield, let it sit for a couple minutes then hit it with the truck stop squeegee. Walmart has Zep brand spray bottle with adjustable nozzle that will shoot a serious distance. Pretty much any degreaser/cleaner will work. Anything you can buy in large containers will be more cost effective. I also use the same spray bottle solution to clean cab floors, dash and door panels

Reply

[-]

GodOfUtopiaPlenitia@reddit

Window cleaner, towels to get the grime off, paper towels to get rid of the streaks/clouding. That requires popping the hood and standing on the steers. And don't forget to lift the wipers. The ScrubBlade wipers used to do the job just by themselves, but they've gone to the Dark Side and are as useless as the others except for ice/snow.

Reply

[-]

Beneficial_Bird1814@reddit

Super and i mean SUPER fine steel wool

Reply

[-]

watchingandwaiting2@reddit

Doesn't deserve down voted. 00 steel wool or I use those green scotch bright dish sponge. Spotless every time.

Reply

[-]

Beneficial_Bird1814@reddit

Yep, my uncle who was otr for 25+ years used 00 steel wool cause it works like magic. People unaware of it just raise an eyebrow and assume it’ll scratch things up or somet

Reply

[-]

XLP8795@reddit

The trick is to use a foaming glass cleaner. Just spray it on and let it sit, then just use your windshield wipers and some wiper fluid.

Reply

[-]

sublimelbz@reddit

90% rubbing alcohol, drop of vinegar, drop of dawn dish soap

Reply

[-]

PalpitationLong4353@reddit

First I soak the windshield with the squeegee. Then I redip it and scrub

Reply

[-]

SevenElevenJunkie@reddit

Put some rain-x on the windshield when you clean it. Just get the spray stuff. It helps. It's not magic but it helps.

Reply

[-]

Bobby4670@reddit

Spray it with glass cleaner and let soak while u fuel

Reply

[-]

PiMoods@reddit

Walmart has this cheap ass window cleaner that foams up. Works like a dream. I don't have any right now, but I think it just says "Glass Cleaner" in an aerosol can

Reply

[-]

Mistermeena@reddit

I just keep a good quality aerosol glass cleaner in the cab and a microfibre cloth. Smashes bugs

Reply

[-]

A_CA_TruckDriver@reddit

The key to cleaning bugs off your vehicle is hydration. Wet your windshield and let it soak while you fuel and clean it after you’re done fueling and it’ll be as clean as a new window. I put a wet towel over my Harley after a ride for 10 minutes before wiping bugs away. No spray needed.

Reply

[-]

FossMan21@reddit

My buddy uses rainx

Reply

[-]

Bald-Eagle39@reddit

Put some dawn on the squeegee.

Reply

[-]

EasyGoin12345@reddit

Soak the whole windshield down and let it sit for a minute before you go to work

Reply

[-]

MichaelW24@reddit

Pay a lizard to do it for you

Reply

[-]

Captain_Wag@reddit (OP)

Are you offering?

Reply

[-]

MichaelW24@reddit

20 is 20

Reply

[-]

Jeremy_Dewitte1@reddit

Wow all the answers so far and nobody with the right answer, must be a bunch of newbs. Here's what you do when you stop for fuel and clean your windshield. 1. Before fueling seek out the best mop/squeegee. 2. Use the mop to apply liberal amounts of water/cleaner, do not scrub or squeegee it off. just keep the mop. 3. Start your fueling and every time you cross the front of the rig to get to the other fuel tank re-mop the windshield to keep it soaking. 4. Finish fueling then mop again and squeegee, it should come out spotless. And yes adding some dish soap to your washer fluid is a good thing to.

Reply

[-]

AreWeTherezyet@reddit

Wtf. This is what i do. You stealing my routine? I even put Dawn Platinum dish soap in my washer reservoir. This is definitely how to clean your windshield. I look like a working fool, but my windshield be sparkling! 😂

Reply

[-]

Jeremy_Dewitte1@reddit

>You stealing my routine? Maybe, long ago when I got my start and old timer saw me scrubbing bugs off. He called me a stupid newb kid then laid it out for me, it was to obvious, lol. So if you're that old timer, then yup, I stole it. The dish soap, well I just worked that one out. The damn washer fluid wasn't doing jack shit for the oil film/streaks on the windshield. Most of all after using those filthy truck stop squeegees and buckets of oily mud to "clean" the windshield. Well dish soap works well on the dishes, why not the windshield.

Reply

[-]

AreWeTherezyet@reddit

Couple years back, one of our other drivers asked how it was that my windshield was so clean...... told him the routine. I'm not an old timer, but i'm not afraid to use a little elbow grease. Soaking a few times and scrubbing a few times might seem like work, but my eyes are thankful! I started using dish soap with water because my terminal stopped providing washer fluid..... cheaper on my end!

Reply

[-]

Jeremy_Dewitte1@reddit

>my terminal stopped providing washer fluid That sucks, I still have washer fluid from my previous gig, lol. It was a Penske gig so I could roll by their maintenance/fuel place and get washer fluid out their barrel all I wanted. So I'd pull empty washer fluid bottles out of the trash cans at truck stops and fill them at Penske so I always had plenty in the rig, and any extra I took home.

Reply

[-]

AreWeTherezyet@reddit

Sometimes I'll use a Clorox wipe and a little water to clean my windshield when i'm killing time somewhere between deliveries and not at a truck stop. You will see the imperfections in the glass doing this, but it cleans bugs and guts away! I be plowing through bugs in Louisiana and Texas, trying to keep populations down!

Reply

[-]

PM_ME_UR_GLOVES@reddit

Get a bottle of Dawn power wash. The kind that comes out foamy. It actually sprays pretty far. I put that on before I start pumping to let it soak a little. Then go over it with the squeegee while I’m fueling. A little goes a long way. It also makes your windshield bead up rain for a while after you use it, like rain x.

Reply

[-]

Jeep2king@reddit

Stop trying to scrub immediately. Cover one side . Move to the other. Let it soak for a second to dissolve the bugs and crap. THEN you scrub a bit and squeegee. Comes off much better. ....

Reply

[-]

PM_ME_UR_GLOVES@reddit

This is the best way

Reply

[-]

K1d-ego@reddit

The sun visor on mine makes washing the windshield from the outside a pain in the ass and really not that effective. I’ll honestly just get a truck wash every two weeks for a truly clean windshield. Other than than it’s just wait for rain or use wiper fluid. I don’t use squeegees as much as I used to.

Reply

[-]

hunnerbunner2000@reddit

That's great advice. Thanks.

Reply

[-]

clarobert@reddit

i carry a spray bottle of degreaser / cleaner just inside my drivers door ( a master blaster from wal mart - it reaches the windshield easily from the front ground) I keep it full of any cheap degreaser - the stuff in the gallon brown jugs from Home Depot works the best (6.97/gal). I spray the windshield wkth my spray bottle then hit it with the squeegee - spotless evefy time with hardly any effort.

Reply

[-]

Purple_Arrow@reddit

I open the hood of my truck and stand on my steer tires. It allows me a better view of my windshield, apply better pressure to mop and squeegee. But all this talk of dawn dish soap! I gotta try this!

Reply

[-]

Chuuby_Gringo@reddit

Regular windex

Reply

[-]

No_Control3566@reddit

I buy mean green at 99c store and spray that on first ,then start fueling up and come back and squeegee as normal works great

Reply

[-]

1morepl8@reddit

I haven't heard of that in forever man. Next you're gonna sell me a screaming meanie alarm clock. I'll also buy that.

Reply

[-]

No_Control3566@reddit

Lol those things were obnoxiously loud , hell let's bring back Thomas guides road atlas's while we're here , and shower coupons also . Cb radios with linear amps that would walk n talk for hundreds of miles with the skip . Or the bingo cards for fuel taxes( a plate with multiple stickers for different states ) if ya didn't have one for that state you paid at the POE for miles on the route you were taking , gave you paperwork you stuck in window New Mexico, Colorado , Wyoming comes to mind for some reason. How about real truck stops with sit down restaurants, not these glorified convenience stores . 76 truck stops were the big dog back then ,Rip Griffins, Giant , hell the flying hook used to be pretty decent Some full service stops to fuel your truck, cleaned your windows n mirrors, some would also check your oil . I thank God I'm gonna retire in a few years lol, it's been a lot of fun . I hope the industry is still here for the youngsters just getting into it. It's not easy but it is honest work irregardless of what people think of us . Be safe in your travels drivers

Reply

[-]

1morepl8@reddit

This was nostalgia road and half these things are in the back of my garage. I was just a kid back then, my pops has been a driver my whole life. I did it for college money and then got into again in my 30s.. No more otr for me. I run logs within 100 so I can still run paper and do the ice roads for a few months every winter. No interest in just being on the highway any more. Just don't enjoy it like I did.

Reply

[-]

No_Control3566@reddit

My father drove for Texaco back in the day , my wife's parents owned a small trucking company , lol tried to get me to buy it from em , when I had a union job working 3 days a week (teaming ) pulling down 90-100k a yr back in early 2000s . I've been blessed with a good driving career ,no reportable accidents , no tickets since 2001 . I have two pensions coming my way and 401k I've raised 5 daughters on a truck drivers salary. Overall ,it's been hard at times , down right scary, educational, fun , but never dull . What a long strange trip it's been 😎

Reply

[-]

1morepl8@reddit

Awesome to read man. Always nice to talk to someone else who actually likes it. I was out of it entirely. Then my dad was really sick and wasn't supposed to make it. The whole time he was in the hospital all we talked about was our trips in the truck together. Every summer until I had to work I was in that truck for the whole summer. I was 12 with him letting me drive the i95 through Maine "kid you're only gonna hit a moose or a tree. Might as well give er hell." Anyways I left the hospital quit my day job and went back to trucking. Just happier for it man. I smile pulling out onto the asphalt and running through the gears every time I do it. I'm lucky enough to have had a horse shoe up my ass for a few years. Sold my business and put it all into property pre covid. So accidentally hit a pretty big jack pot to have the capital to do whatever the heck I want. My old man did make it out of the hospital and did it ever feel good to tell him I had my license again when he got out. Some onions in here or something.

Reply

[-]

No_Control3566@reddit

Awesome story, glad you found that bug to get out there on the road again. And better to hear about your father . My dad retired young ,54 to be exact ,real good with setting up his retirement . Within two yrs he was back driving part time for the farmers and ranchers , but then COVID hit and he almost died ,he's never fully recovered so he no longer drives trucks anymore. Be safe out there driver , I'm always lurking here somewhere ,here or smoking,grilling etc take care

Reply

[-]

denyskaiser@reddit

Soak the windshield before you scrub. Keep applying the cleaner with the sponge every 30 seconds for 5 minutes while fueling. Do not let it dry out. Then scrub with the sponge. Everything should come off easily.

Reply

[-]

DukeReaper@reddit

70 percent rubbing alcohol and lint free rag

Reply

[-]

SexyWampa@reddit

I carry a can of glass cleaner and shop towels. Soak the shit out of it and the bugs come right off.

Reply

[-]

Ok-Letterhead2280@reddit

I only wash my windshield once every couple of months.

Reply

[-]

NeoAcario@reddit

Rain + max speed wipers.

Reply

[-]

mike-2129@reddit

I put alcohol in windex and spray the windshield and let it sit then strub it. I also keep my own squeegee

Reply

[-]

Calvertorius@reddit

Are you a fellow bourbon man?

Reply

[-]

mike-2129@reddit

I do prefer the whiskey. But i meant rubbing alcohol. My choices on bottles arent windshield cheap

Reply

[-]

ryanpayne442@reddit

Bruh you gotta put some ass in it. I can make a windshield look brand new with straight water. I watch my wife do it, and it still looks like ass. Its all in the technique, with some muscle behind it

Reply

[-]

kakarota@reddit

Window washer with alcohol mixed in in winter and dish soap in the summer also carry your own

Reply

[-]

325trucking@reddit

Most of it is too dry to knock off in the first pass, you need to let it soak a bit. When I pull up to fuel, I'll do a halfass wash with the truck stop squeegee, mainly trying to knock of the big stuff and get the whole windshield wet. Then put in my fuel card and actually start pumping. While pumping is when I actually scrub the window and squeegee it dry.

Reply

[-]

FuelHaulinAss@reddit

I use a rag and windex. I stand on the steer tires. Not that hard.

Reply

[-]

kilter_co@reddit

You guys are cleaning your windshields? I just wait for rain then engage hypermode on the wipers lol

Reply

[-]

MiguelSTG@reddit

Be aware that some places just use water. Use windshield washer fluid with a few drops of dawn. Get the windshield wet, let it set for a minute, then wet the squeegee and work on the bugs again, wipe the passenger side first, then the driver's. Do this whenever you're stopped so that the filth won't accumulate.

Reply

[-]

Cadet1A@reddit

Quart sized spray bottle Couple ounces of dawn Fill 3/4 full with hydrogen peroxide Top off with washer fluid. Shake well to mix The peroxide will bubble and loosen the organic bug matter the same way it does if you use it to clean out a cut Then just use the sponge/squeegee to clean it off.

Reply

[-]

Emergency-Bus-998@reddit

Treat your windows with RainX

Reply

[-]

HashnaFennec@reddit

Scrub on a whole bunch of water, add water to the other side while the first side soaks water into the bug guts, then scrub on more water to the first side and really go hard on the though stuff. After that most of it should squeegee off clean.

Reply

[-]

CaptianBrasiliano@reddit

I keep a big refill size bottle of cheap Great Value windex so I always have plenty. Put it on stream, not mist and just soak the fuck out of the windshield... then run the wipers with the washer, then on high for a minute. Between that and the squeegee, it'll get pretty clean.

Reply

[-]

ilostoriginalaccount@reddit

Spray windshield with simple green, let it sit a little, scrub with shitty truck stop squeegy.

Reply

[-]

heymikey68@reddit

Buy a squirt bottle at the dollar store and fill it with windex. When you stop at a customer spray it on windshield ad leave it sit while opening trailer doors. When you get back in cab turn on wipers and use a little squirt from under the hood.

Reply

[-]

Dragonr0se@reddit

I keep rainx washer fluid in the tank (still need to try adding dawn to it as suggested) and rainx wiper blades on the truck (I buy them out of pocket and the company reimburses me, but even if they didn't, it is worth it for me to have clean windshields). I wash off every bug splatter as it happens, or at least run the wipers/fluid to get the solids off... then I squeegee every time I stop... I do keep my own squeegee with a telescoping handle in case the ones at the store are disgusting, but I generally use theirs.

Reply

[-]

CaptainWo7f@reddit

I buy my own squegee and carry my own spray bottle and drop some Dawn in it

Reply

[-]

DivaCupVampire@reddit

This, spray the windshield down well with this mixture of windshield wash and dawn, let it sit a minute and then use the truckstop squeegee to scrub and clean the windows. It works very well. Rainx is the next step if you have it, and you should because it makes seeing in the rain a lot easier.

Reply

[-]

Cl9Clapo@reddit

Simple green

Reply

[-]

deezkeys098@reddit

Touch of dawn dish soap half rain x half windex in a bottle get your own squeegee

Reply

[-]

jadedshibby@reddit

Don't let it get dirty in the first place. If a bug splats going down the road, hit the windshield washer fluid and get it off while the bug guts are still wet, use as much fluid as it takes. Wash your windshield with the squeegee every single time you stop, even when it doesn't look dirty. Wipe off the windshield wiper blades as part of your pre or post trip to keep them fresh. If you let it dry and cake up, it turns into an hour long project to get it off.

Reply

[-]

bloodsoed@reddit

I usually stop at our terminals and take the pressure washer to my windshield.

Reply

[-]

arobe1994@reddit

Whenever you have some home time, get a spray bottle. Go purchase a clay bar from any auto parts store. Add 1/4 lemon juice 3/4 water. Spray and work the clay bar on the windshield. Keep the glass constantly wet. When you notice the clay getting dirty fold it and repeat on the whole windshield. Rinse with water.

Reply

[-]

mountainshapedwave@reddit

If your driving down south I say go to youre local mexican restaurant, give em a hose 20 bucks an a 6 pack they have it squeeky clean in no time. once hit a guy going probably about 90 (wasn looking at no damn speedo so im not sure) and they picked all the bits off my windshield an all. god bless em!

Reply to Post

82 Comments