If you are searching online to know how to get paint off a windshield, you might have accidentally splattered the windshield while painting your car, or someone pulled a distasteful prank on you by leaving graffiti on your windshield.
Either way, getting paint off the windshield won’t be easy. That said, it’s not Mission Impossible difficult. Yes, it will require a few hours of hard labor, but it’s utterly doable. Here’s what you can do to get those pesky blotches of paint out of your car windshield.
How To Get Paint Off A Windshield?
What You Need
- Glass Cleaner
- Mild Detergent
- Scrubber
- Sponge
- Water
- Towels
- Scalpel
- Methylated Spirit
- Plastic Putty Knife (For Tinted Windows Only)
- Razor Blade (For Non-Tinted Windows)
How To Get Paint Off A Windshield: Step By Step Guide
Step 1:
The first thing you need to do is to find out whether the paint is water-based or oil-based. They have different removal procedures, so it’s important to know what type of paint you are dealing with.
Now, how can you do this? Easy-peasy! Get some methylated spirit on a cloth and run it over the paint stain. If some of the paint comes off, it’s water-based. If it doesn’t, the paint is oil-based.
Step 2:
Prepare a water soap mixture. Take some warm water in a bucket and mix it with an adequate amount of liquid soap. Apply this solution to the paint before trying to scrape it. The soapwater mixture will soften the paint crust.
Step 3:
The paint can be removed using a scraper after applying the solution. Even though it won’t completely eliminate the paint, it will make the next step much more straightforward. You can use a razor blade to scrape off the paint from non-tinted windows.
But you can’t do the same for tinted windows. The blade will damage the window film, so you need to take a more subtle approach. Use a plastic putty knife so that the film remains unscathed when you scrape off the paint.
Carefully hold the blade or putty knife at an angle and place the edge against the paint surface. Then, press it against the paint and scrape in long, even strokes, using only one direction at a time, raising the tool between passes. Don’t scrape back and forth because it could cause scratches.
Use the hand broom and dustpan to sweep away the paint chips as you scrape them off the wall. Apply more of the solution and give it another scrape if the paint remains.
Step 4:
There are several ways to get paint off of a car window. As we previously said, your paint removal technique will depend on the nature of the paint. Cleaning with liquid detergent and warm water is the simplest option for water-based paint. To remove oil-based paint, you can either use WD-40 or acetone.
How To Remove Water-Based Paint?
It’s easier to get water-based paint off the windshield than oil-based ones. You just need to use more liquid soap-water mixture on the paint stain and then scrub the paint off with a sponge. Afterward, the paint will peel right off.
How To Remove Oil-Based Paint?
To remove paint using the WD-40 method, first use a solution of liquid detergent and warm water to clean the affected area. Finally, spray some WD-40 onto a cotton towel and gently scrub the paint. Allow the WD-40 to sit on the paint for ten to twenty minutes.
After that, wash the area with soap and water again. If you are lucky, all of the paint should come off by now. If it doesn’t, keep on redoing the process until you get a sparkling clean windshield.
You can also use acetone to remove oil-based paint. In that case, you should do it in an open space with lots of air circulation. Begin by washing the area with soap and water like before. Put on a pair of gloves and a mask before you bring acetone into play.
After preparing the windshield, pour some acetone on a rag and scrub the windshield with it. The paint should come off. However, make sure not to get any acetone on the frame of the car. It will mess up the paintwork for sure.
Step 5:
Finish up by washing the windshield with soap water so that the residual paint and cleaner wash off.
Will rubbing alcohol remove paint from glass?
Yes, rubbing alcohol is often used to remove paint from glass surfaces. However, it is important to test it on a small area of the glass first, and to be careful as it can also damage some surfaces.
Final Opinion
Folks, you should have a pretty good idea about how to get paint off a windshield. So, no need to panic the next time you get some paint on the windshield. Clear up a few hours in your schedule, get the necessary supplies, and you are good to go.
Patiently follow the guidelines I have mentioned here. Sometimes you might have to repeat some steps. But, I can guarantee that your persistence will pay off.
