Caramics - Ceramic Glass Cleaner

Yes. While all of our Caramics support products – including Caramics Enhancing Shampoo, Caramics Gloss Enhancer and Caramics Glass Cleaner – have been specifically engineered to prolong to the life and performance of our range of Caramics Protection Kits during routine maintenance, they can install an Si02 (silica) layer of protection on their own. As with all ceramic coatings, this will offer enhanced water behaviour, more gloss (on paintwork, vinyl and gloss plastics) and make your vehicle much easier to clean the next time around. The difference is that, as stand alone products, they will not provide the 12-months of durability offered by our flagship Caramics Protection Kits. Instead they’ve been designed as quick and easy-to-use top up products that are ideal for getting maximum durability, increased gloss and optimal performance on vehicles with a silica-based coating already present. For a full rundown of how all of our Caramics support products can be used to their best, and for some top tips on application, check out our full guide – Maintain And Enhance Your Ceramic Coatings In Under An Hour.    

Both the Glass Waffle and Superior Waffle have been specifically developed for use on vehicle glass when cleaning, polishing and restoring windows and other glass surfaces in and around your car. Both these premium detailing and valeting cloths also have a specially engineered waffle weave for increased absorption and to trap contaminants and polish residues away from surfaces, making them ideal for use with Vision Glass Polish, Crystal Glass Cleaner and Caramics Glass Cleaner. The difference between these two towels is in the microfibre used and how it makes contact with glass surfaces. The Superior Waffle is slightly softer and more absorbent, making it the perfect product for soaking up spray-on cleaners, while the Glass Waffle has a little more of a scrubbing texture, making it great for tasks where a little more bite is required, such buffing away polish (meaning it particularly ideal for use with Vision) and cleaning away more intense stains. For more on these, see our full guide – Glass: How to Clean, Protect and Get a Sparkling Smear-Free Finish.

Yes, Crystal Glass Cleaner is safe and effective on glass with a previously-applied ceramic coating, including the 12-month-durable coating in our Caramics Glass Protection Kit. Silica (Si02) based ceramic coatings chemically bond to surfaces on a molecular level to provide a durable layer of protection that can only be fully removed through abrasion. Crystal is a non-abrasive formula made up of a finely balanced blend of distilled solvents and, as such, it removes residues by dissolving them and allowing them to be easily wiped away without abrading surfaces or protection layers. While Crystal will not degrade your ceramic coating though, it will not strengthen it either. For this reason, whenever there’s a ceramic coating present, for the best results we recommend utilising Caramics Glass Cleaner which has been specifically developed to boost coatings, prolonging their life and their performance. Learn more about how to clean and protect your glass in our guide – Protect Your Glass For Winter.

Technically yes, both our Crystal Glass Cleaner and Caramics Glass Cleaner can be used on tinted windows. The mild distilled solvents in these products will not harm window tinting films in any way. Unlike some harsh cleaning solutions and glass polishes, which can soften films and interfere with their adhesion, these non-abrasive, alcohol-based formulas will clean away sticky marks such as fingerprints, along with light dust and grime, and will not abrade any sensitive surface. This is because the solvents are specially selected to melt away oily residues, chemically dissolving them into the solution to create a solute. Once dissolved these contaminants can be safely wiped away with a Microfibre Work Cloth or Superior Waffle (which is designed specifically for cleaning vehicle windows) without fear of scratching the surface underneath - whether that’s glass, tinting films, or even Lexan, Perspex and Polycarbonate motorsport windows. For tinting films in particular though, it’s worth noting that most commonly these are applied to the inside of the car windows, and will not require ceramic protection. So, while you can use Caramics Glass Cleaner from time to time because it will do no harm to the tinting film, the vast majority of the time it’s more suitable for use on the exterior (where there is no film) and utilised to add protection or top up another Si02 ceramic layer, just like the 12-month durable coating you’ll find in our Caramics Glass Protection Kit. Crystal Glass Cleaner however can be used at any time, inside or out, on glass, tinted or plastic windows.        

We don’t usually recommend using any ceramic product on interior glass, but this does depend solely on the frequency of use. Although Caramics Glass Cleaner is primarily designed to clean exterior glass - and contains an infusion of Si02 to prolong the life and performance of previously-applied ceramic coatings (such as our Glass Protection Kit) - it can be used inside, now and again, as a quick and powerful glass-cleaner. This can be extremely useful, say at a car show or on the go where you only have this product in your kitbag. However, one of the key attributes of this product  is that it will leave behind a ceramic layer which is not designed for vehicle interiors. And, although there will be no coating already on the interior to top up, regular use of Caramics Glass Cleaner will build up and strengthen a coating itself… and quite simply, water beading and heavy grime protection is best left for the outside. This is why we always recommend that, for the most part, Caramics Glass Cleaner only be used for exterior glass where the Si02 layer is needed for protection. Crystal Glass Cleaner however can be used, inside and out, for all cleaning purposes, but bear in mind that, while it won’t degrade any ceramic coatings, it will not strengthen them either. For more on our glass cleaning, polishing and protection products, and how they can be used to get the most from your detail, see our guide – Glass: How To Clean, Protect and Get a Sparkling, Smear-Free Finish.   

The great thing about silica-based (SiO2) ceramic coatings is that they’re specifically developed to help your vehicle look better for longer. The hardy protection layer they install is essentially chemically bonded silicon dioxide, which is like glass, so it smooths the surfaces enough to prevent water molecules and grime from bonding. Regardless of application to paint, glass, vinyl or any other exterior surface, this is why they bead to the extreme and offer the longest lasting protection of any product. What’s most important here is that grime will sit on top of the ceramic layer rather than sticking, and this makes cleaning easier. But it’s still important to carry out safe maintenance to stop heavy grit and grime from being rubbed in and abrading the coating and the paintwork, causing the infliction of defects. Using coating-friendly pre-wash products, such as Citrus Power Bug and Grime Remover and Avalanche Snow Foam will also prevent damage to coatings because they don’t contain harsh acidic or alkaline cleaning agents that may etch into the top layer. It’s the same story for the shampoo you use in your two-bucket wash. Lather Car Shampoo is a great choice as it will never damage previously-applied coatings, but alternatively you can use Wash 'N' Gloss Car Shampoo or our Caramics Enhancing Shampoo to actively top-up and prolong the life and performance of your SiO2 coating as you wash paintwork, glass and all other exterior surfaces. Other products that are great for topping up during routine maintenance include Aqua Coat Hydrophobic Rinse Aid, Lavish Ceramic Foam, Caramics Gloss Enhancer, Caramics Glass Cleaner and Ceramic Spray Wax. When it comes to paint correction, all you have to remember is that Si02 coatings have to be allowed to chemically bond to the topcoat or lacquer layer, so it’s crucial to use a compound or a polish that doesn’t contain any waxes or fillers, because these extra layers will block the chemical bonding process. For paint correction, polishing and refinement before adding a coating, we’d recommend using products that only reveal a true finish, such as One Step All-in-One Compound, or our Revitalise System V2 Compounds (which are also available separately). Don’t forget that SiO2 coatings are extremely durable and can only be fully removed through abrasion, this means that polishing your vehicle using any abrasive after applying a ceramic coating will remove the Si02 layer, meaning that reapplication of protection will be required after you polish. For more on how to prepare a car for a ceramic coating, see our guide – Detailing and Ceramic Coating a New Car.