THE $10 RETRACTABLE WINDSHIELD CLEANER

Intro: THE $10 RETRACTABLE WINDSHIELD CLEANER

[all parts are available from most .99 cent stores and Harbor Freight tools, or any tool place]

OH BOY, DO I HATE A DIRTY WINDSHIELD

the sun hits it, and you can't see 4' in front of you, you grab a tissue and wipe a 6"x6" hole that you are peering thru to drive.

So why can't I just grab a squeegee and clean the inside of the window?

oh it's in the Trunk, and it only cleans a 2' x 2' area, It won't go all the way to the bottom

and now there is wiper fluid dripping into the dashboard. ARRRGH

OK, NO Problem, I can buy a hand held wiper wand, they sell them at the .99 store

Now I can reach the bottom of the windshield, but I still can only reach half the inside of the car

and its so frigging long, I can't store it anywhere except the trunk (where it is useless)

STEP 1: The Solution...

I was I was wandering around Harbor Freight and found THIS, heavy duty magnetic pickup wand,

--> Retractable [√] Strong [√] Cheap [√] MINE [√][√][√][√] <--

$5.00 a deal! and here is a better price online:

https://totalelement.com/products/30-inch-telescop...

Went to the .99 store picked up a cleaning wand (plastic) and a bag of faux Shamwows, a bottle of faux Windex, and was ready to go to work. I Built this retractable windshield cleaner using the parts bought from the .99 store and harbor fright.

STEP 2: Lets Take This Out for a Test Drive!!

I tested it and YUP! it reaches the whole window from the driver's side.

I can pull the cleaner out, spray some Windex, clean the whole window in the time you wait at a traffic light.

STEP 3: Storing the Darn Thing!

My magic wand (yea yea ™) can be stored in a side pocket, or the door compartment ... or even—GASP—in the glove box. The .99 deal? No can store, just too big.

MEASUREMENTS:

Fully Retracted the wand measures 8 1/2 inches, Extended a whopping 34"

the plastic .99 cent Jobbie is 14"

YOU EXCITED?

wanna make one! - Read on

STEP 4: Building the Wand - Cutting Out the Plastic

There are a gaggle of photos. -- Since this was my second wand (purchased for the sole purpose of making this Instructable) I went into excruciating details.

:)

I used a Dremel, but its cheap plastic and you can use a snips or exacto to do the same thing.

STEP 5: Building the Wand - Placement and Glueing

After cutting out the openings in the plastic to fit the magnet and the rod, I used some hot glue and a cut out business card to build a wall to be used as a dam so the epoxy would not travel. after everything dries, I can pull off the dried hot glue.

STEP 6: The Finished Product

I added some strips of industrial Velcro on to the applicator, using the mock Shamwow I got at the .99 store I cut them into squares (I pack gives me enough for about 17 applicator pads) some Windex, or even alcohol and TADA!

STEP 7: Sparkly Shiny!!!

What a difference!!

Comments

[Ron DeVous]

Great idea, but don't use Windex (or any window cleaner containing ammonia) on tempered glass windshields. I learned this the hard way. Over time wanting to maintain a spotless windshield etched very fine scratches that were illuminated by oncoming headlights at night. [http://lpautoglassorlando.com/blog/auto-glass-repair/unsafe-products-that-lead-to-an-auto-windshield-repair/]

[Yonatan24]

Scratches? Why would a liquid cause scratches? They are probably from dust.

[OutofPatience]

Delightfully useful! Thanks ever so much!

[MerlinTheGreat]

Nice little helper you made.

Since I have the same car as you do, I suppose that could work for me too. ;)

[mrmetallica]

great idea. im going to use a selfie stick from pound land they are very sturdy.

[macgeek]

AWESOME IDEA!

post a picture of it when you have it finished, I would love to see it (and steal it from you!)

:)

Jonathan

[mrmetallica]

pictures uploaded for you

[macgeek]

That looks REALLY STURDY!!!!

Great job!!!

You know you could get a tube with a cork and sick it in the rod full of windex, etc as a storage area..

Jonathan

[SteveP51]

I often clean my screen as one thing I hate is a foggy smeared dirty windscreen. What I normally do is use dish washing liquid diluted using a car sponge wipe over screen then use a rubber squeegee to blade it off which is fine up to a point but the tricky bit is cleaning right down to the dashboard.
So my friend I can really see the advantages of using your system because it would eliminate the problem of awkward areas.
Thank You so much.
Steve :)

[rugerslew]

I'm unsure as to why your inside glass so often gets hard to see through but after you have thoroughly cleaned your inside-windshield try this next time: just turn on your windshield heat - full blast - and, if it's condensate, it will clear up right away. Give it a try. Forgive me if you already know about this.........

TV

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[sarawelder]

I could have used this yesterday driving back from Canada with the low sun blinding me and internal glaze made it impossible even to read road signs. I will beaming one soon! thank you for an easy, useful and inexpensive idea

[macgeek]

I live in Las Vegas, HOME of the glaring sun!!

[dragon flyer]

I'm glad I don't hate a dirty windshield; in fact my eyes have problems with reflections, so I leave my windshield dirty to help cut the glare.

But I don't get what the black plastic thingy you attached the handle to is, or where it came from, since you don't say - I'd have liked a complete list of materials and tools. Is the handle attachment hinged, the way it looks? If so, is that a planned part of the tool's functioning, or is it an annoyance?

I hope you don't actually clean your window at red lights; in my part of the world, at least, that could get you nabbed for distracted driving...

[macgeek]

Yes the black plastic is hinged, Thanks for pointing that out, and YES it helps dramatically -- Its part of the Original Fixed .99 window wand.

I chatted with a Police officer, about that, and he said that since it helped you be a better driver, by having clean windows, no cop would ticket you, But as always YMMV...