The Complete Guide to Window Tint Maintenance for Car Owners

Keeping the tints on your car's windows in good condition requires knowing what not to do. Here is a guide to window tint maintenance for car owners.

People who have never had tinted windows often do not realize what they are missing. There is a reason that so many people get so much out of having quality tinted windows on their cars. In fact, the industry for the window film market is worth more than $10 billion every year!

Of course, that number might not have to be as big if people knew more about window tint maintenance. People often spend extra money on replacing their tinted windows when they could've saved money by maintaining the quality of their tinted windows.

Some people imagine that maintaining their tinted windows would be too much work to be worth their while. The truth is that maintenance will generally be much more affordable and efficient than occasional replacement.

So what exactly do you need to do to keep your window tent maintenance up to par? Read on to learn all about the most important principles to keep in mind when you are trying to maintain the quality and function of your window tinting!

Car Window Tints Are Susceptible to Suction

The film used to tint windows sticks to your windshield and other windows using adhesive. It is important not to loosen that adhesive.

Fortunately, the adhesive used in tinted windows is of extremely high-quality. It is unlikely to come off under any normal circumstances. That applies especially to the center of your windows.

The edges of your windows are slightly more susceptible to becoming loose. That is why it is especially important not to subject the edges of your tinted windows to the wrong kinds of stresses.

In particular, you should avoid suction. Suction will generally not happen by accident. You have to create it using tools.

For example, you might put suction cups on your windows. However, this is a bad idea if you have tinted windows. If you try to pull suction cups off of tinted windows, you may pull the tinted film off instead.

The same basic principle applies to things like stickers. When you try to pull stickers off of tinted windows, you may loosen the adhesive that keeps the window tint in place.

Save Cleaning Tinted Windows for Last

When you are washing your car, you want to make sure to save the tinted windows for last. This is because no other part of the car needs to be as pristinely clean as the windows. This goes double for the windshield.

But why does the importance of clean tinted windows mean that you should clean them last? The truth is that the cleaning process can scatter dust and dirt in the vicinity of your car. If you are cleaning off the top or side of your car, there is a good chance that some of the dust or dirt on it will scatter and land on your windows.

As a result, you want to clean the rest of your car first. This will in fact scatter some dust and dirt onto your windows. However, you can then clean those windows last to make sure that all of the dust and dirt comes off of them.

Avoid Scratching Car Window Tints

Tinted windows provide an extra layer of protection for your windows. However, that makes them susceptible to damage. The same things that might damage your windows could also damage your window tint.

In particular, sharp objects can damage your window tint. You should be extremely careful not to allow anything sharp to drag across or stab into your tinted windows.

Tinting Car Windows Means You Should Avoid Certain Cleaners

Tinted windows are designed to be easy to maintain. At the same time, there are a few cleaners that you should avoid using on them. In particular, you want to avoid abrasive cleaners that can scratch your tinted windows.

As a result, you should use soft cloths and gentle cleaners. Because you should use gentle cleaners, you need to avoid products that contain ammonia. Ammonia can be quite harsh and damage or tinted windows.

You can generally find out if a given product has ammonia by reading the ingredients. However, a good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that cleaners that are blue often contain ammonia.

Installing Window Tints Makes It Important to Dry Your Car After It Gets Wet

In most cases, the water that you use to clean your car will not be acidic. However, the same cannot necessarily be said for rainwater. Rainwater will sometimes have a higher level of acidity.

As a result, if you allow rainwater to sit on your windows, the acid in the water may slowly damage your tint. To keep your tinted windows lasting as long as possible, you should remove rainwater from them as soon as possible.

That can be as simple as keeping a cloth in your car to wipe across the windshield when your car gets rainwater on it.

Understand the Most Important Principles of Window Tint Maintenance 

We hope that some of the ideas in this brief article about the most important principles of window tint maintenance have been helpful for you. Many people love the look and functionality of their tinted windows when they first get them. However, they enjoy them less and less as they start to wear out.

Understanding the principles of proper window tint maintenance is an investment. You can keep your window tinting looking and functioning as well as possible for a lot longer with proper maintenance. To learn more about how to maintain your tinted windows or to find experts to help you maintain or replace your tinted windows, feel free to reach out and get in touch with us, David Wood Window Tinting is ready to help at any time!