How to Clean, Restore and Protect Isinglass, Strataglass, Clears, Clear Vinyl Windows
- Stretch windows out on boat enclosure or lay flat on a clean, non scratch surface protected with clean towels or cotton cloth.
- Rinse with clear water and pat dry with a clean microfiber cloth to remove surface dust and dirt. Do not rub or you may scratch.
- Apply Clear View No. 1 to a clean, soft cotton cloth and rub out oxidation, fog, haze and yellowing, using a circular motion. Mask adjacent canvas to prevent staining. Buff away haze with a clean microfiber cloth.
- Apply Clear View No. 2 to a clean, soft cotton cloth using a circular motion. When haze forms buff haze with a clean microfiber cloth.
- Repeat on the other side.
Can Clear Vinyl Boat Windows Really Be This Clear?
Regular use of CLEAR VIEW will extend the life of all see through plastics. It’s ideal for the care and maintenance of your Isinglass, Strataglass ®, Lexan ®, Plexiglass ®, and other clear vinyl windows aboard your boat or yacht. It can also be used on port lights, hatches, compass domes and instrument crystals.
You’ll love how your see through plastics regain their new appearance.
The CLEAR VIEW KIT® contains everything you need to clean, restore and protect All See-Through Plastics. Use on Isinglass, Strataglass Windows and Clears, Hatches, Port Holes, Vinyl Curtains, Compass Domes and Instrument faces:
- Protects against UV Damage to prevent yellowing, fogging and cracking, keeping your windows clear and easy to see through.
- Restores Plasticizers to keep the plastic from drying out and cracking to extend the useful life by many times.
- Fills in Minor Scratches to maintain optical clarity and reduce rainbow effect from light.
- Extend the life of the plastics to save you money.
Kit includes: No.1 Cleaner / Restorer and No.2 Protector.
Simply use CLEAR VIEW® No.1 with white dry cloth to rub out fog and oxidation and clean and restore the clarity of the plastic. Then, apply CLEAR VIEW® No. 2 to extend its life, provide UV protection, fill in minor scratches and keep the boat plastics looking new and protected against the elements.
CLEAR VIEW® can be used to restore older see through plastics and protect new plastic from deterioration to extend their useful life and save you the cost of constant replacement. This includes clear vinyl windows or Clears, Isinglass, Strataglass as well as acrylic or Plexiglass and polycarbonate or Lexan hatches, portholes and portlights, compass domes and instrument crystals. Complete, easy to understand instructions on how to clean clear vinyl boat windows is printed on the back of each bottle.
The CLEAR VIEW KIT® comes with two bottles: No.1 is the Cleaner / Restorer used for cleaning ground in dirt and pollutants and restoring oxidized plastic damaged by UV from the sun. No. 2 is the special UV Protective Coating. It’s not just a protectant, it seals the pores against dirt, bacteria and pollution, fills in minor scratches to restore optical clarity and leaves a tough, clear, anti-static coating which protects against UV, pollutants, and scratching from fine dust and dirt. The new formula is water based which eliminates VOC’s and makes the product environment friendly. Eliminating the solvents allowed us to add more active ingredients so now you get greater coverage. It’s concentrated to save you money while still providing your windows with superior protection.
In addition we’re now using Nano Technology in the No. 2 protector to improve the longevity, UV protection and giving your windows better abrasion resistance.
CLEAR VIEW can restore cloudy vinyl windows in a single application, providing that the windows ha’en’t become permanently damaged from neglect. Regular use of CLEAR VIEW on new clear vinyl or Clears, Isinglass and Strataglass boat windows will keep them looking their best year after year and can double their life.
Vinyl is plasticized, stabilized polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Although the clear flexible version is the plastic of choice for removable and temporary windows and it’s also the most unstable plastic commonly found on your boat. It’s soft so it’s susceptible to pits, scratches and cuts and is very vulnerable to grit and salt crystals. Rolling up your windows, touching them, wiping with a dry cloth, even wind blowing the grit or salt across the surface will cause tiny scratches which will make the surface look cloudy and destroy optical clarity. Keeping your vinyl clean by regular rinsing with clear water and patting dry with a soft microfiber cloth is essential to extending the life of your windows. Periodic cleaning with CLEAR VIEW No. 1 removes ground in dirt and reduce surface abrasion and deteriorated plastic. The cleaner and smoother you keep your windows the longer they will remain clear and useful.
The most common cause of failure is UV damage from sunlight which causes your windows to become foggy, muddy and opaque. Clear vinyl has UV blockers built in but because of their clarity, it’s easy for the sun to exhaust them. Regular use of CLEAR VIEW No. 2 Protective Coating with Nano Technology UV inhibitors, will reduce the suns damage and can extend the life of your vinyl.
Vinyl is built with plasticizers, otherwise it would be inflexible. When these plasticizers evaporate, the vinyl becomes brittle and cracks. Again, regular use of CLEAR VIEW No. 2 Protective Coating will keep the clear vinyl windows flexible and supple.
CLEAR VIEW No. 2 is more than a temporary protectant. It’s a protective coating that bonds to your plastic windows, hatches, port lights, compass domes and other see through plastic and provides a protective barrier against UV damage, abrasion and plasticizer exhaustion. The new water based formula is environment friendly but in addition is less injurious to your windows than solvent based protectants which can enlarge the pores and increase porosity.
Acrylic plastic or Plexiglass ®, or in some cases polycarbonate or Lexan ®, are the plastics of choice for hatch covers, port lights or portholes, compass domes and instrument crystals. They are rigid, much thicker than vinyl windows and often tinted so they resist UV damage better than clear vinyl and will last longer. None the less, if not protected, they are still susceptible to UV damage over time, resulting in clouding, surface grazing or cracking and the surfaces can easily be scuffed and scratched resulting in loss of optical clarity. Regular cleaning with CLEAR VIEW No. 1 and protection with CLEAR VIEW No. 2 will keep them looking new and extend their life saving you the cost of replacement.
Tips on how to extend the life of your Isinglass, Strataglass, Clears and other see-through boat plastics.
Things to avoid in the maintenance of your clear plastic windows, instrument crystals, hatches and port lights are: paper towels, hard brushes, squeegees, sponges (they collect grit and scratch), dirty cloths, cleaners with ammonia, alcohol and solvents, glass cleaners, household cleaners, furniture polish, wax, oil. They will all accelerate the degradation of your see through plastic. Even soap should be avoided. The problem with soap or detergent is that it’s not free rinsing. It leaves a soap film or soap scum and that’s food for mold which can promote mold growth. As well intentions as using something handy, or the desire to save a few dollars, you will pay many times over in the end when you have to replace your windows or hatches. Is it worth the gamble?
Clean your plastic windows, hatches, port-lights, etc. with Clear View No.1 at least once a year or more often if required and protect them with Clear View No. 2 every 4 to 8 weeks, more often in tropical climates.
Remember that a boat with crystal clear windows looks well maintained. If gives the owner greater pride of ownership and adds a lot of value to the boat when it comes time to trade up or sell your boat.
In conclusion, keep your see through plastics clean and protected and you’ll enjoy them more. Plus they’ll serve you much longer without the necessity and expense of early replacement.
“If CLEAR VIEW can’t give your windows a Clear View, nothing can!”