Tips for Cleaning and Maintaining Your Golf Cart Windshield

Golf Cart Windshields are amongst the most popular accessories for golf carts. However, they’re only effective when owners practice the proper maintenance and cleaning routines. Keep reading to see how a clean golf cart windshield will help you see clearly and travel more safely.

Know the Windshield Material

Before we get into exactly how to clean golf cart windshields, you should know the material of your windshield. Typically, golf cart windshields come in three materials:

• Acrylic - Also called plexiglass, acrylic windshields are highly scratch-resistant but can shatter relatively easily. Their economical cost also makes them the ideal option for golf cart windshields.

• Impact-Modified Acrylic - Incorporating rubber into the creation, impact-modified acrylic is far more durable and flexible than standard acrylic. Despite the added strength, it isn’t completely unbreakable and will shatter with enough force. Impact-modified windshields are also scratch-resistant than regular acrylic.

• Polycarbonate - The last of the three most popular materials is polycarbonate. While this type of windshield material isn’t great at resisting scratches, it has far greater durability. Polycarbonate windshields can endure a significant amount of pressure before they break.

How To Clean Golf Cart Windshields

Knowing your golf cart windshield's material is the most important step when determining the proper method to clean your golf cart windshield. A windshield made from Acrylic will handle tougher scrubbing and resist scratches, but a polycarbonate windshield will immediately show signs of scuffing.

Use Appropriate Cleaning Products

The most important piece of advice in this article: Never use standard glass cleaners on a Golf Cart Windshield; the ammonia in the solution can ruin the acrylic and polycarbonate.

The proper golf cart windshield cleaning solution is a simple mixture of mild dish soap diluted with warm water. This prevents any abrasive or corrosive chemicals from reacting negatively with the windshield's material. Rinse off the soapy water solution with clean water before drying the windshield.

Dry the Windshield

Since golf cart windshields are made from acrylic and not glass, it is pertinent that you take extra care when drying them to avoid scratches. Even minor scratches will add up over time, leaving you with a cloudy view, no matter how much you try to scrub it away.

Paper towels, terry cloth (bath) towels, newspapers, or other potentially abrasive materials should never be used to dry an acrylic golf cart windshield. You also should not allow your windshield to air dry; this could leave water spots, affecting your clear view.

Golf Cart Stuff™ highly recommends using only a clean microfiber cloth to dry your golf cart windshield.

Polish Any Scratches

Given the nature of Golf Carts and similar LSVs being used off-pavement, and mostly recreationally, there's a good chance that you’ll eventually need to deal with scratches in your acrylic windshield.

Luckily, there are windshield polish kits made specifically for these non-glass windshield options. These polish kits can dramatically improve the appearance of your old hazy windshield by filling in smaller, more superficial scratches. Unfortunately these repair kits can only help so much—when scratches become deep enough, no amount of polishing will revive them.

Unobstructed View Forward

When you purchase a golf cart windshield, proper care and cleaning are crucial. Although made from acrylic materials that can be delicate and prone to imperfections, applying the right products and techniques will prevent impaired visibility and having to purchase a replacement.

We hope this article has been helpful on the journey to care for and maintain your Golf Cart Windshield properly. Please let us know if you have additional questions, and what you'd like to see from us next!