# Newspaper cleaning **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 25, 2000, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newspaper-cleaning/38201 "2000-10-25T01:24:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newspaper-cleaning/38201/1 "2000-10-25T01:24:09Z")
What makes newspapers better for cleaning windows than paper towels? ---
**Author:** ![Fillet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/2acd7d/32.png) [@Fillet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fillet)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newspaper-cleaning/38201/2 "2000-10-25T01:28:11Z")
I had a friend who was a big proponent of this. Her points: it’s cheaper, and there’s no lint. Just crumple up the newspaper into a wad so it’s not too stiff. ---
**Author:** ![Fyodor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/958977/32.png) [@Fyodor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fyodor)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newspaper-cleaning/38201/3 "2000-10-25T02:03:38Z")
If you’ve ever used those old kerosene lamps with a wick and a glass chimney you would have seen the glass chimney get very quickly badly blackened with soot if the wick and flame get too high. The time-honoured way to clean these glass chimneys is with crumpled up newspaper. ---
**Author:** ![Carina42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Carina42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carina42)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newspaper-cleaning/38201/4 "2000-10-25T10:01:34Z")
Newspaper is more absorbent & it’s also lint free & cheaper, as pointed out. My mother always used a vinegar rinse on the windows. She claimed it deterred flies from walking all over the glass. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newspaper-cleaning/38201/5 "2000-10-25T14:51:55Z")
As kids we used that trick, newspaper & vinegar. Vinegar has anti-lime properties. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newspaper-cleaning/38201/6 "2000-10-25T16:22:14Z")
Note that many US newspapers use soy-based inks that are still a bit wet when the paper’s delivered; that’s what makes your hands black when you read the paper. If the ink can come off on your hands, I’d think it could come off on whatever it is you’re cleaning. I’ve heard that putting the paper in a low oven for a few minutes fixes the ink so it doesn’t come off. Carina42 wrote: > [@](#): > > . My mother always used a vinegar rinse on the windows. She claimed it deterred flies from walking all over the glass. Well, we all know that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sn-man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sn-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sn-man)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newspaper-cleaning/38201/7 "2000-10-25T17:04:53Z")
The reason newspaper works better is the type of paper and the ink. To have sparkling glass you need to clean, dry and then polish it. The cleaning part use whatever you like ammonia, vinegar, etc… For drying, newspaper is lint free just as Fillit mentioned. The polish part removes streaks. Newspaper is good at this due to the ink. The ink acts as a polishing agent. You can get the same results by using car wax. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newspaper-cleaning/38201/8 "2000-10-25T22:11:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sn-man \* > \*\*The reason newspaper works better is the type of paper and the ink. To have sparkling glass you need to clean, dry and then polish it. The cleaning part use whatever you like ammonia, vinegar, etc… For drying, newspaper is lint free just as Fillit mentioned. The polish part removes streaks. Newspaper is good at this due to the ink. The ink acts as a polishing agent. You can get the same results by using car wax. \*\* Are you sure about that, Sn-man? That’s what I’ve always been told too, but I’ve never seen any proof of that. I’m of the opinion that the ink doesn’t hurt or help. I think the biggest thing is the low amount of lint residue that is left behind by newspaper over rags or papertowels. ---
**Author:** ![WillyK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/47e85d/32.png) [@WillyK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillyK)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/newspaper-cleaning/38201/9 "2000-10-25T22:27:42Z")
What’s the best way to get rid of that “film” on the _inside_ of my winshield? I am not a smoker, and I have tried to clean this film off, only to see it return in a few days. I have scrubbed it over and over only to see it return! Damn you, film!! Any suggestions?