Water Spot Remover Issue -- Any Suggestions?

[Michael1]

I've run into an issue using the new Water Spot Remover on a portion of my shower glass and wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions on how (or if?) this is fixable.

 

Applied WSR to a 2' x 2' portion of pre-cleaned shower glass with a microfiber applicator and let it dwell for about ~20 seconds.  Per the instructions, I re-cleaned the treated area with APC and wiped the area down.  After a min or two I noticed the area of glass I applied WSR to had now developed a pretty heavy white haze once it had completely dried.  Re-applied WSR to the same area and this time "cleaned" it off with glass cleaner and the haze remained.  By "haze" I mean the area is now very cloudy & white (think really bad soap scum-type look).  Even when wet, the affected area of the glass is not smooth... it still feels a little dry/rough when rubbing your hand over it.  Not sticky per se, but definitely not smooth as wet glass should be.

 

I've since been messaging with Adam's support and it sounds like I didn't "neutralize" the chemical reaction of the WSR and it should have been rinsed with water after the application to fully neutralize the chemical reaction.  It doesn't state this anywhere on the packaging (just says "re-clean") nor in the tutorial video, which shows cleaning the WSR off with WW "or you can use glass cleaner."  Not trying to battle semantics or looking for a refund on a $15 product, just hoping there might be a solution to fix my glass.

 

After messaging with Adam's they suggested re-applying the WSR and rinsing with water.  Tried this and the haze remains.  I've also tried cleaning the area with actual bathroom cleaner, a bleach-based clearer and cleaning the area with a Magic Eraser and none of those helped either.  Hit it with full-strength CLR this morning and that also did nothing.  Is this stuff forever etched into my glass at this point?  I've run out of ideas to try on my end so hoping someone out there might have a suggestion?  Appreciate any feedback.

[Silverbugeye]

You have definitely etched the glass. Hitting APC after Water Spot Remover just added a different acid on top of acid that was there. This is the same way you wouldn’t want to let APC sit and dry on glass or Water Spot remover.

 

not trying to lecture or anything. I usually do these type of goof ups myself.

 

My guess as a non expert is that you are going to need to polish the glass. Do some research on that or maybe someone else has some better advice

[Michael1]

Yeah, thinking it's definitely etched into the glass.

 

At Adam's suggestion I tried hitting the area with 0000 steel wool and that didn't do anything.  Also broke out my DA and tried polishing anarea with different levels of aggression (pads & compound) and that didn't make a dent either.  Exhausted everything I can think of at this point so thinking my glass might just be F'd at this point.

[Dan@Adams]

Hi Michael, I do certainly apologize for the issues! Do you have any pictures of the affected area?

In the product video, we do show to use Waterless Wash immediately after using Water Spot Remover to neutralize the acids in Water Spot Remover. APC is a very strong degreaser, so it most likely gave a boost to the Water Spot Remover rather than neutralizing it. 

I will see if they can edit the instructions on the product page to be more clear, and again, I am very sorry for this issue.

A cerium oxide polish specifically for glass might be an option to polish the glass back, but unfortunately we do not offer a polish specifically for glass at the moment.

[DonJuan692006]

I'd like to know as well since I have the same issue. I used WW just as the video showed. Notice that it's not everywhere. 

 

My theory; my glass was "coated" by the manufacturer (which didn't work worth a hoot). I tried polishing off the water spots about a year ago with mediocre results. What I think happened is that my polishing removed that factory coating in some spots (the clear areas in the pic) and the hazing is a reaction between the coating, where it still is, and the Water Spot Remover. Partially supported by the fact that the haze is only where the water spots aren't.

Edited April 25, 2021 by DonJuan692006

[Michael1]

3 hours ago, DonJuan692006 said:

I'd like to know as well since I have the same issue. I used WW just as the video showed. Notice that it's not everywhere. 

 

My theory; my glass was "coated" by the manufacturer (which didn't work worth a hoot). I tried polishing off the water spots about a year ago with mediocre results. What I think happened is that my polishing removed that factory coating and the hazing is a reaction between the coating and the Water Spot Remover. Partially supported by the fact that the haze is only where the water spots aren't.

 

 

The affected area of my shower glass is pretty much toast and has permanent etching similar to what you're seeing.  I tried a ton of potential solutions (both on my own and at Adam's request) and nothing helped.

 

Seems like cleaning/rinsing the glass pre or post WSR treatment with anything other than plain old water likely causes a secondary chemical reaction with the WSR and the you get a front-row seat to the etching party.

[Rich]

So I asked my wife (might as well go to the pro) what she uses because we've had the same glass doors since 93.  She said she uses Scrubbing Bubbles (spray the doors down with this) and then uses a wet Magic Eraser to clean them. Then rinse them with clean water and that's it.  The glass still looks brand new.  I know it's not Adam's, but that works for ours.  They're Basco brand. 

[DonJuan692006]

3 hours ago, Rich said:

So I asked my wife (might as well go to the pro) what she uses because we've had the same glass doors since 93.  She said she uses Scrubbing Bubbles (spray the doors down with this) and then uses a wet Magic Eraser to clean them. Then rinse them with clean water and that's it.  The glass still looks brand new.  I know it's not Adam's, but that works for ours.  They're Basco brand. 

Coincidentally, I used Scrubbing Bubbles as well until I couldn't find it anymore. Not sure it's going to do anything for this haze though.

[Rich]

27 minutes ago, DonJuan692006 said:

Coincidentally, I used Scrubbing Bubbles as well until I couldn't find it anymore. Not sure it's going to do anything for this haze though.

I get it at WalMart or Sam's Club. 

[DonJuan692006]

On 3/6/2021 at 5:32 PM, Dan@Adams said:

Hi Michael, I do certainly apologize for the issues! Do you have any pictures of the affected area?

In the product video, we do show to use Waterless Wash immediately after using Water Spot Remover to neutralize the acids in Water Spot Remover. APC is a very strong degreaser, so it most likely gave a boost to the Water Spot Remover rather than neutralizing it. 

I will see if they can edit the instructions on the product page to be more clear, and again, I am very sorry for this issue.

A cerium oxide polish specifically for glass might be an option to polish the glass back, but unfortunately we do not offer a polish specifically for glass at the moment.

Hey Dan, I included a picture if you guys have any thoughts.