Eisenglass is the clear window sections of your dodger and cockpit enclosure. Isinglass is a substance derived from fish swim bladders.
Aside from similar pronunciation, they also have another common characteristic: cloudiness. Isinglass is a powder, and Eisenglass will become opaque as dust and grim build up on its surface. Most people fear general maintenance around Eisenglass because they fear damaging it. It is common knowledge that if you rub dirt off Eisenglass, you can accidentally scratch it! This leads a lot of people to sit back and squint through the opaque windows in their dodger instead of doing something about it to restore its clarity.
You shouldn't be afraid of cleaning your Eisenglass, all you need to do is take special steps as you work. The most important thing to remember is that you need to always work with wet Eisenglass. If it is dry, dust and dirt can scratch the surface. By wetting the surface with a wet rag, all the dust is moistened and turns into a soft mud that can be easily wiped away. This will reduce the bulk of the grime that is obscuring your vision.
After this step is completed and the Eisenglass is now much better, but still dirty, it is time to take to professional cleaning products!
It was recommended to me, and I am now passing on the information to you, the use of RX cleaner.
This spray cleaner works wonders at removing the leftover grime and polishing the surface of the Eisenglass, leaving behind a crystal clear result.
All you need to do is wipe the surface with a wet rag to remove the majority of the loose grime, then dry with a dry rag. Next you spray the cleaner over the surface of the Eisenglass. I prefer to spray around the border and an X across the middle part.
Then I wipe in a circular motion the surface of the Eisenglass to spread around the cleaner. Once the cleaner has dried a bit, I switch to a new dry rag and buff the surface one more time.
The results are spectacular! I had not cleaned my Eisenglass in 6 years and it was scuzzy! The whole process took only a few minutes and brought the Eisenglass back to life! Now we can see out through the dodger as we sail.
