Your on a road trip and stop at a gas station to fill up. Your windshield has so many bugs you can’t even see glass anymore, and of course, you don’t have any of your supplies with you because you kids NEEDED to bring an extra bag of clothes since they couldn’t decide.

So what do you do? You grab the gas station squeegee and try your best to get it at least visible. However, with the proper technique that squeegee can actually be a very good tool for cleaning your glass and leaving it streak-free.

First, using the scrub side, really scrub those bugs off, put some muscle into it and don’t worry about making it look good right now. Bugs can be really stubborn and with only the cleaner supplied you are at the mercy of its strength.

Second, you are going to flip to the squeegee side and starting at the top, pull from the far side to you. Make sure you are using a good amount of pressure. The key to this is having the rubber so close to the windshield that any residual liquid or contaminants are forced out to the side.

Then, with each pass flick the squeegee to the ground to remove the water you just scooped up. Have a paper towel ready and wipe the squeegee clean. You don’t want it dripping down and it needs to be clean for the next pass. This is the most important part as residual water will leave streaks.

Continue this overlapping about 30% ish each pass. This will help clean any excess squeezed out to the bottom. Using proper pressure and wiping the squeegee each time will make a huge difference in getting clean glass.

It may not be perfect as again you are at the mercy of the product they have and the age of the rubber of the squeegee. However, using these tips will allow you to get the best result with the limited tools you are given.

Most importantly, DO NOT clean your car paint with it! You may think I sound crazy but I have watched multiple people wash their ENTIRE car with the squeegee. I still have a nightmare about it.

Now if you do happen to have products with you, I would still recommend this process as that netted foam is very good at cleaning bugs off. Then following it up with glass cleaner and towel just to get any small things you missed.