How to clean windows without streaks
How to clean windows without streaks
There is something quietly satisfying about a window so clean you forget the glass is there. And there is nothing quite as annoying as standing back from ten minutes of work and finding a parade of streaks running across it. The streaks are almost never about effort, they are about water, heat and what you are wiping with.
Where streaks actually come from
- The cloth. A fluffy cloth or a paper towel leaves lint and soaks the cleaner up unevenly. Flat-weave or microfibre is what you want.
- The sun. Glass in direct sun dries the cleaner before you have finished spreading it, and the marks it leaves are the drying, not the dirt.
- The water. Hard water leaves mineral residue as it dries, which is a lot of South Australia.
Pick your moment
A cool, overcast morning is the easiest time to do it. The cleaner stays wet long enough to work, and you are not chasing drying edges across the pane. Wind is the other enemy, because a gust of dust or pollen undoes the pane you just finished.
The kit
- A bucket of warm water, not hot.
- A small dash of dish soap, or half water and half white vinegar.
- A flat-weave or microfibre cloth.
- A squeegee, which is the thing that actually removes the streaks.
- An old towel along the sill to catch the drips.
The order of work
- Mix the bucket. Warm water, a dash of soap, or the vinegar mix if you would rather.
- Wring the cloth out until it is damp rather than dripping.
- Wash the glass, working the edges as well as the middle, because the edges hold the dust.
- Squeegee from the top corner in one smooth pull, and wipe the blade on a rag after every pass. A blade that is still wet just puts the water back.
- Buff any last droplets off the bottom edge with a dry cloth.
For anything above head height, put the cloth or the squeegee on an extension pole rather than getting on a ladder. If a window is genuinely out of safe reach from the ground, leave that one alone.
Tracks and frames
Clean glass in a filthy frame still looks wrong. Vacuum the tracks out with a nozzle first, then wrap a cloth around something thin to get into the corners.
One caution worth knowing. Vinegar is an acid, so keep it off aluminium and off anodised or powder-coated frames, because over time it dulls and pits the finish. Plain warm water with a drop of dish soap is the safe choice on frames, and vinegar stays on the glass.
Homemade cleaner, if you want it
- One part white vinegar to one part warm water, on glass only.
- A splash of methylated spirits helps it flash off faster in cool weather.
Label the bottle. Nobody wants to find out what was in it the hard way.
How often, and the dusty-block problem
Four times a year suits most houses, and more if you have got dogs, kids or a gravel drive. On a windy, dusty block, hose the glass down on a soft spray first to knock the loose layer off before you touch it with a cloth, otherwise you are just grinding grit across the pane. Leave the pressure washer in the shed, because it will find the weak point in a seal or a piece of trim and remove it for you.
Shop related products
- Supercraft Torpedo Level. Handy when a sticking window turns out to be a frame that has dropped.
- Sutton Phillips PH2 Screwdriver Bits, 50mm 2 pack. For window hardware and screen fasteners.
More in cleaning supplies and hardware. While you are at the window, if the flyscreen is sagging or torn we rescreen frames in store, and there is more on our flyscreen replacement page or you can size a new one up on the flyscreen quoter.
Read next
Clean glass is the cheapest thing you can do to a house, which is probably why I keep putting it off.
See you at the shop,
Candeece
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