Cleaning the Windows
Gather your cleaning supplies. There are a few things you'll need to clean your windows without streaks. In terms of cleaning solution, your best bets are water and dish soap, water and vinegar, or a professional window cleaner of your choice. The tools and equipment you'll need include: Vinegar or a mineral deposit cleaner for stubborn stains Scraper or razor for stickers, tape, paint, and sap Vacuum Sponge or lint-free cloth Sharp rubber squeegee for drying A few clean, lint-free rags or cloths Large bucket
Remove stubborn stains. To clean a window so it has no streaks, it’s important to start by removing everything from the surface of the glass, including built-up dirt, bird droppings, stickers, tape, paint, sap, and other stubborn marks. Stubborn stains and grime can be removed with white vinegar or a mineral deposit cleaner. Either spray the stains with vinegar and let it sit for five minutes before wiping, or clean the area with a sponge that’s wet with the mineral cleaner. To remove tape, paint, and sticky messes, wet the area and use a scraper to remove the tape. Hold the scraper at a 45-degree angle to the glass, and press gently as you move forward underneath the tape.
Vacuum the windows. When you're cleaning your windows, your sponge can pick up dust and dirt from around the window and create streaks. To prevent this, you should vacuum or clean the sills, sashes, and frames before washing. For inside windows, use a small brush attachment and vacuum all around the windows. For outside windows, use either a vacuum with a long hose attachment, a portable vacuum, or a pressure washer.
Hose off outside windows. Outdoor windows are frequently bombarded with dust, dirt, and debris from the outside world. The best way to prevent that dirt from leaving streaks on your clean windows is by removing as much of it as possible before you start cleaning. Use a hose outfitted with a spray nozzle and spray all the outdoor windows to remove dirt, grime, and other buildup.
Mix your cleaning solution. You can use any cleaning solution you prefer, even for streak-free windows. The technique and tools you use are more important than the cleaner when you want your windows spotless and perfect. Use a clean bucket and mix together your desired window-cleaning solution, which could be: Equal parts white vinegar and water 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of liquid dishwashing liquid per gallon (3.8 L) of water Professional window cleaning solution
Scrub the windows. Dip your sponge or lint-free cloth into the bucket to saturate it with cleaning solution. Remove the sponge and squeeze it gently so it’s not dripping wet. Wipe the entire window pane with the sponge, applying gentle pressure to lay on an even coat of cleaner. You can use any motion you like to clean the windows, such as circles, an up and down motion, or a back and forth zig zag. Clean every inch of glass to ensure that no dirt or grime is left behind. Clean and fully dry one window at a time before moving on to the next.
Wipe the windows dry. Once the window is coated with cleaning solution, use the rubber squeegee to wipe the water away. Start at the top of the window, working in horizontal swipes from one side of the window to the other. When you finish each stroke, wipe the squeegee dry with a lint-free cloth. Overlap each stroke by about an inch (2.5 cm), and work your way down toward the bottom of the window until the entire surface is dry. When you're wiping the window, make sure the squeegee stays in contact with the glass during each swipe. It’s important to use a new squeegee with a sharp blade because removing all the water from the window is one of the keys to a streak-free clean. EXPERT TIP Ashley Matuska Ashley Matuska Professional Cleaner Ashley Matuska is a Professional Cleaner at the Founder and Owner of Dashing Maids in Denver, Colorado. Ashley has over seven years of experience in the cleaning industry. She and her team specialize in offering sustainable deep cleaning and maintenance cleaning services. Ashley Matuska Ashley Matuska Professional Cleaner Our Expert Agrees: For the best results, start in one corner, then use a side to side motion without lifting the squeegee from the window. This will remove excess water. Follow this up by wiping down the edges and corners with a microfiber towel, to make sure none of the cleaning solution drips down onto your clean window.
Clean up excess water. After you’ve cleaned and dried each window, use a dry cloth or towel to dry excess water that’s dripped or accumulated around the edges of the window, on the sill, or on the floor. Drying excess water won’t help with streaks, but it will prevent mold and water damage around your windows.
Keep your squeegee dry. A dry squeegee is another key to streak-free windows. If the squeegee is wet, it will leave watermarks on the windows, and these will leave streaks when the water dries. Wipe down your squeegee with a dry cloth between each stroke as you dry each window, and in between every window that you dry.
Replace the cleaner as necessary. When your water becomes so dirty that it’s no longer clean and clear, dump the water and replace it with fresh cleaning solution if you still have more windows to clean. Dirty water will leave dirt and dust deposits on the glass, and this will create streaks.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Don’t pull the squeegee off the window mid-swipe. When you're drying a window in horizontal swipes, it’s important that the squeegee blade stays in contact with the glass the entire time. If the blade comes off, it will leave water behind, and this will create streaks when the water dries. To make sure the blade keeps contact with the glass, apply gentle pressure to the squeegee as you swipe from one side of the window to the other.
Use only distilled water for window cleaning. Avoid using any type of water that still has minerals and other elements in it, because these can leave streaks and marks on otherwise clean windows. When non-distilled water evaporates from the windows, it can leave behind traces of these elements and minerals that will stay on the glass and leave visible marks.
Don’t stop cleaning or drying mid-window. Any cleaning solution that’s allowed to dry on the window before it’s properly wiped off will leave cleaning residue or water marks on the windows. Do not interrupt your window cleaning when you're in the middle of cleaning or squeegeeing a window. Once you start cleaning a window, work as quickly as possible to ensure the cleaner doesn’t have time to dry on the glass.
Don’t rub windows dry with absorbent cloths. When you use an absorbent cloth to rub a window dry, you just move dirt and moisture around on the glass rather than cleaning or drying it properly. Glass isn't actually as smooth as it looks, and is actually pitted. So when you use a cloth to dry windows, you leave different quantities of moisture and cleaner on different parts of the glass, and this leads to streaks. Squeegees are the best way to dry windows for a streak-free clean because they don’t absorb moisture from one spot and deposit it elsewhere.
Don’t use newspaper. Many people swear by newspaper for cleaning and drying windows, but this method is problematic, and is likely to leave streaks for two reasons: First, the newspaper moves dirt, moisture, and cleaning solution around just like an absorbent cloth would. Second, the ink from the newspaper is liable to run and leave dark streaks all over the glass.
Avoid using spray bottles. Spray bottles deposit an inconsistent amount of cleaning solution on the windows, and there's no guarantee that you'll actually clean every inch of the glass. Glass that’s cleaned unevenly is likely to streak. It’s much better to apply cleaning solution with a sponge or cloth that’s soaked in your cleaner, because this way you can apply an even layer of cleaner to the entire surface.
Picking the Right Day
Clean your windows on a cloudy day. One of the main causes of streaks on a window is the cleaning product itself. This happens when the cleaning product has time to dry on the window, which occurs if you don’t wipe it off quickly enough after cleaning. On sunny days, your cleaning product will dry much faster, giving you less time to wipe it off, and increasing the chances that there will be streaks. To prevent this, wait for a cloudy day to clean your windows.
Choose a calm day. Wind is another factor that can dry your cleaning solution prematurely, and this will also lead to streaks on your window. Wait for a day that’s calm and with as little wind as possible. Not only will the wind dry your cleaning product quickly, but it could also blow dirt and debris onto your freshly cleaned windows.
Wait for a dry day. Rain doesn’t just contain water, and is also full of minerals, pollutants, dirt, and other contaminants that could leave residues and streaks on your freshly cleaned windows. To avoid this, leave your window cleaning for a dry day.
Choose the right season. Windows should ideally be cleaned twice a year, but some seasons are better than others for this. Winter is really the only season when you should avoid window cleaning, simply because freezing temperatures, warm water, and wet windows can lead to cracked glass. Fall is one of the best times to clean windows, but you may have to hold out for a dry and calm day. Late spring and early summer are also ideal for window cleaning, but you'll have to wait for a day that’s not too sunny or rainy.
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