How to Clean a Window Without Streaks

The job of cleaning glass windows sounds simple, but when you want to leave streaks, the task becomes more difficult. There are many cleaning products on the market that you can use to clean your windows, including commercial products and homemade solutions. However, the secret to streak-free window cleaning is the technique and tools you use.

Table of Contents

Window cleaning

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Concentrate on cleaning supplies. There are a few things you’ll need to clean streak-free glass. Speaking of cleaning solutions, it’s best to use water and dish soap, water and vinegar, or a specialized glass cleaner. Tools and equipment needed include:

Vinegar or mineral descaling solution to clean stubborn stains
Paint scraper or razor for stains caused by stickers, glue, paint and tree sap
Vacuum cleaner
Sponge or lint-free cloth
Rubber broom for drying
Several clean, lint-free rags or cloths
Big bucket

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Remove stubborn stains. To clean window glass without streaks, you must start by removing all surface dirt, including loose dirt, bird droppings, stickers, glue, paint, tree sap and other stains. other hard-to-clean stains.

Strong stains can be treated with white vinegar or mineral deposits. You can either spray vinegar on the stain and let it soak for 5 minutes before wiping it off, or use a sponge dipped in mineral descaling solution to clean the glass.
To remove glue, paint and other stains, you need to wet the spot and use a paint scraper to scrape off the glue. Hold the paint scraper close to the glass, tilt it at a 45-degree angle, and gently press down and scrape underneath the glue. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Vacuum the window. When you clean the windows, the sponge can stick to the dust around the window and create streaks. To prevent this, you should vacuum window sills, sliding glass frames, and door frames before cleaning the glass.

With windows in the house, you use the small brush head attached to the vacuum cleaner to vacuum around the door frame.
With an outside window, you can use a vacuum with a long hose, a handheld vacuum or a pressure washer. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Use the hose to clean the outside windows. Exterior windows are regularly covered with dust, dirt, and outdoor debris. The best way to prevent dust from leaving streaks on the finished window glass is to remove as much dust as possible before cleaning the glass. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Use a hose fitted with a nozzle to spray water all over the window and wash away dirt and other grime.

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Mix cleaning solution. You can use any solution you like to clean windows without leaving streaks. Techniques and tools are more important than cleaners if you want clean glass. Use a clean bucket to mix your preferred cleaning solution. For example: ^{[4] X Research Source}

White vinegar and water in the ratio 1:1
1 tablespoon (15 ml) dishwashing liquid for every 4 liters of water
Specialized glass cleaner

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Window cleaning. Dip a sponge or lint-free cloth into the bucket to saturate the solution and wring it out gently so it is no longer wet to the point of dripping. Wipe the entire window glass, gently press to coat a layer of cleaning solution.

You can clean the glass with any movement such as spinning, up and down, or back and forth in an zigzag pattern.
Wipe every inch of the glass to make sure no dirt or stains remain. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Clean and dry each window in turn before moving on to another.

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Dry the glass. Once the glass door has coated with the solution, use a rubber brush to dry the water. Starting at the top, wipe horizontally from side to side of the window. Once you’ve finished wiping, use a lint-free rag to dry the rubber broom. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

The next brush stroke overlaps the previous brush by about 2.5 cm and wipes down until the entire glass surface is dry.
When cleaning windows, you need to keep the broom close to the glass and give it a full blow.
It is important that you use a new and sharp rubber brush, because removing all the water on the glass is one of the conditions for cleaning the glass without leaving streaks. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Ashley Matuska

Owner, Dashing Maids

Ashley Matuska is the owner and founder of Dashing Maids, a sustainability-driven cleaning company in Denver, Cporado. She has worked in the cleaning industry for over 5 years.

Ashley Matuska
Owner, Dashing Maids

Expert Tip: For best results, you should start at an angle, then use a side-to-side motion without lifting the squeegee off the glass. This will help dry the water. The next step is to use a microfiber cloth to wipe the edges and corners of the window to make sure there is no solution left on the cleaned window.

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Dry any remaining water. After cleaning and drying each window, use a dry rag or towel to dry off water that drips or collects around the edge of the window, on the windowsill, or on the floor. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

While it won’t help prevent streaks, drying the water can prevent mold and water damage around windows.

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Dry the rubber broom. A dry rubber brush is also an important factor in cleaning glass. If the squeegee gets wet, it will leave water stains on the glass and become stains after it dries.

Use a dry cloth to wipe the rubber broom after each wipe on the glass and after each window is finished.

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Change the cleaning solution if necessary. When the water is cloudy and dirty, empty it and replace it with a fresh solution if you still have windows that need cleaning. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Dirty water will leave dirt on the glass and form stains.

Avoid common mistakes

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Do not lift the squeegee while cleaning halfway. When drying windows horizontally, it is important that you keep the rubber blade close to the glass at all times. If you lift the broom, it will leave water underneath and become a stain as the water dries. ^{[10] X Research Source}

To ensure that the squeegee blade stays close to the glass, you must gently press the squeegee when sweeping from side to side of the window.

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Use only distilled water to clean the glass. Avoid using any water that still has minerals and other elements in it, as these can form streaks and marks on the glass.

When water that has not been stored on the window evaporates, it can leave mineral deposits on the glass that manifest as visible streaks.

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Don’t stop wiping halfway. Any cleaning solution left on the glass to dry without wiping will leave marks or water stains on the windows.

Do not stop midway while cleaning with the solution or dry the glass with a rubber broom.
Once you’ve started cleaning the windows, you should work as quickly as possible so that the cleaning solution doesn’t dry on the glass. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Do not dry the glass with a damp cloth. When you use a damp cloth to dry your windows, you’ll just push dirt and water from one place to another on the glass instead of wiping it clean and dry.

In fact, the glass is not as smooth as it looks, but it still has tiny holes. On the surface. As a result, when you dry your windows with a towel, you end up leaving quantities of water and cleaning solution on different parts of the glass, causing streaks to form. ^{[12] X Research Source}
A rubber brush is the best tool for cleaning glass, as it doesn’t absorb water from one spot to another.

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Don’t use newspaper. Many people are used to using newspaper to clean and dry their windows, but this method is often annoying and often leaves streaks for two reasons: ^{[13] X Research Source}

Firstly, newspaper will also push dust, water and cleaning solution around, just like a wet towel.
Second, the ink in the newspaper can bleed out and form black streaks all over the glass surface.

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Avoid using aerosols. The spray bottle will coat the glass with an uneven amount of cleaning solution, and there’s no guarantee you’ll clean every inch. Irregularly cleaned glass often leaves streaks.

It is much better to use a sponge or rag dipped in the solution to clean the glass, so you can spread the solution evenly all over the surface of the glass. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Choose the right date

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Clean the windows on a shady day. One cause of streaks on window glass is cleaning solution. This happens when the cleaning product has had time to dry on the glass if you do not quickly dry it after cleaning.

On sunny days, the cleaning product will dry faster, so you have less time to clean it and it is easier to leave streaks on the glass.
To prevent this, you should wait for a shady day to clean the windows. ^{[15] X Research Source}

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Choose a quiet day. Wind is also a factor that can dry the solution too quickly, and this will also lead to streaks appearing on the glass. Expect as little wind as possible.

Not only does the cleaning solution dry quickly, the wind can also blow dirt and debris into newly cleaned windows.

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Wait for a dry day. Rainwater not only causes dampness, but it’s also full of minerals, dirt, and other pollutants that can leave marks on freshly cleaned windows. To avoid this situation, you should choose a dry day to clean the windows.

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Choose the right season. Washing windows twice a year is ideal, but there are seasons when it’s better to do this. Winter is the only season where you should avoid doing this, simply because freezing temperatures, warm water and wet glass can lead to glass cracking.

Autumn is one of the best times to clean windows, but you may have to wait for a dry, less windy day.
Late spring and early summer are also ideal times for window cleaning, but you’ll have to wait for a day that doesn’t rain or get too sunny.

Steps

Window cleaning

Avoid common mistakes

Choose the right date

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