How to Clean Windows Without Streaks

Streaks on glass are not product residue but a dried film of dirt that was spread around instead of being lifted off. So the thing that matters here is not chemistry but two principles: work in two stages, and never let the glass dry on its own. With those, any product works equally well, including water with a drop of detergent.

What you need

• Washing-up liquid — 1 teaspoon per 5 litres of warm water
• Ammonia — 1 tablespoon per litre, for greasy marks
• White vinegar 9 % — an alternative, 100 ml per 5 litres

• A rubber squeegee 35–45 cm wide
• One microfibre for washing and a separate dry one for polishing
• Bucket and sponge
• An old toothbrush for the fittings

Time: 20 minutes per window including frame and sill.

Step by step

1. Pick the moment. An overcast day or shade. In sun the solution dries before the squeegee reaches it and streaks are guaranteed.
2. Start with the frame. Frame, sill and seal first, glass afterwards: otherwise dirt from the frame lands on clean glass.
3. Wet the glass. Sponge and soapy water, top to bottom, generously.
4. Pull the squeegee. Horizontal strokes from the top down, each overlapping the last by two or three centimetres, wiping the blade dry after every pass.
5. Take the edges. Dry microfibre around the perimeter — that is where the water from the squeegee sits.
6. Polish. A second, completely dry microfibre over the whole pane in circles.

Method 2 — two cloths, no squeegee

If you have no squeegee: wash with damp microfibre and dry immediately with a second, dry one, never letting the glass start to dry by itself. It works on small windows but loses to a squeegee on large panes — your hand cannot keep up with the area and the lower part dries before you reach it.

Method 3 — fittings and seals

This is what people skip, and it looks worse than the glass itself. The drainage slots in the bottom of the frame are cleared with a toothbrush — blocked, they cause condensation and mould on the reveals. The seal gets a damp wipe and, once a year, silicone grease: dried-out rubber cracks and the window starts letting the cold in.

What to avoid

• Washing in direct sun. The commonest cause of streaks, and no product compensates for it.
• Newspaper instead of microfibre. Modern printing ink leaves a grey film on the glass and your hands.
• Abrasive sponges on double glazing. Scratches on glass cannot be removed by anything.
• Ammonia products on tinted glass. The film dulls and can lift at the edge.

How often it is worth doing

Twice a year: in spring after the heating season and in autumn before it. On a busy street three times, because road dust with soot settles more densely and becomes a film faster. On upper floors windows soil more slowly than on the second or third, where splashes from the pavement are added to the dust.

The sign that it is time: the glass looks evenly grey in side light, even though it seems clear when you look through it.

When to call a cleaner

With windows most of the time goes not on the glass but on the preparation: moving plants, taking off insect screens, reaching the top edge. One window at home is twenty minutes; six windows is half a day. With us window cleaning costs UAH 320 per window including glass, frame and sill; insect screens and balcony glazing are counted separately. All the options are on the window cleaning prices page. We do not do any work from outside that requires climbing through the window.

Frequently asked questions

What should I use to avoid streaks?

Any soapy solution — what matters is the squeegee and a dry microfibre for polishing. The product decides less than the sequence.

Why are there streaks after washing?

The glass dried faster than you wiped it. Work in shade and in small sections.

Do you clean windows outside at height?

Only from the inside via opening sashes. We do not work from outside the window.