How to clean windows and glass streak-free, without ammonia
Streaks are almost never the fault of the cleaner. They come from too much product, a dirty cloth, or drying too slowly in direct sun. Fix those three and glass gets easy.
- Time
- 2–3 minutes per window
- Difficulty
- Easy
What you need
- A 1:4 white vinegar and water solution, or a drop of dish soap in water
- Two microfibre cloths, one damp and one bone dry
- A squeegee for anything larger than a laptop screen
- A soft brush or vacuum crevice tool for the tracks
What to keep out of the house
Ammonia on leaded or stained glass
It corrodes the lead came holding the panes together. Minnesota has a great deal of original stained glass — Winona in particular — and this damage is not reversible.
Ammonia on tinted or low-E glass
It degrades window films and coatings, leaving cloudy patches that look like failed sealed units.
Cleaning in direct sunlight
The solution dries before you can buff it, and every drying mark becomes a streak. Work on the shaded side and follow the sun round.
Step by step
- 1
Clean the tracks and sills before the glass
Vacuum the track, then wipe it. Doing this after the glass guarantees you drag grit and dead insects back across a clean pane.
- 2
Use less solution than feels right
A light mist. Excess product is the main cause of streaking, because what does not get removed dries as film.
- 3
Wipe in one direction, then buff dry immediately
Damp cloth first, dry cloth straight behind it while the glass is still wet. The second cloth does most of the work.
Wipe horizontally on one side of the pane and vertically on the other. When a streak appears you instantly know which side it is on.
- 4
Squeegee anything large
Top to bottom in overlapping strokes, wiping the blade after each pass. Faster and more consistent than any cloth technique on a patio door or shower screen.
- 5
Finish the frames and handles
A clean pane in a dusty frame still reads as dirty. Wipe the frame, the handle and the hinge points.
Common mistakes
- Spraying too much and buffing too little
- Using paper towel, which sheds lint onto the glass
- Working in full sun
- Letting ammonia near leaded, stained, tinted or coated glass
- Cleaning the glass before the track
Where this matters most in Minnesota
Lake-facing glass in Wayzata and Prior Lake shows water spotting far more than street-facing windows, and Winona and St. Paul both hold significant original stained glass that ammonia would damage.
We serve all of these areas — tap through for local detail.
Questions about how to clean windows and glass streak-free, without ammonia
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