The Best Window Cleaner ever.
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I’m happy to be sharing The Best Homemade Window Cleaner with you. It has won us over. After years of filmy residue, we can see clearly now. The film is gone.
For years and years, we battled trying to get the exterior of our windows clean. They just never looked crystal clear. A filmy residue and often chalky streaks would remain once the windows dried. We tried a variety of window cleaners from homemade to store bought concoctions, as well as using newspaper instead of paper towels with not much success.
That all changed when we learned about the best exterior window cleaner ever.
We had been working on updating a bathroom and ordered some new mirrors. While the glass guys were here installing the mirror, my husband, Randy, got to chatting with them, as he usually does, about how their business was going. During their conversation he happened to ask them what they use for cleaning glass. Did they have any professional tips or tricks? Yes, they did!
They shared a simple recipe for what they have found to work. They swore by it. We had already tried just using a simple combination of vinegar and water, but they learned a trick from a commercial window cleaner: add a little dish detergent to the vinegar/water mixture. Really? That simple? It was new to us, and it sounded much too easy.
So we tried it (or should I say Randy tried it) right away. Randy set out just to test a few windows and the next thing I knew he had worked all the way around the house, and was already working on some of the upstairs windows as well. There was an immediate difference, and so much easier than what we had tried in the past.
It was so bright inside we had to wear shades. I crack myself up.
The mixture below, is super simple and used with a soft bristle brush and hose. That’s it. No more piles of used paper towels, no ladders, just clarity. I’m planning on trying the same mixture on all kinds of things outside that need de-grungifying.
Keeping the shades on. The future is definitely gonna be brighter around here, y’all. Happy cleaning!
How to Make The Best Window Cleaner
The Best Window Cleaner
This simple mixture will help wash exterior windows to a sparkly clean.
Materials
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dish detergent
Tools
- bucket
- scrub brush
- optional extension pole
- water hose
- optional sprayer attachment
Instructions
- Combine water, white vinegar and dish detergent in a bucket. Increase amounts as needed.
- Using a soft bristle scrub brush on an extension pole handle thingy, dip the brush in a bucket of the solution, and scrub it on the window.
- Before it has a chance to dry, spray/rinse it off with clean water. Be sure to rinse thoroughly. A hose fitted with a sprayer attachment is helpful.
Notes
The solution could be made and used in a spray bottle, but we found working on lots of windows, the bucket and scrub brush worked great.
To avoid the need for a ladder (because ladders are the most dangerous tool in the box) Randy used an all-purpose extension pole with a threaded end that enables you to attach different brushes, rollers, etcetera. (Similar to this one.)
Use a soft bristle scrub brush. A sponge mop may also work.
This definitely works for outside windows, where you can safely rinse with water. I have yet to try it indoors, but if you do, make sure you can rinse with plenty of water. Perhaps one spray bottle of solution, and a separate spray bottle of clean water?
Again, be sure to rinse thoroughly, and before the solution has a chance to dry on window. It’s helpful to avoid windows directly in the sun, so they are not hot and don’t as quickly.
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Does anyone have a solution for car windows? Mine are so streaky.
I clean mine with Windex and dry with newspapers. First spray and wipe up and down then dry across different direction. Mine are spotless. Just did them yesterday. I also do my mirrors in the house this way. Mine come out looking great! Hope it helps.
Newspapers and this solution works wonders!
Try and is also cheaper.
OMG! This did wonders on my windows. I have tilt-wash so I can clean the outside from the inside, but have NEVER been able to get them clean. They are clean & STREAK FREE now on the outside. Now have to find such an easy way to do the inside!
I have just cleaned my windows outside and inside using the same solution [vinegar, dawn, water]
and they are just fine. Did not have a hose inside (of course) but they came out great.
I use a similar solution in a spray bottle for cleaning window screens. 3:1 water to vinegar and a drop of dish soap to help lather it up. Spray on screens then wipe gently with a damp cloth, then rinse in the shower or with the hose. Works great!
Great blog! In addition to using a great solvent as your base, you occasional need a little stronger cleaning “power.” This is because some dirt and debris are very stubborn and difficult to remove.
In my window cleaning business, located near Minneapolis Minnesota, we regularly use a product that will take off caulking, paint spray, bug goo, and almost anything else from glass including the minerals left from hard water. We use this on many Construction Clean Up homes each year to remove the debris left over from installation, and painting. What is this product???? Steel Wool. But don’t run to your kitchen sink to grab the course brillo pad that you clean your dishes with, we want something less abrasive that gets the job done. Next time you’re at Home Depot, Menards, Lowes or your favorite home improvement store, head to the painting section and grab a pack of #0000 Steel Wool. This is the finest grade available and will not scratch your glass.
We first apply our solvent, and then starting in the upper left corner with the steel wool, we scrub the window using a circular motion. After that we use our Unger Ergo Soft Squeegee to remove the water from the glass leaving a streak free sparkling window.
A few examples can be seen on our website http://www.unitedcleanmn.com, or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWindowCleaningMN
Hopefully this will help you achieve the sparkling clean glass you deserve!
Ryan Doliber
United Window Cleaning
612-730-3920
***Don’t use steel wool on tinted surfaces, or plexiglass! Those are plastic surfaces and will scratch easily. Follow the manufacture’s proscribed method for those types of surfaces.***
Where do we buy that type of Squeegee ?? Under Ergo Soft !!
I see that I am the only male that does windows. I will certainly tyry this… Thanks
pls tell me how much water, how much vinegar,cornstarch and rubbing alcohol.
thx
Sounds like this works, though as a pro window cleaner, I find that unless you have soft water, most hose water will leave nasty white spots when it dries unless squeegeed off – though a cloth can work too for a small area. .
I used this recipe and method today on my outside window, all in the shade, on a nice 60 degree day. It cleans the dirt off and is pretty easy, as long as I stay out of the spray from the water. I let my windows air dry and now that I look, I see white spots where the water drops dried. I would definitely recommend using a squeegee to get the water off. I’m now on the look out for a squeegee with a good sized handle. This is still way easier than newspaper (which I never have lying around) or paper towels, so maybe with a few tweaks it will be awesome!
I live on the 6th floor of an apartment with large sliding glass doors for windows. I’m right by the busiest highway in the state. I have not touched the soot and grime on my outside windows for SEVEN years. I mixed this solution and put it in a bucket used a regular dishwashing sponge to was the windows and a spray bottle of water to rinse. AMAZING!!!!! The sheeting action of watching the water just glide down was so mesmerizing I almost ENJOYED my domestic moment!!!
Yay! My windows are pretty nasty right now and I actually kind of look forward to cleaning them too. 😉
Does it have to be Dawn dish soap??
Hello Angela,
Nope. It doesn’t have to be Dawn dish soap. That’s just what we had on hand. Happy window washing! 😉
Toilet bowl cleaner is even easier. Just wipe the window using one rag then a clean one to dry it. Sparkle sparkle and no rinsing or scrubbing. Discovered this in 1975 trying to put myself through college with a Window cleaning business that summer!
I have been using this solution for a long time and it’s just great. Windows are always shining after cleaning. Highly recommend it Kathleen
Windex has silicon in it. So it leaves a film, which causes the glass to get dirty faster. So you use more chemicals. Funny how that works.
Nice article, everything in detail and well explained.
Thank you soooo much for the detailed description of washing the outside windows, and your miracle recipe. The fact that you also added the exact pole and brush you used to Amazon, was a life saver. Thank you from the bottom of my tired little heart, Know that you were my lifeline with this blog. Thanks again !!!
Great tips! Perfect for DIY window washing.
Great article-thanks. We’ll try this and let you know how we get on!
I was slightly dubious of the recipe to start be, but intrigued. I gave it a try and the windows in my house have never been cleaner. Thanks again for a great share.
Great tips, including all the follow-up comments. I’ll be happy to break up with my squeegee. The rinsing was the missing element in my previous efforts–who knew? Thanks!
I just used this – worked brilliantly!! I just wanted to say I bought a cheap broom with medium to soft bristles as my scrubbing brush – that way I didn’t need handle – I had one boy scrubbing and the other squirting with a hose – it took about half an hour. Truly terrific. And I used the cheapest vinegar. The glass pretty much is sparkling!! Now I will tend to the inside tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad to hear it Alilassy!
We’ve got to tackle our windows very soon too. They are covered with pollen!
I put a squirt of Jet Dry in my water with this recipe. Makes the rinse water bead up and drip off. Did it on a cloudy day and my windows just sparkle!
Great post! Been reading a lot about cleaning my windows. Thanks for tip here!
This will streak!!! DO NOT USE SOAP!!! I used this recipe and as soon as the sun came through the glass I noticed the horrifying mess.
Hello Jen,
Make sure it’s rinsed thoroughly. Other than that, I’m not sure what to tell you. It’s been tried and true for us.