Why do streaks appear on your windows even when you have applied “ways to clean your windows without leaving streaks”? There was a chance that you made a wrong purchase on glass cleaner.
If your solution leaves residue after wiping, it will form streaks when evaporating. In this case, you need to invest in the best streak free glass cleaner. And pick up one from the list below:
Here are the best streak free glass cleaners you can buy in 2024:
- Unscented: Invisible Glass 91164-2PK Cleaner
- Less Wiping Needed: HOPE'S Perfect Glass Cleaning Spray
- Fast Drying: Zep Streak-Free Glass Cleaner
- Strong Fragrance: Sprayway Glass Cleaner
- Best For Mirrors: Glass Plus Glass Cleaner
- Best For Hard Water Spots: Clean-X REPEL Glass & Surface Cleaner
| 6 Best Streak Free Glass Cleaners | ||
|---|---|---|
Unscented | Invisible Glass 91164-2PK Cleaner | |
Less Wiping Needed | HOPE'S Perfect Glass Cleaning Spray | |
Fast Drying | Zep Streak-Free Glass Cleaner | |
Strong Fragrance | Sprayway Glass Cleaner | |
Best For Mirrors | Glass Plus Glass Cleaner | |
Best For Hard Water Spots | Clean-X REPEL Glass & Surface Cleaner | |
Unscented: Invisible Glass 91164-2PK Cleaner
- Safe on tint
- Easy to apply
- Nice tutorial
- Super clean
- No streaking
- Not eco-friendly due to the spraying design of the bottle
Will you use your glass cleaner in an enclosed space?
If so, it’s best to choose an unscented product like this Invisible Glass.
Why?
While products with chemical fragrances and odors are dangerous, withstanding natural scents in an enclosed space also isn’t a comfortable experience.
| Invisible Glass 91164-2PK Cleaner Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 19 ounces |
Item Form | Foam |
Highlight Features | 2 cans in a package Residue free A no-drip, fine mist spray Safe for tints |
The Invisible Glass 91164-2PK Cleaner won’t produce any smell, suitable for work in enclosed spaces.
Less Wiping Needed: HOPE'S Perfect Glass Cleaning Spray
- Crystal clear
- Durable bottles
- No streaking
- No smell
- Quick to wipe on and off
- Expensive
Cleaning windows is a process that takes a lot of time. If you work perfunctorily, you can easily leave residue and streaky spots.
However, the HOPE’s glass cleaner allows you to shorten this process thanks to its maximum performance. This formula is efficient enough to completely clean and remove residue without leaving streaks in a short time, no matter which surface you work on.
This feature has been proven specifically. A leading consumer Magazine tested 3 times in 2008, 2011, and 2015. They just need to wipe 11 times on a window to clean it completely while others need to wipe 17-70 times.
| HOPE'S Perfect Glass Cleaning Spray Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 32 ounces |
Ingredients | Water, isopropanol, propylene glycol butyl ether, disodium EDTA, sodium lauryl sulfate, methylisothiazolinone, and fragrance |
Item Form | Liquid |
Highlight Features | No-residue formula Ammonia-free Safe on Tint film and tinted windows. |
HOPE'S Perfect Glass Cleaning Spray allows you to clean your windows in a short time thanks to shortening the wiping process.
Fast Drying: Zep Streak-Free Glass Cleaner
- Impressive result
- No streaks
- Affordable price
- Easy to use
- Smell
If you are reading this article, you need the best streak free glass cleaner. In this list, the Zep is the best cleaner that won’t create streaking because it can dry quickly.
When evaporating rapidly, it won’t leave residue that builds up dirt and dust, creating streaks.
| Zep Streak-Free Glass Cleaner Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 1 gallon |
Item Form | Foam |
Highlight Features | Steak-free formula 32oz spray bottle |
Zep Streak-Free Glass Cleaner can dry fastly, so dirt and dust don’t have time to build up and create streaking.
Strong Fragrance: Sprayway Glass Cleaner
- Pleasant smell
- Great price
- A little streaky
Although products with light smells and unscented smells are safe cleaners, this doesn’t mean that you must choose a boring safety. You can completely have a strongly smelled window after cleaning.
Of course, I don’t recommend you cleaners with chemical odors. This Sprayway Glass Cleaner has a fresh fragrance without containing ammonia, so it’s an extremely safe option.
| Sprayway Glass Cleaner Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 19 oz |
Item Form | Foam, aerosol |
Highlight Features | No ammonia Clean fresh fragrance Light foam |
The Sprayway Glass Cleaner has a naturally strong fragrance, so this is a safe option without containing dangerous chemical ingredients.
Best For Mirrors: Glass Plus Glass Cleaner
- Safe to use
- Good to clean
- Great scent
- Pretty pricey
Do you have dirty and cloudy mirrors that are waiting for cleaning?
If so, invest in a specialized cleaning solution instead of a regular cleaner.
Why?
Mirrors must withstand the continuous exposure of humidity, coats of hairspray, globs of toothpaste, and smears from fingerprints. And a regular cleaner can’t treat this situation.
Mirrors require ultra-powerful solutions without leaving streaking or filters on the surface.
| Glass Plus Glass Cleaner Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 32 fl oz |
Ingredients | Water, Propylene Glycol Butyl Ether, Methoxyisopropanol, Propylene Glycol, Ethanolamine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, C9-11 Alkyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Fragrance, Colorant |
Item Form | Liquid |
Highlight Features | Safe to use on glass, windows, mirrors, clear plastic, computer screens, fiberglass & plexiglass. |
The Glass Plus Glass Cleaner is specially formulated for treating tough problems in mirrors.
Best For Hard Water Spots: Clean-X REPEL Glass & Surface Cleaner
- Earth safe
- Shiny
- Expensive
Hard water spots on windows are formed from high mineral elements like magnesium and calcium. When evaporating, it leaves nasty limescale that is extremely hard to remove with regular glass cleaners. In particular, the older hard water spots are, the harder you clean them. Thus, you need a strong solution to eliminate hard water spots.
This Clean-X glass cleaner has a dual action formula that is powerful and efficient enough to remove these obstinate stains.
| Clean-X REPEL Glass & Surface Cleaner Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 25 fl. oz. |
Item Form | Liquid |
Highlight Features | A dual action formula |
The Clean-X REPEL Glass & Surface Cleaner is powerful enough to get rid of obstinate things like hard water spots.
How To Choose The Best Streak Free Glass Cleaner?
Before deeply going into this part, you need to keep in mind the important information:
The key to streak-free glass cleaners is that their ingredients should be strong enough to remove all dirt, dust, and excess water at once without leaving residue that will form streaks.
Products with ammonia and isopropyl alcohol can prevent streaks better than others because they are the most powerful ingredients.
What Do You Use Glass Cleaners For?
Electronics
If you need to clean televisions, cell phones, computers, and other delicate electronics, choose products with light ingredients. These devices are made of many layers of very thin adhesives and plastic instead of glass, so they are susceptible to alcohol and ammonia that cause discoloration and haze.
For tinted windows, consider an ammonia-free cleaner because ammonia will discolor tints.
If your windows have UV-resistant film, follow the guideline from the manufacturer. This film can be damaged by ammonia, vinegar, and other chemicals in commercial cleaning products.
If you want to clean shower doors, the glass cleaner ingredients should be able to dissolve soap scum to eliminate water spots.
To clean glass cooktops, I strongly recommend a foam solution that allows you to apply more exactly than a liquid solution. When over-spraying, the latter can spill out onto nearby surfaces and flooring.
Note: foam can provide extra power to clean tough stains and glass grunge such as dried toothpaste globs on bathroom mirrors, watermarks on shower doors, and bird droppings on car windows. Foam clings, so there are no drippings. You can directly apply this solution on the glass.
Which Glass Cleaner Ingredients Are Safe And Effective?
Before anything else, you shouldn’t choose a product with artificial dyes that contain residue, causing streaks when wiping. In this article, most of the recommended products are ammonia-free. Although this ingredient is very efficient, it isn’t safe sometimes. Ammonia and synthetic chemicals can irritate your nose, eyes, and skin. Instead, consider natural and non-toxic glass cleaners that have plant-based ingredients with natural fragrances. Though it is less effective for cleaning filthy windows, this choice is safe.
Alcohol (rubbing alcohol) is effective in removing grease and tough grunge.
Ethylene glycol mono butyl (EG) dissolves grease splatters, working well on glass induction stovetops.
White vinegar is a natural active ingredient that is efficient to remove grease and grime. Although it doesn’t have a pleasant smell and is not as powerful as ammonia and alcohol, this isn’t a safe choice.
Plant-based active ingredients, including mint, pine, eucalyptus and thyme, are nontoxic and their smells are pleasant. They are good enough to clean around your house, but they are not for removing tough grease, dried toothpaste, and other heavy-duty grunge.
Which Brands Make The Best Streak Free Glass Cleaner?
ZEP
ZEP has over 80 years of experience in producing cleaning products for home uses, automobiles, and businesses. They aim to manufacture safe and efficacious cleaners that provide you with a deep clean without spending too much effort.
All ZEP cleaners are formulated in the U.S. they also have a dedicated R&D team who knows how to clean everything properly: from small stains to tough messes.
FAQs
Is there a streak-free glass cleaner?
Yes.
Why are my windows streaky after I clean them?
There are many reasons, but the following causes are the most common:
When you clean windows on a sunny day, the evaporation rate of liquid cleaner happens faster than expected. So, it might leave residue, creating streaky spots before wiping.
After applying for a solution, you need to remove it. If you don’t completely eliminate the liquid cleaner from your windows, it’s straightforward to leave a streaky window.
If you wipe the solution urgently without being careful, it’s easy to create streaks.
Using unabsorbent towels will spread dirt and moisture without removing them. This is one of the main reasons that cause ugly streaks on the glass surface.
When a bad-quality towel sheds, it will leave a surface with streaks of lint, dust and debris.
If you use a towel that was used for other purposes in the past, your window conditions can become worse. For example, a towel with oil and detergents in household cleaners uselessly cleans your windows.
When shouldn’t I use glass/window cleaner?
You shouldn’t clean your window with a glass cleaner under direct sunlight because it’s too fast to evaporate, causing streaking.
What cloth is best for cleaning windows?
Microfiber is a soft and absorbent towel. It is useful to polish the glass, creating a streak-free shine.
How?
The microfiber is the combination of tiny strands which can pick up and trap dirt and grime.
Cotton washcloths have an ideal size for cleaning windows. You can use a wet cloth for removing dirt and a dry one for cleaning excess water.
Hand towel size is large enough to clean enormous windows. You had better buy 100% cotton hand towels that can absorb effectively. It’s soft, so this type of cloth won’t cause scratches on the glass surface. In case you choose one that is the combination of 14% polyester and 86% cotton, it is both absorbent and durable. You can use this type of hand towel to dry excess water efficiently before applying cleaner.
I mention bath towels here, but you shouldn’t use them for cleaning glass windows.
So, what are they used for?
They are useful for protecting your windowsill. You just need to put a roll of bath towel on the sill and it will catch drips of cleaner, dirt and debris when you wipe off the window.
Can glass cleaner be used as an all-purpose cleaner?
No.
Conclusion
Why should you choose the best streak free glass cleaner instead of regular products? The former can help you completely remove dirt and dust without leaving a residue that will create streaks, while the latter causes a streaky window that requires you to clean it many times.
If you don’t want to waste your valuable time and effort on your part to clean a window again and again, simply pick up a product in this article. Don’t forget to tell me about your results after applying your glass cleaner.
