House Mate Foaming Glass & Mirror Cleaner, 400ml

Product Information

Many of the products easily removed the stains, but Windex did so with only moderate pressure being applied and it required very little buffing to completely eliminate streaks. The mirror simply looked the best after it had been cleaned with the Windex solution. The best way is to make your own glass cleaner using white vinegar, cornstarch, water, and essential oils. Seventh Generation Free & Clear is a great product. Its plant-based cleaning agents are strong on messes, and it’s safe for the environment and your health.

Among the liquid spray options, Windex and Zep Commercial Glass Cleaner performed the best. Although both required a bit more elbow grease and attention, we were able to completely remove any evidence of the chili.The two aerosol products, Weiman Glass Cleaner and Stoner Invisible Glass Cleaner, proved to be powerful as well. The foaming spray loosened up even the toughest parts of the mess, allowing it to be easily wiped away. However, they also left the windows just a bit streaky. The streaks were not distracting or even all that obvious, but they were noticeable from certain angles. The Glass Plus Glass Cleaner Trigger also cleaned well but left even more noticeable streaking. Professional window washers tend to use soapy water and a squeegee for commercial jobs. While this is an effective technique for large outdoor projects, it’s not a practical solution for most indoor home cleaning. We could have devoted an entire post to the topic of creating the best DIY window cleaner. Many people believe that simply mixing water with soap is sufficient, while others claim it’s not enough to avoid streaking. Some tout the advantages of rubbing alcohol, lemon juice and ammonia, but there are just as many who swear by vinegar alone. All of the other products, including the one we made ourselves, are applied with a spray bottle. Seventh Generation Free & Clear Glass & Surface Cleaner comes in a bottle with a childproof mechanism that makes it very difficult to remove the nozzle. Even though Seventh Generation has the least objectionable ingredients, this is a nice feature to guard against accidental ingestion by children. The bottom line

It’s possible to clean your windows to a professional standard but it takes a little know-how and the right tools for the job. Window-cleaning products became popular because they don’t leave behind the streaks that soap and other common cleaners often leave. A window or mirror looks clean when the oils and dirt are removed to reveal a crystal-clear view or reflection. But when glass is obstructed by streaky residue, it can be an eyesore. We wanted to create an alternative that was all-natural, so we disregarded recipes that called for ammonia. We also avoided using dish-washing liquid or other manufactured soaps that relied on buying and watering down a store-bought cleaning solution.Finally, we wanted to add essential oil to our homemade glass cleaner. We love essential oils because they leave a clean, long-lasting smell. (Read our post on essential oil diffusers for more information.) We also discovered that, similar to cornstarch, essential oil helps combat streaking by preventing the bonding of hydrogen atoms in water molecules. DIY solutions are appealing because they can be personalized, can utilize natural ingredients and can be cheaper than some commercial offerings. How to make DIY window cleaner

Those unable to invest the time in creating their own solution at home, but who also want a more natural product, can try Seventh Generation Free & Clear Glass & Surface Cleaner. Important features to consider We opted to try one homemade recipe, one plant-based product, two cleaners containing ammonia, two aerosol sprays and one of the most well-known window-cleaning brands. We tested these products for their ability to eliminate dirt and germs on a variety of glass and other surfaces while leaving a streak-free finish. How we tested Clean the inside of your windows once a week with one of the products from this review. At least twice a year, clean the outside of your windows. This will require special tools, such as an extension ladder and squeegee. What is the best way to clean windows without streaking? Another great task for glass cleaners is jewelry. Sterling silver and diamonds in particular can really be made to sparkle and shine with a just a small bit of the solution. A substantial amount of information is available about many of these ingredients. It can sometimes be complex, contradictory, alarmist and hard to interpret. For those who are interested, we encourage you to look into it for yourselves. What follows is an introductory discussion about some of the most featured ingredients in glass cleaners. Ammonia

The best window cleaner sprays to keep your windows squeaky clean and streak-free

Other chemicals commonly used in glass cleaners offer more protection against germs, but if used improperly, they can cause irritation to the skin and respiratory system. Vinegar is a great natural antibacterial disinfectant, but many find the smell offensive, and it sometimes fails to thoroughly clean tough jobs. When you shouldn’t use glass/window cleaner Once we selected the proper tool, we started researching the method of cleaning. Interestingly, we learned that the weather can have a significant impact. We found that if you’re cleaning windows on a hot sunny day, you’ll end up with streaks — no matter what kind of material or product you use. The sun will dry the liquid on the glass before you’re able to wipe it clean, so it’s best to wait until dusk or a cloudy day. Most window cleaners come in a spray bottle. This type is easy to apply to your windows using a paper towel or microfiber towel. Other cleaners come as foam or pre-moistened wipes. Foam works similarly to liquid, but it doesn’t run down your windows as much. While convenient, pre-moistened wipes are single-use and prone to leaving streaks. Ingredients We put a glass bowl of chili in the microwave and cooked it for six minutes on high, which eventually produced a mess that we’ve all seen before. After each explosive event, we let the chili dry for 30 minutes and then used each glass cleaner to attempt to make our microwave sparkle again.

Seventh Generation has a neutral scent that is hard to discern. It may not make you smile like the aroma of your favorite essential oil, but neither will it turn you off as many of the other products did. When you need to use window cleaners There are many other ingredients that go into creating our top six products. Some have raised more concerns than others. Manufacturers of these products are not required to list the ingredients on the bottle, and most don’t. While some companies provide a list of ingredients online, there is no guarantee that these lists are complete.Windex is a powerful cleaning agent, capable of cleaning up the most stubborn stains and substances. We looked at subreddits, like /r/homemaking, /r/diy, and even /r/autodetailing to find out what consumers think about the best glass cleaners on the market. With this information, we whittled our field down to six brands that represented the different methods of cleaning glass. Seventh Generation Surface Cleaner and our DIY cleaner had more difficulty eliminating signs of the mess — especially the oily handprints. While the prints themselves were removed, residue from the oil remained on the window and left visible streaks. Even after prolonged buffing, the windows weren’t as clean as they were when we tested Windex and Zep. Mirrors You don’t want glass surfaces to just look clean, you want them to be disinfected and completely free of germs. Each one of our top seven products have ingredients that specifically disinfect surfaces. Most of these cleaners do not smell good, falling somewhere between vaguely unpleasant (Stoner Invisible Glass) and extremely off-putting (Zep Streak-Free Cleaner). The two ammonia-based cleaners, Zep and Windex, left by far the worst smell. The powerful scent of ammonia produces an almost nostril-burning effect. While the scent doesn’t linger long, the experience of using the spray is poor because of it.