If you like your home to have a classy and well-kept appearance, keeping your windows clean is probably on your chore list somewhere. Even if you only wash your windows once every month or so, you’re probably doing so more often than most households. The question is, how do you clean your windows without leaving those ugly streaks? If you keep leaving behind streaks no matter how well you wipe your windows, you’ll be pleased to learn a few tricks from the window experts of Toronto to get streak-free windows every time.
What Causes Streaks?
When it comes to what causes streaks, there are actually more than one correct answer. What cleaner you use, what type of cloth you’re using, as well as when you clean them can all affect the result of your window cleaning.
How to Clean Windows Without Leaving Streaks
So, the only way to get clear, streak-free windows is to tackle each problem one at a time.
Window Cleaner
You might not think it makes a difference, but what product you’re using to clean your windows can make a huge difference. Use a spray intended for cleaning glass, like Windex. These cleaners are made to remove grease and evaporate quickly. (That makes them great for cleaning many different household surfaces.)
Using something like soap and water may seem like a KISS solution (keep it simple, stupid), but soap suds don’t evaporate well. That means, if you don’t rinse your windows after washing them wish soapy water, they’ll likely have soap residue left on them. Even rinsing them might not be enough to remove soap all the way.
Cleaning Cloth
Next up, what you’re washing your windows with also makes a difference. Many people opt for using an old rag or a kitchen washcloth. However, these are both poor ideas.
If you want crystal clear windows when you’re through with washing them, you need something that isn’t going to leave behind tiny bits of lint. You may not be able to see much of it when you’re standing back and looking at your handiwork. However, if you take a closer look, you’ll see that soft, fluffy washcloths or old, worn out rags leave behind teeny tiny hair fibers that were left in them when they were washed. Fluffy materials hold on to lint in the dryer and this makes them poor for cleaning windows.
Instead, use paper towels. Or, if you want something reusable and more environmentally conscious, use an old t-shirt that isn’t so worn out that it’s fraying. T-shirts are flat and very absorbent, so they’re easier to get lint-free in the dryer and they’ll hold onto the cleaning spray.
The Secret to Streak-Free Windows
Finally, what you’ve been waiting for: the ultimate secret to clean windows without leaving streaks. It’s all about the temperature and time of day. That’s right: you need to stop doing the windows during your mid-morning cleaning spree.
The biggest reason why people struggle with streaks even when using window cleaner and paper towels is because the spray is evaporating too quickly. The second it goes onto the window, it begins to evaporate because the glass is warm from the daytime sun. By the time half a second has passed and you’ve wiped your paper towel over the spray, the partially dried spray doesn’t come right off. Instead, it drags a nice, ugly streak across the glass.
The solution is simple: clean your windows early in the morning, before the sun has brought the temperature up. Or, if you’re not an early riser, clean them in the evening, after the sun has set. The cool glass will allow the spray to remain liquid. That gives you long enough to wipe it up manually before the remaining moisture evaporates.
