Windows look clean.., until the sun shines

[rickyrickygrimes]

Any foolproof, detailed window cleaning tips?

I use a home made spray of water plus a drop of WUL and a 1/4 cup of white vinegar. I don’t use too much. I have plenty of clean microfibre cloths. I spray on the solution, I use one cloth to clean and another to polish. The window looks marvellous and shiny clean.

Then I sit down with a cup of tea, sun shines through the window and it’s all streaky!

help

I’m the same. I’ve tried the home made solution, a shop bought one, and a Karcher. None of them work 100%.

'professional' window cleaners either use de-ionised water if using a pole system, or a squirt of fairy liquid in a bucket of water. It's the use of the blade that removes all the dirt and grease.

I just use water on a microfibre cloth. Then squeegee off the water, and polish with a dry microfibre cloth. I don't use any vinegar, washing up liquid or anything. I don't get smears 🤷‍♀️

You won't get the dirty of using just a spray, merely spread it around. I find hot soapy water most effective, just like you'd use for wine glasses, then blade and dry cloth

My mum also reckons that it’s blade that makes the difference. I’m just so cackhanded with it 🤷‍♀️ guess I have to watch some videos and practice

warm water and a cap of fabric softener, works for mine

Wash the dirt off with soapy water.

Polish the streaks off with window spray and microfibre cloth.

You need to get out more if you’re worried about smears on your windows!!😂

Window cleaning spray is fine for a quick clean. But when I'm wanting to clean very dirty windows, I always use hot soap water and give them a good scrub with a cotton dish cloth (so not really micro fibre, just the cheap cotton ones that are rougher). Then a clean bowl with fresh water, and rinse off with squeegee in one hand. Dry any drops or little bits of moisture with a clean tea towel, not rubbing too hard, just dabbing dry.

How rude are you!

Hot soapy water, quick rinse and then window vacuum seems to do the trick here.

I can't use microfibre cloths as they just leave their fibres on anything glass or mirrored and it looks worse than before! How are you all avoiding this?

Once they’ve been through the wash a few times, I find they are okay.

okay, proper soapy water wash, squeegee blade and dry off. They get done 2-3 times a year but we are City centre so they do get mucky.

M&S window cleaning spray and paper towels.

I understand the frustration with streaky windows - they can be a real headache! Your homemade cleaning solution sounds like it does the trick, but the sun can be pretty unforgiving. One thing you might try is using a squeegee to remove excess liquid after cleaning. This can help prevent streaks. Instead of using a separate cloth to polish, try buffing the windows with a dry microfiber cloth. Also, cleaning early in the morning or later in the evening when the sun isn't shining directly on the windows could make a difference. If you're still struggling, maybe give a different cleaning solution a shot, or consider hiring a professional like Pure Window Cleaning. I recently tried their services and was really impressed with how clean and streak-free my windows were afterward.

You need a window vac and ultra-fine microfibre cloths. I have the streak issue with my windows and my shower screen! YouTube scrolling led me to the ultra fine cloths, they really make a difference