How to clean glass without streaks, film or lint.

Cleaning Glass Without Streaks or Lint

Cleaning glass without leaving behind streaks, a cloudy film, or lint comes down to two things: the right glass cleaner, and the right cleaning cloth. 

Best Glass Cleaners

The best solutions for cleaning glass are ammonia-based glass cleaners like Windex, or a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water. Unlike bleach or soap, ammonia and vinegar won’t leave behind streak and film causing residue.

Best Glass Cleaning Cloths

Frankly, the best cleaning solutions for glass are pretty well understood. It’s the paper towels most of us use to wipe up glass cleaner that are the real culprit behind streaky, cloudy glass. Most paper towels are treated for absorbency. That makes them great for wiping up spills, but terrible for cleaning glass. The absorbency treatment is why your glass tables, mirrors and windows end up covered in lint and dry with a film.

If you must use paper towels, go with untreated towels such as SCOTT Glass Towels. Skip anything touting its absorbency. In fact, I recommend skipping paper towels altogether if you can. Who wants to waste time scrutinizing  paper towel packaging, or keep a special glass cleaning roll on hand?

Instead, go with lint-free cotton clothes such as KIMBERLY-CLARK WYPALL Microfiber Cloths or Bag-A-Rags Reusable Wiping Cloths. They are super cheap, reusable and versatile.  Cotton cloths are gentle and durable enough to clean practically anything. Just don’t use fabric softener when you wash your rags. It’ll leave behind a film when you clean your glass.

Lots of people swear by using newspaper to clean glass, but I disagree. In my experience, newspaper practically disintegrates the moment it hits wet glass. Plus, the ink gets all over your hands if you aren’t wearing gloves.

Got your own tips for giving your glass that streak-free shine? Leave your advice in the comments.

14 comments on “How to clean glass without streaks, film or lint.

  • Keith Gaylord says:

    Water and white cotton towels are the only way to go. I have been detailing cars and cleaning homes for years, and nothing works better. All of this other crap is useless.

    Reply
    • Ginger Bushnell says:

      I just tried your suggestion, YAY!!! It worked 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Just wish they’d make bigger coffee filters 😁

      Reply
  • Pingback:Tips on how to clean glass furniture and mirrors in your home | Cleaning Exec Cleaning Services
  • Eileen Benson says:

    It made sense when you explained that the best way to clean glass table tops is by using chemical solutions that are ammonia-based. My husband and I moved to a new house last month, and we like the idea of having a custom glass table top made for our dining room. Thanks for sharing this article and teaching me how to keep the table top looking good after it’s installed!

    Reply
  • Good Article but its too brief to know about window cleaning without streaks. Lack some key information such as I need to watch the steps of cleaning through picture or video. I hope as a regular reader we’ll get more efficient and descriptive articles in next. Thanks. Have a nice day.

    Reply
  • Teeninga Palmen says:

    We had a good time reading through this article, its really awesome. I would have a couple suggestions though, but Im not causing an argument :P:.. Anyway, keep up the great work, and until next time!

    Reply
  • Tracie Sayler says:

    I clean Commercial properties…I use vinegar and water for most everything… but with glass I use the vinegar and coffee filters… no streaks NO lint

    Reply
  • Use newspaper! Not magazine but good old store ads, front page news, puzzle section, even Sunday newspaper garbage sections you don’t read … any part of a newspaper will do!! Great for when you’re broke — but it’s better if you remember this when you go to waste your money buying window cleaner!! (luckily Siri and Alexa always remember . You just have to ask)

    Reply
  • Karen Gregorio says:

    I clicked on the Bag-A-Rags and it says right on the packaging, Processed For Absorbency!!! Well, that goes against what y’all wrote!! When y’all really figure out what is to be True, then let us know!

    Reply
  • JoeyButtons says:

    Thats funny, I discovered that after trying everything else. I use coffee filters to clean my glasses and TV’s!!! Cheap toilet paper works too!

    Reply
  • Travis Bickle says:

    It seems that when the sun shines directly on my windows it’s practically impossible to get rid of the a light, milky film and/or wiping marks/streaks. The windows of my new place were originally very clear, even with direct sunlight, except for obvious dirt, dust and misc small, accumulated debris. SO, following the best advice I first flushed the glass to get rid of the larger stuff, following that by cleaning directly with a 50/50 vinegar/water and a bit of ammonia. Using that mixture with wadded-up newspaper left the above filmy smearing, but it’s only visible with direct sun, and the glass otherwise shines nicely.

    Is there another mixture more likely to avoid this milky smearing, which did not exist previously. And, is it possible that the ‘weekly’ newspaper paper doesn’t function the same as the paper used in daily newspapers, which appears rougher? Any other ideas?

    Actually, I’m thinking that since these windows were brand new, that they came with some sort of protective coating, like scotch guard. Is there perhaps something I can use to get rid of this film, sort of like the Jet-Dry used in dishwashers?

    Reply

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