Sometimes stained glass gets dirty enough to warrant a more intense approach to cleaning, such that a person adds distilled water on their soft dry cloth. If a residue appears, then it's time for a cleaner that's free of ammonia and vinegar, as well as pH-neutral and non-abrasive.
The safest and most effective way to clean historic windows that have no painted decoration, or where the decoration is in sound condition, is to roll (not rub) cotton buds dampened with a little de-ionised water over the glass surfaces.
Always use a neutral PH soap when cleaning your stained glass– never use Windex or other cleaning agents. Traditional cleaners can cause lead or zinc framing to oxidize faster. Most cleaning detergents contain ammonia which can create numerous structural issues in your stained glass window.
Use an ammonia-free glass cleaner, a premixed vinegar-based cleaning solution, or make your own with one part white vinegar to 10 parts water, and apply to a soft, clean, lint-free micro fiber cloth or paper towel.
Apply a drop of distilled white vinegar to the cloudy glass and rub a small area with a microfiber cloth. If the area is clear when the glass is dry, you will be able to clean away the cloudiness. If it is still cloudy, the glass is permanently etched. Use a sharp edge to gently scrape the cloudy area of the glass.
Don't use acidic cleaning solutions.
The key with a cleaning solution is to dilute it. Today's cleaning chemicals are just too abrasive, and they can cause corrosion and discoloration on historic metal window frames. Instead, use an ammonia-free solution and warm water to remove dirt.
Similar to malt vinegar, apple cider vinegar has a brown hue and will struggle to lift stains from porous materials. However, it can be used to clean windows as a good substitute for white vinegar.
Take baking soda and a little water and mix them in a small bowl to create a cleaning paste for your windows. Then use a dry cloth and use it to scrub the hard water stains with the paste. The abrasive quality of the baking soda will aid in removing hard water stains from your window.
Baking soda is a master at cutting through some pretty gnarly stuff, including mineral deposits. Create a paste of equal parts baking of baking soda and Dawn dish soap. Cover all the cloudiness with the paste. Let it sit for about 15 minutes.
Soak glass in white vinegar.
Since it's acidic, it'll dissolve the minerals. For very heavy spots, you can warm the vinegar before soaking. If stubborn spots still persist, gently rub them off with a little dab of baking soda on your fingertip.
Fill your vessel with equal parts vinegar and water. Soak your cloudy glassware in the vinegar solution: Put your cloudy glassware in the solution and let the pieces soak for about 30 minutes. Test one of the glasses for cloudiness: Take one of the glasses out of the solution and give it a rinse.
For example, vinegar does a decent job removing dust and water spots, but it doesn't cut through a lot of sticky stuff and tends to streak more than other cleaners. Rubbing alcohol is a potent cleaner but is harsh and strong-smelling, so it's not a great glass cleaner by itself.
Cleaning glass is more about the tools than the elbow grease. Even if you do exactly the right things, like mixing vinegar with distilled water and wiping with newspaper, it's possible to end up with a frustrating streak or three. In that case, the simplest solution is to finish the job with a quick buff.
Ruin windshield glass: Apart from not cleaning the glass well, ammonia solutions can also damage the glass over time. In case of a tinted windshield, this solution can scratch or peel the tint layer ruining its effect.
Avoid using paper towels, clothes and tissues as they may be soft, but may have a crude surface that can easily attract dust or scratch your residential glass or storefront glass. Use microfibers to elongate their life. Keep your home glass clean and damage-free by following the tips mentioned above.
The most common professional window cleaning solution recipe is filtered or distilled water and dish soap. Just a few spoonfuls of dish soap is all that's needed to create foam for gliding and to help break up any grease and dirt on the glass during cleaning.