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.
Don't: Use abrasive pads or glass cleaners. Abrasive pads will likely cause irreparable damage to the glass, while glass cleaners may cause runoff which will cause damage to the frame. Do: Use warm water, a soft cloth and non-abrasive, non-alcoholic cleaners.
Rubbing alcohol is a potent cleaner but is harsh and strong-smelling, so it's not a great glass cleaner by itself. Combining ingredients is the secret to making a homemade glass cleaner that cleans well without streaking, just like the store-bought formulas.
Important: Vinegar is safe to use on windows and mirrors, but it can damage other materials due to acidity. Never use a vinegar cleaning solution on electronics (including on their glass screens). Don't use vinegar on granite or marble countertops or stone tile; instead, opt for a gentle Castile soap.
Rubbing alcohol (also known as isopropyl alcohol) can be used to help achieve a streak-free finish on your glass surfaces. You can mix a small amount (around 10% of the total volume) into the cleaning solutions above, or you can use a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water as a final step in your cleaning process.
Vinegar is great for DIY glass cleaners too, since its acidity removes dirt and grease.
Spray a stronger mix of 1:1 water and vinegar (or Windex, or glass cleaner) at your window, so that the solution covers most of the glass. (I found Windex to work better, but if you have pets—or kids—who frequently lick outdoor windows, vinegar may be the best route for you.)
Porous countertop materials, like granite and marble, shouldn't be cleaned with Windex or anything else that's harsh. They are delicate, even though they seem so sturdy. Harsh chemicals can seep into the pores and leave stains or even break down the sealant on the top.
Window cleaning professionals suggest avoiding window washing on very sunny days or at a time when a window is in direct sunlight, as the heat may cause the glass to dry too quickly and cause smears.
While many people stock their cleaning closets with paper towels to tidy up mirrors and glass, paper towels actually aren't recommended for cleaning windows or glass, since the microscopic wooden fibers that make up paper towels can be abrasive to smooth glass surfaces.
Try Casabella Microfiber Glass Cloths, which have a special honeycomb texture to nab water spots, smudges and dirt from mirrors and glass without scratching. If you would rather use paper towels, choose a brand that's up to the task. Weak paper towels can shred and leave lint behind.
A big problem is the evaporation rate. If you're cleaning your windows on a warm sunny day, the liquid part of the solution evaporates quickly and leaves behind a residue that appears as streaks. On the other hand, if you don't entirely remove the liquid you can also be left with a streaky window.
Mix up your window-cleaning solution: In a plastic spray bottle, mix together 2 cups of warm water with 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of Dawn. Sweep away dirt: Using a broom, sweep away the cobwebs and debris from the windows and sills.
Excessive Cleaning Solution
Whether you have purchased a premixed glass cleaner, or you are using your own soapy mixture, too much cleaning solution will cause streaky windows. It is a common misconception that the more cleaning solution you use, the cleaner the glass will be but with windows this is not the case.
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.
Using isopropyl alcohol and white vinegar together makes a quickly evaporating spray glass and mirror cleaner that competes with national brands. This can also be used to give a nice shine to hard tiles, chrome, and other surfaces.
99% isopropyl alcohol has the benefit of being non-corrosive to metals or plastics, so it can be used widely, on all surfaces, and won't leave smears, even on glass or screens. As an industrial cleaner because it does not leave a residue that may cause complications in manufacturing.