If you’ve ever had your car washed after parking it outside for awhile and then realized you hadn’t realize just how dirty your windows were, then you know the importance of a really good window clean. It’s easy to overlook the dirt and grime on your windows—until it isn’t—but when you go to clean them, streaking will invariable annoy you more.
What causes window streaks?
Poor window cleaning solution is one factor. If it’s a hot and sunny day, the liquid part of the solution will evaporate before the soapy part, leaving lines cascading across the glass. Leaving the liquid behind without completely drying it off can also lend itself to streak marks.
Poor quality towels are the other factor. If the towel has previously been used to clean something or has been contaminated with oil, dirt, grease, or grime, then it’s likely that using it to wipe the solution dry will actually make the problem worse. Towels that shed, towels that don’t absorb liquid well, older towels, and towels that get sopping wet are all culprits in the battle to accomplish a streak-free windowpane. Even if you use a solution made for cleaning glass—Windex, Ecover, Stoner, the Honest Company—a shoddy towel will produce a spotty job.
Microfiber towels are excellent glass cleaners. We recommend wiping them across the glass dry first to pick up debris and then using a second towel with cleaner wet to really clean the glass. A squeegee is also a useful tool to create streak-free windows, so long as you towel off the blade after each swipe to reduce the existence of creating rivers between squeegee paths. However, if streaks remain on your windows with the correct tools, it may simply be residue from commercial cleaning solutions. A solution of two cups of water and 1/4 cup of white vinegar will dissolve and clear away the residue.
PopUP CleanUP offers indoor and first floor outdoor window cleaning up to 8 feet as an add-on option to our commercial and event cleaning services.
