Cleaning

Streak-Free Windows

I’ve tried every glass cleaner under the sun it seems like, just searching for a product that really cleans my windows and mirrors and leaves no streaks or residue behind. Kate is my new assistant (she is helping me with Domino and book projects mostly) and before this she worked for Anthropologie. She recently taught…

I’ve tried every glass cleaner under the sun it seems like, just searching for a product that really cleans my windows and mirrors and leaves no streaks or residue behind.

 photo IMG_0910copy.jpg

Kate is my new assistant (she is helping me with Domino and book projects mostly) and before this she worked for Anthropologie. She recently taught me this little trick she learned there for cleaning glass, and it’s just too good not to share:

Step 1: Have dirty windows. :)

 photo IMG_0893.jpg
Step 2: Grab any glass cleaner and a piece of regular old kraft paper (although white works a little better than the brown we’ve learned).
 photo IMG_0899.jpg

Step 3: Spray your glass and the folded up kraft paper with the cleaner.

 photo IMG_0887.jpg
Step 4: Wipe away the liquid (and the dirt and grime with it) and be amazed at how unbelievably streak and fuzz-free your windows are now! Replace the kraft paper as needed (though one piece will clean a lot of glass).

 photo IMG_0880.jpg
Step 5: Enjoy your squeaky clean windows! 
I don’t know what it is about the kraft paper that works so, so differently than paper towels or even my favorite microfiber towels, but somehow the kraft paper removes every speck of anything on the glass. It’s magic.
 photo IMG_0931.jpg
Thanks for the tip, Kate (and Anthro)!
 photo IMG_1066.jpg
Join the Conversation

43 thoughts on “Streak-Free Windows

  1. I second newspaper. I also use vinegar diluted in water. Far cheaper and more eco friendly. My cleaner in Africa wasvery puzzled when I explained to her how I wanted the windows cleaned:-)

  2. Grew up working at my grandfather's hotel and we always used vinegar and old newspaper for cleaning windows. Having been trying for years to convince my cleaners to stop with the windex and paper towels…

  3. The paper and spray solution works okay in between cleanings, but to get windows really sparkling clean you need a window brush, a squeegee, microfiber towels and a good cleanig solution. I wash my windows every 2 months, and use spray way to touch up. Sparkling windows are one of life's luxuries.

  4. gosh your office is to die for… aren't you so happy with what you are doing to this previously "different" space. Looking back on it the reason to purchase the house is entirely related to the windows! great post.. will try it today.

  5. I so have to try this. I hate using newspaper. I don't think it works well at all and also leaves my hands really dirty with ink if I don't use gloves.

  6. I bought this special mitt years ago for glass and I still use it. Just water and the mitt. Wet one side and wash, use dry side to buff. So fast and so clean. I wish I could find another because it is on it's last legs!

  7. NORWEX POLISHING CLOTH. YES JANE. I have one and it's miraculous with just water how clean and sparkling they get. Plus I feel like they stay more clean longer because there isn't any cleaner residue for things to stick to.

  8. In high school I worked at a small golf course owned by a 100-year-old woman and her 70-something daughter. The only way to wash windows in their opinion was with newspaper. It made an awful mess of my hands but those windows shined.

  9. As everyone is mentioning – newspaper is fantastic! I use it for mirrors too! I had no idea until my boyfriend and I started living together, but thank goodness for his quick tips!

    xo
    Christa

  10. I don't see it mentioned here…but NEWSPRINT works much better than newspapers. Newsprint is the paper before it gets ink all over! Most news printing offices have leftover rolls that they will sell for a dollar or two.

  11. Windex actually leaves a pretty nasty residue on your windows that will build up over time (especially visible on mirrors). The best glass cleaner is the DIY kind, usually vinegar based.

  12. Thanks for the tip! I use a water/white vinegar/essential oil mix and don't have any streaks but I do have lingering fuzz. I am definitely going to start using craft paper now that I learned a trick!

  13. We recently moved and I kept two large bags stuffed with our old packing paper. My husband thinks I'm crazy but it works so well! It's basically newspaper without the print already cut into easy to use sheets. When I run out I'll go back to using my stack of microfiber cloths but until then I'm loving my stash.

  14. NORWEX polishing cloth for sure! It is the ONLY norwex product that I would buy again and recommend without a doubt! It is amazing. Water and the cloth- no streaks!

  15. Thanks for the tip! I use a water/white vinegar/essential oil mix and don't have any streaks but I do have lingering fuzz. I am definitely going to start using craft paper now that I learned a trick!Bong da

  16. Thanks for the tip! I use a water/white vinegar/essential oil mix and don't have any streaks but I do have lingering fuzz. I am definitely going to start using craft paper now that I learned a trick!Bong da anh

  17. Using paper to clean windows is not the best idea ever, I learnd. Because of the consistence of the paper it could cause little micro scratches on the glass.

  18. Another vote for the Norwex cloths. Even my husband enjoys washing windows (and polishing just about anything he can get his hands on) with the polish cloth. Just an enviro cloth and water followed by the polish cloth and it's like magic!

© Jenny Komenda. All Rights Reserved.
Site by