House Mate Foaming Glass & Mirror Cleaner, 400ml

Product Information

It should also be noted that not only is ammonia highly flammable, but it can also create a dangerous chemical reaction when combined with bleach. When bleach is mixed with ammonia, toxic gases called chloramines are produced. These chloramines can cause nausea, shortness of breath and fluid to accumulate in the lungs. Be sure to keep these two chemicals away from each other and away from children. Glycol ethers While the end result may not be as streak-free as a window cleaned with Windex, using a homemade cleaner could be worthwhile for those who want to save some money and also want to use a product that only includes ingredients they are comfortable with. Many of the products easily removed the stains, but Windex did so with only moderate pressure being applied and it required very little buffing to completely eliminate streaks. The mirror simply looked the best after it had been cleaned with the Windex solution. Ammonia is one of the most widely used chemicals in the United States. It’s mostly added to fertilizer and other agricultural products as well as cleaners, pesticides, plastics, and water purifiers. It is an active ingredient in both Windex and Zep Streak-Free Glass Cleaner. The other five products we tested are ammonia-free.

Clean the inside of your windows once a week with one of the products from this review. At least twice a year, clean the outside of your windows. This will require special tools, such as an extension ladder and squeegee. What is the best way to clean windows without streaking? Before we tested our products, we practiced several variations of wipe strokes, amount of liquid, and timing and application. The following steps are our recommendations for cleaning all glass surfaces. How to clean glass The main ingredient is usually what determines the scent of your cleaner. However, some cleaners, especially ammonia-based ones, use additives to change their smell. Even with these additional ingredients, window cleaners typically have a chemical smell. If you’re sensitive to fragrance, wear a mask while you’re cleaning your windows. Surfaces We wanted to create an alternative that was all-natural, so we disregarded recipes that called for ammonia. We also avoided using dish-washing liquid or other manufactured soaps that relied on buying and watering down a store-bought cleaning solution.

You don’t want glass surfaces to just look clean, you want them to be disinfected and completely free of germs. Each one of our top seven products have ingredients that specifically disinfect surfaces. Glass Plus was effective, but we needed to apply more effort and pressure to scrub away the toothpaste. There were also slight streaks left on the surface. Seventh Generation Free & Clear is a great product. Its plant-based cleaning agents are strong on messes, and it’s safe for the environment and your health.

We opted to try one homemade recipe, one plant-based product, two cleaners containing ammonia, two aerosol sprays and one of the most well-known window-cleaning brands. We tested these products for their ability to eliminate dirt and germs on a variety of glass and other surfaces while leaving a streak-free finish. How we tested Window-cleaning products became popular because they don’t leave behind the streaks that soap and other common cleaners often leave. A window or mirror looks clean when the oils and dirt are removed to reveal a crystal-clear view or reflection. But when glass is obstructed by streaky residue, it can be an eyesore. A substantial amount of information is available about many of these ingredients. It can sometimes be complex, contradictory, alarmist and hard to interpret. For those who are interested, we encourage you to look into it for yourselves. What follows is an introductory discussion about some of the most featured ingredients in glass cleaners. Ammonia With the best window cleaners, there are few household tasks more satisfying – transforming windows from grubby panes into clear sheets of glass. But for so many of us, DIY window cleaning is rife with frustration and failure, with stubborn streaks and dribbles destroying all best efforts. The best way is to make your own glass cleaner using white vinegar, cornstarch, water, and essential oils.Phthalates also cause a reaction in the endocrine system that leads to disruption and ultimately impacts reproductive health, particularly male sperm count. Again, because companies are not required to disclose the components of their fragrances, it’s impossible to determine which do and do not contain phthalates and in what concentrations. Other ingredients While all the products we tested are liquids, they are delivered by two different methods: spray bottle and aerosol can. The offerings from Stoner and Weiman are both aerosols, though neither contains CFSs, which have been proven to slowly deplete the ozone layer. Our homemade cleaner, Glass Plus, and Seventh Generation were all disappointing in the chili test. Glass Plus and Seventh Generation couldn’t break up the caked mess. The DIY solution did eventually get the job done but required quite a lot of scrubbing and several sprays over the same spots. If you’re concerned about the potential impact of chemical-based cleaners on the environment and your health, you can make your own glass cleaner at home, following our recipe. Combining white vinegar, cornstarch, warm water, and essential oil creates a fantastic all-purpose cleaner that is effective on glass. The other finalists we tested all were capable of clearing surfaces of grease and grime. Where they mostly fell short was failing to eliminate streaks.

DIY solutions are appealing because they can be personalized, can utilize natural ingredients and can be cheaper than some commercial offerings. How to make DIY window cleaner Finally, use a fresh, clean, dry microfiber towel to vigorously buff out any imperfections left on the glass.

The best window cleaner sprays to keep your windows squeaky clean and streak-free

Zep Streak-Free Glass Cleaner did a better job cleaning without leaving streaks, but the odor was too unpleasant. The strong scent of ammonia takes away from an otherwise very effective product. How we selected