October 2008
Best glass cleaners
Plenty of clear winners
To see which glass cleaners really work, you have to make a mess. We took clean panes of glass and coated some with outdoor
grime (mineral oil, clay, and a solvent) and others with indoor grime (those ingredients plus synthetic skin oil to simulate
greasy finger marks). We subjected additional panes to repeated billows of tobacco smoke, letting them sit for three days
to develop an amber film.
Then we tested the mettle of 10 cleaners, plus plain tap water and a home brew (see recipe), using a scrubbing machine to rub a sheet of cheesecloth plus cleaner back and forth over each pane. Three panelists judged cleaning, streaking, and any smearing that occurred when a tissue-wrapped finger drew a figure 8 on the glass.
Finally, we put drops of each cleaner on nine panels covered with old paint (three with flat paint, three with satin, three with semigloss), let the drops dry overnight, and checked for damage.
What we found
All the cleaners, including our home brew and tap water, were very good or excellent overall. On indoor grime, Windex No Drip and Weiman excelled; on outdoor grime, five cleaners plus the home brew and tap water excelled. All were excellent at removing smoke.
Most products left no mark on painted surfaces overnight, but Windex Crystal Rain marked one satin paint and Weiman marked two semigloss paints.
Earth Friendly and Seventh Generation, which claim to have "natural" ingredients and lack dyes and perfumes, were somewhat less effective overall than others.
Bottom line
For very dirty glass, try Windex No Drip, which was excellent on indoor and outdoor grime and on smoke. For less-dirty glass, save money and use Streak Free from Wal-Mart, 3 cents per ounce, or our home brew, which cost about a penny per ounce and would have rated just below the Weiman product. Even tap water worked pretty well. Wipe cleaner off window mullions to avoid possible damage. Whatever product you use, refold your cleaning towel often.
Then we tested the mettle of 10 cleaners, plus plain tap water and a home brew (see recipe), using a scrubbing machine to rub a sheet of cheesecloth plus cleaner back and forth over each pane. Three panelists judged cleaning, streaking, and any smearing that occurred when a tissue-wrapped finger drew a figure 8 on the glass.
Finally, we put drops of each cleaner on nine panels covered with old paint (three with flat paint, three with satin, three with semigloss), let the drops dry overnight, and checked for damage.
What we found
All the cleaners, including our home brew and tap water, were very good or excellent overall. On indoor grime, Windex No Drip and Weiman excelled; on outdoor grime, five cleaners plus the home brew and tap water excelled. All were excellent at removing smoke.
Most products left no mark on painted surfaces overnight, but Windex Crystal Rain marked one satin paint and Weiman marked two semigloss paints.
Earth Friendly and Seventh Generation, which claim to have "natural" ingredients and lack dyes and perfumes, were somewhat less effective overall than others.
Home brew
Mix ½ cup sudsy ammonia, 1 tsp. dishwashing liquid, 1 pint rubbing alcohol, and water to create 1 gallon of cleaner, then pour some into an empty spray bottle.
For very dirty glass, try Windex No Drip, which was excellent on indoor and outdoor grime and on smoke. For less-dirty glass, save money and use Streak Free from Wal-Mart, 3 cents per ounce, or our home brew, which cost about a penny per ounce and would have rated just below the Weiman product. Even tap water worked pretty well. Wipe cleaner off window mullions to avoid possible damage. Whatever product you use, refold your cleaning towel often.
Posted: September 2008 — Consumer Reports Magazine issue: October 2008
