The Right Window Soap

Window cleaners and home owners alike always ask our Detroit Sponge team which soap is the best for cleaning windows. Should they use a commercial grade soap or just dish soap? They question if ammonia is satisfactory to use and how they can prevent leaving streaks behind. 

Like much of the window cleaning business, many times this decision will come down to personal preferences. Here are some good considerations to keep in mind while choosing your solution. 

Ammonia 

Many homemade window cleaning soaps are a mixture including household ammonia. Ammonia can be an inexpensive and effective cleaner, it is important to know the precautions while using it as a cleaner.  

• Never mix ammonia with bleach. Ammonia and bleach combine to form a very toxic chlorine gas. Even in small quantities or where the residue of one may be present, it is important to keep them separate. 
• Ammonia is poisonous and not safe for children or pets, even more so than most other soaps. 
• Ammonia should be used with gloves and in a very well-ventilated area. Prolonged exposure can be dangerous. 
• Ammonia is damaging to tinted windows. 

As with other chemicals, be sure to read all label instructions and cautions and MSDS information. 

Dish Soap 

Another component for homemade window cleaners is regular dish soap, used in a correct soap-to-water mixture. Dish soap can be a good choice for some, but dish soaps tend to leave a build-up of residue over time. 

Window Cleaning Soap 

All of the window cleaning soaps Detroit Sponge carries are ammonia-free and made of soaps specifically designed for cleaning windows and prolonged use. They are all designed to work with a squeegee, the tool of choice by professionals. 

• Dazzle-100 is our best-selling window solution! It is a specially formulated, highly concentrated, and never duplicated window cleaning chemical. It is designed specifically for cleaning glass without leaving any residue or film on the glass surface. 
• Glass Gleam 4 Window Cleaning Concentrate is ideal for cleaning windows with a squeegee. Contains polymeric water softeners for improved performance in hard water areas. Improved degreasers and detergents provide window cleaning power like you’ve never seen before. Glass Gleam 4 is ideal for use in a bucket or for sprayers and bottle dispensers. It is also excellent for automotive use in the windshield washer tank. 
• The Unger Easy Glide Glass Cleaner (formerly Pro Formula) is a liquid window cleaner that leaves behind a smooth surf 
• The Moerman Squeeze Deluxe Window Soap (17 oz) is a new, highly concentrated cleaner set to revolutionize the window cleaning industry. Instead of wasting product by adding it to the water in your bucket–and having it get sloshed out or dumped all over–this soap is designed for direct application to your washer sleeve. 
• Winsol Windows-120 is ideal for windows, mirrors, and glass. Winsol Windows-120 window cleaning soap is a very concentrated, biodegradable anionic detergent system that releases its power in water. When used to remove oils, greases and grime, Windows120 emulsifies those oils and converts (saponifies) them into a type of soap that actually supports the ability of this product to continue to clean at optimum levels. 

Dish soap and window cleaning soap are less caustic to use than ammonia. The pro window soap is designed to provide the perfect amount of slide for the squeegee. With the debris suspended in the solution and the squeegee able to slide, the window will dazzle and shine. 

Other Tips 

No matter what type of soap you decide to use, here are some tips to make those windows sparkle and to avoid streaks. 

• Avoid cleaning windows in direct sunlight. This will cause the soap mixture to evaporate more quickly. If you have to wash hot windows, a water wetter, or squeegee glide, might help. 
• Remember, more is not necessarily better. Too much soap in your mixture can leave streaks on the windows. 
• Use a washer to apply the soap and a squeegee to remove it. Then, touch-up the edges with a lint-free towel. Microfiber towels work well for windows. (Remember to avoid washing towels with fabric softener or in a machine where fabric softener is used. This will cause towels to leave streaks.) 
• Make sure your tools are clean. Avoid using a really dirty washer, debris on the scrubber can make it more difficult to achieve a streak free shine. 
• Make sure to use a squeegee rubber in good condition, an old blade can chatter or have knicks in the surface, causing streaks to be left behind. 

We hope this post gave you some of the information you need to make the most informed decisions about your soap. For more questions or comments call us at (800) 535-6394 or shop all are products at www.detroitsponge.com.