The right way to wash your windows, according to professional cleaners

Pro cleaners reveal the simple, streak‑free method for washing windows—and the common mistakes that make them look worse.

While most areas of our homes are cleaned weekly or even daily, windows are all too often neglected—forgotten at the bottom of our household maintenance checklists until they become too dirty to ignore. More than likely, this is because cleaning windows feels time-consuming and labor-intensive, and when streaks are the rule rather than the exception, you can add frustration to the list.

But washing windows doesn’t have to be complicated; you just need the right tools and technique. 

We checked in with a few experts for some advice on how to wash windows like a professional. No streaks, no smudges, no stress.

We chatted with Alicia Sokolowski, the president and co-CEO of AspenClean since 2004, a zero-waste household cleaning brand. She recommended starting with the following materials:

For window cleaning, ready-made window-washing solutions are effective and easy to use; however, Sokolowski says you can make your own by mixing 2 cups of water, half a cup of vinegar, and a few drops of mild dish soap in a spray bottle. For particularly grimy windows, you can skip the dish soap and use a 1:1 vinegar-water mixture instead.