Everyone wants to know the secret sauce that makes your windows sparkle, and they can’t figure out why their windows are so streaky from using products like Windex.
This brings me to my topic for this article which is: what soap is best for window cleaning?
Credit: Charles D Smith Jr.
Window Cleaners could debate on this topic for days and days but what it comes down to is the final product for your customers. Is the soap you’re using leaving the windows streak free? And usually, the answer is yes. The two most popular soaps are Dawn Dish soap and Glass Gleam 4 from Titan Laboratories. Dawn dish soap is a sudsy solution that does a great job with a lower purchase cost where Glass Gleam 4 is a professional window cleaning soap which is not sudsy and is a little more expensive.
I personally use the two together, with a higher ratio of dawn then Glass Gleam 4
When it comes to soap you should use what you like best. For years I cleaned with 2 other window cleaners,and we all used different consistencies with the same overall results. One hardly used any soap and there were no suds in the water or when he scrubbed the glass to the other who went through a ton of soap every day.
To me the perfect consistency is when you get what I call a “Honeycomb” effect where the water and soap separate a little on the glass. I have found this to be the smoothest and best for leaving no residual solution behind on the glass.
Also depending on your work, you may decide to use dish soap on account s that are cleaned regularly where you’re just cleaning off fingerprints and small amounts of dirt and dust. Where you might decide to use Glass Gleam 4 on residential which usually leaves window cleaner longer due to its cleaning properties.
Glass Gleam 4 can give a little more “pop” to glass when indirect sunlight then dawn due to that Glass Gleam 4 cleans out the small pores in glass where Dawn clogs the pores. Now to the untrained eye you wouldn’t notice a difference but usually a window cleaner can tell the slight difference.
Other honorable mentions are soaps like Joy, which is a dish soap but has a great lemon scent and has been used by window cleaners for decades but is a little harder to find these days. Myers dish soap is another one that is very popular due to its many different scents and gives great slip on the glass when using your squeegee.
There is so many different soaps on the market that can be used for cleaning windows.
Use the one that you best like and achieves results your customers are wowed by, to me that is the most important thing.
-By SteveO
Well said SteveO ,everyone has their own favorite formula, whatever gives the best results is all that matters 👍🇦🇺
I’m with SteveO. I’ve used Glassgleam for 2 decades and my customers (all residential) love the results. I add a little bit of Meyer’s dish soap for the perfect blend of suds and glide (& the nice smell).
BEEN DOING THAT FOR 10 YEARS 1/2 DAWN 1/2 GG4
A lot New York window washer use Dawn soap and TSP the mixture is so good for finger marks and dirt it breaks lose and your windows are cleaned better then GG4
I usually mix my solution, a little dish soap with GG4 especially on warmer days as the GG4 helps to keep the glass wetter longer…
Glass Gleam 4 combined with Winsol Super Slip. I’ve been using that for over a decade after using other products, and won’t be experimenting further.
My favorite for 45 years is TSP (trisodium phosphate). No suds, nice slip, low cost, safe product. TSP leaves glass shining.
Hey John, thanks for this tip! Do you use TSP on after market residential film? If so, I am wanting to give it a try.
I’ve been using glass gleam 4 for a couple years now. Customers always ask what my secret suds are.