The Best Glass Cleaners of 2021

This eco-friendly glass cleaner leaves windows crystal clear. It has an even spray, no smell, and it removed the soap scum and jelly mixture we used in testing without smearing or streaking—even after drying, which most cleaners struggled to do.

Biokleen is non-toxic and it doesn’t contain ammonia, so it’s ideal for homes with children, pets, and those with allergies. Though the cleaner is colorless (almost looking like water) it produced highly effective cleaning in each test.

Since the official testing, I actually found myself using Biokleen around the house as my personal cleaner of choice, removing dirt, soil, dust, and water stains from my balcony windows.

The Invisible Glass Glass Cleaner performed fairly averagely during testing, and it hits right in the middle of our pack of glass sprays. It is worth noting that Invisible Glass can be used widely, including on car windows, and the spray nozzle has several settings for different spray sizes.

This glass cleaner did leave behind obvious dry streaks after the mirror test, and it wasn’t able to fully remove the jelly mixture on the window, but if you're looking for a budget buy and only want to spend a couple of dollars to clean your not-totally-grimy windows, then Invisible Glass is your best bet.

Chemical Guys makes a hard-working cleaner for bigger messes. The spray is wide and the spray nozzle turns to offer various streams, plus the cleaner’s droplets don’t run down the surface too quickly, which makes this cleaner a great option for exteriors and car windows.

This tough glass cleaner was able to remove the soap spots from the mirror and the jelly powder mixture from the window better than most of the other cleaners we tested. The jelly is a good mimic for gross gunk like bird poo and bug bodies.

Though the cleaner has a strong chemical smell, it barely makes wet streaks when cleaning and doesn’t leave any dry streaks behind. If you’re looking for a heavy-duty cleaner to tackle stickier and grimier messes, this glass cleaner won’t let you down.

This ammonia-free cleaner doesn’t have much of a smell. There is only one spray setting, but that spray is even and wide.

We really liked using Glass Plus and the fact that it leaves minimal streaks. I was especially impressed with its powerful cleaning of the jelly mixture on the window, so much so that I used it at the end of the day to clean my window of all the leftover powder and resulting stickiness.

This all-around cleaner is great for indoor and outdoor use. It removed the soap stains and jelly mixture well, with minimal streaking after drying. The spray is even and the cleaner doesn’t drip too quickly down windows, making it easy to wipe it away without rushing.

This cleaner also has some nostalgic value for me. My dad exclusively uses Hope’s Perfect Glass for cleaning car windows, so a chunk of my childhood was spent hunched in the back row of our cars, minivans, and trucks over the years with a wad of newspaper and the black spray bottle in hand.

While performance is tops, it does have an ammonia scent, and it isn’t the best choice for use around pets and children.

Force of Nature stands out from all the other cleaners we tested because it’s the only one that kills germs. It’s part of an eco-friendly cleaning system that you have to order, and then activate just before use by squeezing a provided vinegar packet into a bottle and electrolyzing it by using electricity.

One downside is that the mixture’s elements weaken over time, so you need to remake the cleaner every two to three weeks. However, while it’s working, it performs very well. It emits only a slight smell and its nozzle can widen and close to span a range of areas.

The glass-cleaning spray also doubles as an all-purpose cleaner that can tackle any mess in your home, even if you have small children and pets.

Many people swear by cleaning their home with natural products, using vinegar for cleaning countertops, shower tiles, and even windows. Aunt Fannie's Glass & Window Vinegar Wash is a pre-made vinegar mix that is specially formulated for glass, saving the time it would take to make your own cleaner.

We were satisfied to see the vinegar cut through the messes during the tests, though the droplets run quickly and the vinegar scent is strong. There were some wet streaks when wiping with the paper towel, and some resulting dry streaks.

I was curious to see where the common household Windex Original Glass Cleaner ranked after our testing. It did well in categories like even spray and having a nozzle that offers several different types of streams. However, the cleaner wasn’t able to clean the mirror and window as well as other cleaners, including a handful of ammonia-free options.

Windex is a widely known glass cleaning brand, so we expected a lot from this vinegar version that aims to be safer and more environmentally friendly. As expected, it was able to remove the soap and jelly in both tests.

While it is a good cleaner, parts of the experience could be improved. The droplets ran down the window’s surface so quickly, it made it hard to wipe them up in time. The spray also splashed back onto my hand at times, which left me smelling like vinegar for hours.

This foam cleaner proved to be less effective than liquid products. For one, the foam sprays all in one location. While this could be great for spot treatments, it also means you have to spread it around and scrub more. The foam just isn’t as even.

On the plus side, the thicker foam consistency keeps the cleaner from dripping down surfaces.

Having a concentrated foam can be handy for larger surfaces or exterior windows, but it can also be too much glass cleaner than is needed. It was harder to wipe up with a single cloth or paper towel, which can make chores last longer and be more wasteful.

The Invisible Glass Aerosol Spray cleaned the mirror well, but left a significant amount of wet and dry streaks when using a microfiber cloth on the window.

Zep Streak-Free Glass Cleaner worked fine enough, but it wasn’t great at leaving windows clear. It removed the soap spots easily, but left dry streaks on the mirror. It didn’t clean the jelly very well, and there were many noticeable streaks after wiping.

The liquid has ammonia, which you can smell, and the droplets run very quickly. You have to really be on your game and ready to scrub the windows right away. Overall, we’d opt for a different brand that’s better on grime.

Though this cleaner is ammonia-free, it still has a pungent smell. And it unfortunately doesn’t make up for that in other ways.

Unlike other Windex formulas, the cleaner struggled to clean the jelly off the window, which suggests that it wouldn’t be great on tougher messes. The cleaner also left streaks behind with both the paper towel and microfiber cloth.

Like it’s liquid spray counterpart, the Zep Foaming Glass Cleaner failed to remove the jelly and powder mixture from the window, leaving streaks behind.

This foam version has an even spray, though it’s a heavy spray all in one location due to the nozzle. The foam does not drip, so it doesn’t rush you while cleaning. But there are better cleaners—including foam cleaners—on this list.

The Windex Foaming Glass Cleaner scored the lowest of the Windex varieties, mainly due to the lack of spray options and the excessive amount of foam that comes out with each press of the nozzle.

The foam left streaks on the window and mirror, which means you’ll have to wipe it down again. It also has a strong smell.

Method Glass Cleaner is watery and smells like mouthwash. The cleaner scored low in most tests because of its watery nature: The droplets ran quickly, they left streaks behind, and it wasn’t the best at removing either of the mixtures during testing.

We’ll give it points for its ammonia-free formula, but there are better options that will clean more effectively.