9 Best Window Cleaners, According to Lab Testing (2024)

This story was updated in October 2022 to add new picks, based on testing by the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care and Cleaning Lab. We also added information about how we test and answered frequently asked questions on window and glass cleaners.

While you might not even notice a little spot on your carpet or fingerprints on a wall, a smudged, splattered, filmy glass surface, mirror or window can be very obvious and bothersome. A good glass cleaner is a must-have in any cleaning arsenal and it should be one that cuts grime quickly and is easy and neat to use. To find out which glass and window cleaners are best and to produce helpful window cleaning advice and tips, like the common mistakes to avoid when cleaning your windows, our Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Care and Cleaning Lab experts evaluate multiple brands every year both in the Lab and at home.

In the Lab, we apply the cleaners to black glass panels that we’ve smeared with greasy fingerprints, lipstick marks, household dust and other everyday stains (think the toothpaste that you accidentally squirted on your bathroom mirror). We time how quickly each glass cleaner works, count how many passes it takes to completely clean the glass and — after a maximum number of passes — assess how much residue and streaking is left behind. We use black glass because it makes telltale streaks and smudges easier to see. In our last battery of tests, we wiped more than 300 strokes! Here are our top performing window and glass cleaners for 2022.

Our top picks:

Scroll down to find out more about each of the product recommendations, plus you’ll discover more details about how we test window and glass cleaners and what to look for when shopping for one. Looking for more cleaning content? Check out our guides to the best glass screen cleaners and the best stovetop cleaners, glass and otherwise.

Ever spray on a glass cleaner and have to quickly reach for your cloth or paper towels before the product drips onto the sill or worse, the floor? You don’t have to worry about that with Invisible Glass. Our tests found that the fine mist goes on evenly and clings to the surface so you won’t be chasing drips. It also works well for stuck-on stains, like mud, bird droppings and the tape residue left on your windows from putting up holiday decorations. We found the EZ-grip trigger comfortable to hold and got streak-free results when we used a microfiber cloth to buff the glass dry.

When you cook at home a lot, it’s practically impossible to avoid grease splatters on your cooktop, oven and microwave doors. While ordinary glass cleaners often aren’t that effective on heavy grease (especially if splatters have been stuck on for a while), Cinch Glass Cleaner did a great job cutting through it in our Lab tests. Our experts also liked that the cleaner can be used on multiple kitchen surfaces, including stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. Cinch was originally launched as a glass and multi-surface cleaner so it was formulated to cut grease and clean glass without streaking. Even though it now calls itself just a glass cleaner, it has as much muscle as it always did. Some report that it has a stronger scent than other brands but we didn’t notice it.

If a high-end candle and a great glass cleaner had a baby, the result would be this amazing smelling product from Safely, a company co-founded by Kris Jenner. Ingredients like coconut oil and mineral salts help quickly break down dirt and grime on glass surfaces. In our tests, we found it a little less drippy to use than other liquids when dispensed as a spray. It can also be dispensed as a stream for a more targeted application. It left our glass clean and streak-free with minimal wiping. The “Rise” scent of Safely is a fresh fragrance, while the new “Calm” variety has floral undertones. Although this brand costs a bit more than some other cleaners, our testers thought it was worth the price.

HOPE's Perfect Glass lives up to its name, shining windows and other glass surfaces with fewer strokes than other brands our experts tested. The alcohol in this product is the secret sauce. It evaporates quickly without extra buffing or leaving streaks behind. It’s also safe to use to freshen up the glass screens on monitors, tablets and phones. Just be sure to spray it on your cloth rather than directly on the device. Hope's has a slightly higher price point than some competitors, but the time and effort you save and its versatility make it a cost effective choice.

For situations where using or lugging around a spray bottle would be a hassle, Windex Glass Cleaning Wipes are a convenient solution. Stash a pack in the car to clear finger and nose smudges left behind by kids or pets and even bird dropping that appear out of nowhere on your windshield. Our team of experts tested them in the Lab and at home and found them especially effective and useful to clean crystal light fixtures and the small panes of glass-front cabinets as they don't drip and you don’t have to carry and juggle a cumbersome bottle and separate cloth while climbing a ladder. Windex wipes aren't recommended for use on granite or marble.

A winner in Good Housekeeping’s Sustainable Packaging Awards, Brandless Refillable Glass Cleaner Starter Kit is doing its part to help eliminate single-use plastic bottles. It's only available online, but when you order it, you’ll receive a 32-ounce refillable trigger spray bottle and a packet of concentrated liquid glass cleaner. Simply drop the packet into the bottle, add water, shake it up and voila, you’ve made your own cleaner (well, close enough!). Because it's shipped without water, its shipping issues are lessened, too. When you start to run low, simply buy a refill that contains two packets and reuse the bottle you already have. Our Lab found that the packets dissolved and mixed quickly and worked well to remove grease and grime, leaving surfaces shiny and streak-free. We also liked that the solution didn't separate like other concentrates we've tried.

This pack of two microfiber cloths from E-Cloth cleans and shines up windows when dampened just with plain water. In a recent test, our Lab experts were amazed at how quickly and well they cleaned a rain-splattered door glass, cleaning and drying it faster than any other cloths we’ve tested and without using any glass cleaning formula! Start by dampening the waffle weave cloth and use it to remove dirt and grime. Its large size provides lots of cleaning area, but be sure to turn the cloth often and rinse and wring it as it picks up the dirt for the best results. Then, you can use the smooth weave cloth to polish and shine glass. The cloths washed and dried very well in our tests and are guaranteed by E-Cloth to last up to 100 washes, but laundering in hot water is recommended.

If you’re looking to streamline your cleaning routine, Windex Multisurface Disinfectant Cleaner is about as close to one-size-fits-all as it gets. Yes, it cleans glass and mirrors but it can also be used it to wipe down chrome fixtures, glass cooktops, bathroom tile, shower doors and more as it contains more grease and grime-cutting ingredients than typical window cleaners. Just like other disinfecting cleaners, you need to leave this version of Windex on hard non-porous surfaces for 10 seconds to sanitize them and for 10 minutes to disinfect and kill germs, like viruses and bacteria. Use it in the kitchen, bathroom or wherever you want a deeper clean. It has a citrus scent and may take a bit of extra buffing on glass windows, doors and mirrors to completely remove all streaks.

Not usually. Even though many brands of glass cleaners contain ammonia and alcohol, they aren’t formulated with the ingredients or amounts necessary to sanitize or disinfect surfaces. To know that a cleaner is effective at killing germs, look for an EPA registration number on the label. You’ll usually find it on the bottom of the back label. It’s what we use in the GH Cleaning Lab to confirm that any sanitizing or disinfecting claims have been tested and supported. For instance, one of our picks, Windex Multisurface Disinfectant Cleaner, contains the active ingredient lactic acid and is EPA registered.

In some cases, yes. Most window and glass cleaners can safely be used to clean chrome fixtures, laminate countertops, glass cooktops and more. We don’t recommend using them, however, on electronics, wooden floors and table surfaces and certain types of kitchen countertops, like granite, especially if they contain ammonia or vinegar. Check the product’s label to determine where it’s safe to use — and where you should avoid applying it.

Carolyn Forté has more than 40 years of experience as a consumer products expert testing all kinds of glass cleaners on windows, glass-top tables, mirrors and a multitude of other surfaces. She has met with and visited the manufacturing facilities of major glass cleaner manufacturers and is a stickler for clean windows and glass in her own home. She loves her gas-on-glass cooktop because it’s so easy to clean, has many glass-front cabinets to clean and has been known to take vacation days from work to stay home to clean her own home windows.