The cheapest and best window cleaner is newspaper and vinegar. Vinegar is acidic and it cuts through film build up on glass and leaves the window streak free. Simply, dilute vinegar with water to a 1:5 ratio and pour it into a spray bottle. Spray your windows with the mixture and wipe them with a black and white newspaper.
Newspaper use to work better, but now so much of the paper is recycled, and the fibers are shorter so it still works, just not as good.
A microfiber towel is best IMO. Use any product you like to cut the oily film, then use plain old water on a clean rag or towel to wipe over the glass afterwards. The rag with water removes all the residue. Then dry with a microfiber towel. Comes out pretty good with minimal streaks. That's my method anyway and no complaints from the wife even in direct sunlight when you see EVERYTHING.
^^^^. Another vote for using microfiber towels. I switched a couple of years ago after watching "Detail Geek" on YouTube and can't believe that I hadn't tried it before. My favorite cleaner is Spray Way (ammonia free) foaming glass cleaner. It cuts the "gases film" that is so annoying on the inside of windshields and doesn't streak too much at all. Plus ... it's safe for window tint. I have a couple of friends who swear by Stoner's Invisible Glass. I might try it when my current supply of Spray Way runs out.
I use microfiber too, the blue ones specifically for glass cleaning. They have a thick nap on one side and a very thin nap on the other. You wipe off the spray cleaner as best you can with the thicker nap side. Then you flip the towel over and actually wipe the dried glass (i.e. - polishing it) with the thinner nap side of the towel. I use two since the towel wiping off the cleaner will get damp on both side making it tough to polish the remaining streaks away. At some point I want to try one of those "E-cloths" for glass cleaning. My wife uses one inside the house and it works great. You just dampen it with water and wipe, no cleaner needed. It doesn't leave streaks on mirrors, windows or even the microwave door.
"Sprayway" glass cleaner and good paper towel comes in a 19oz. aerosol blue and white can. I have used it since a teenager detailing cars at our local Chrysler Plymouth dealer and still using it in my golden years today. It can be bought at your local Walmart store and probably at most parts store too. It works for me streak free.
There are many solutions. It's all about what you find to be best. I have used Mr. Clean Magic erasers on the non tinted windshield only to great success. I have used, at the suggestion of a window tinter, triple 0 or finer steel wool that is well saturated. I have used a hot wet rag also. All 3 methods work well. With all glass cleaners I have used, including the ones mentioned in this thread, I had to clean a 2nd or even 3rd time. It's not a simple fix by any means. Best of luck.
1. Buy one of these: Really gets done to the dash/window interface....I only use it on the interior dash window. 2. Put newspaper on the window side and tuck it into the back side. 3. Use CINCH window cleaner. 4. Follow up with ANTI FOGGING RAIN-X. Last a long long long time.
