Glass Cleaner for Professional Window Cleaning: CRL, Sprayway and When to Use Ammonia-Free

Professional glass cleaners are not interchangeable, and the difference that matters most is not strength — it is whether the product contains ammonia. That single ingredient decides which surfaces a product can safely touch, and it is the reason window cleaners carry two cleaners rather than one.

Start here: choose ammonia-free for film and tint, standard for soil

Ammonia-free glass cleaner is the safe default for anything with a applied film — window tint, some protective coatings, and screens — because ammonia attacks those films over time. Traditional ammonia-based cleaner cuts heavier soil and dries faster in heat. Professional kits normally carry both, and the choice is made by surface, not by strength.

This is the question we are asked most often about glass cleaners, and it has a clear answer. Ammonia is effective on glass and glass-safe surfaces. It is not safe on every film applied to glass, and the damage is cumulative rather than immediate, which is why it is usually discovered late.

Prices are Freshway catalogue prices as at 16 September 2026 and are subject to change. Confirm the current price, and whether GST applies, before quoting.

Ammonia or ammonia-free, and how to decide

The ventilation point is worth taking seriously on interior work. Ammonia-based cleaners in a closed room without airflow are unpleasant to work with and are a common source of complaints from building occupants. Where interiors are cleaned during business hours, ammonia-free is the sensible default for that reason alone.

One caution that applies to all glass cleaners: matching the product to the surface is the cleaner’s responsibility, not the supplier’s. If you do not know what film is on a window, use ammonia-free. The cost difference is small and the failure mode of getting it wrong is a damaged film that cannot be repaired.

Formats: aerosol, trigger and concentrate

The same chemistry comes in three formats, and the choice is about workflow rather than performance.

Two practical notes on format. Aerosols give the most consistent spray pattern and are fastest on high-volume interior work, but the can is a waste-stream item and the unit cost is higher. Concentrate is the cheapest per working litre by a wide margin, which is why the A$84 Agar Bellevue concentrate works out well below the ready-to-use products if you clean glass regularly. The trade-off is that dilution has to be measured.

Hard water staining is a different problem

Mineral deposits from irrigation and rain are not soil, and no general glass cleaner removes them properly. Hard water staining etches into the glass surface over time and needs a dedicated remover applied with dwell time rather than a stronger cleaner applied with more pressure.

Where staining is established, our glass and window cleaners range includes products formulated for mineral removal, and the CRL range covers the professional grade. Where the glass is already etched, cleaning will not restore it and polishing is a specialist job.

Formats and how much you actually use

Glass cleaner consumption is easy to misjudge because the container size tells you nothing about the number of windows. A 539 g aerosol and a 5 litre concentrate look like very different purchases, and they are: one is roughly a day's work for one cleaner, the other is several months.

The practical way to compare is by working solution. Estimate the number of panes in a typical round, estimate the number of sprays per pane, and multiply out. Most commercial sites find that a concentrate and a set of correctly diluted trigger bottles is the cheaper route, and that aerosols are worth keeping only for high-volume interior work where speed matters more than unit cost.

What streaks, and why it is rarely the cleaner

We are asked about streaking constantly, and the cause is almost never the product. In order of how often we see them:

1. Too much solution left on the glass. The squeegee cannot clear a flooded pane in one pass, so the second pass re-wets the first.
2. A worn squeegee blade. Hardened rubber smears rather than cuts the water line.
3. Solution running into the frame. It dries in the channel and wicks back onto the glass as a line.
4. Cleaning hot glass in direct sun. Solution evaporates before it is removed.
5. Dirty cloths at the detail stage. A cloth loaded with soil film leaves it behind.

Work down that list before changing products. In most cases the fix costs nothing.

Storing glass cleaners on site

Aerosols and liquids are both subject to pressure and temperature, and a van parked in an Australian summer reaches temperatures well above what the labels assume. Two habits avoid most problems: store aerosols out of direct sun and below their stated maximum temperature, and keep trigger bottles in a caddy rather than loose in a vehicle where they can leak onto other equipment.

Where a site holds bulk glass cleaner, the same labelling discipline applies as for any chemical — product name and dilution on every decanted bottle. Our spray bottles and triggers range covers the containers.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sprayway glass cleaner a good glass cleaner?

Yes, and the CRL S50 Sprayway aerosol is one of the products professional window cleaners specify by name. It is ammonia-free, which makes it the safe choice where window tint or applied film is present, and the aerosol format gives a consistent spray for high-volume work.

Is Sprayway or Windex better?

They are different products for different surfaces rather than direct equivalents. Windex in its traditional formulation contains ammonia, which cuts heavier soil but is unsuitable for tinted or filmed glass. Sprayway’s ammonia-free format is the safer default where you do not know what is on the window.

Where can you find Sprayway glass cleaner?

We stock the CRL S50 Sprayway ammonia-free glass cleaner in 539 g aerosol form, along with the wider CRL glass cleaning range, and it is available to order in cartons for trade customers.

Can I use glass cleaner on tinted windows?

Only ammonia-free. Ammonia degrades window tint and applied films, and the damage accumulates rather than showing immediately, so it is usually noticed long after the cause. Use an ammonia-free product and a soft cloth.

Why does glass streak even with a good cleaner?

Streaking is almost always technique or residue rather than the product: too much solution left on the glass, a squeegee that needs a new blade, solution running into the frame and drying there, or cleaning hot glass in direct sun. Reduce the solution and check the blade before changing products.