CONOR POPEtakes a look at window cleaners

Windolene System Trigger 4 Action  €1.89 for 500ml, €3.78 per litre

This is almost certainly the most widely known window cleaner on the market and can be easily found in all major and most minor supermarkets. While it is not the dearest product we tried, it is not cheap and we couldn’t help but wonder how much we were being asked to pay for the brand recognition and the 4 Action system? What’s that? Well, it “dissolves grease”, “lifts off dirt”, “cleans with VINEGAR (manufacturer’s capitals) and “leaves a streak free shine”, which makes it much the same as the competition, in truth. The fragrance is fairly subtle and it comes off handily enough.

Verdict: A bit dear maybe? ***

Mr Muscle Window Glass €1.85 for 500ml, €3.70 per litre

You know the way Windolene has a “4 Action” system? Well, Mr Muscle goes one better and is “5 in 1”. There’s the vinegar, the streak-free shine, the grease cutting, the smear-freeness but it is also “quick and easy”, a claim so meaningless that it amounts to no more than a waste of ink. It cleans perfectly well, the fragrance seems to be less chemically enhanced than some of its rivals and it should be easy to find. It is the second-cheapest product reviewed, although still dear by comparison with the Tesco option. And since when did Mr Muscle wear a doctor’s coat and shades?

Best of the branded? ****

Ecover Multi-Surface Cleaner €3.69 for 500ml, €7.38 per litre

This product is “powered by nature” and brings a feel-good factor to window cleaning that the other products are clearly lacking. Feel-good does, however, come at a price. This is the most expensive product we tried, by a fairly hefty margin, and we can’t help wondering how many people would be willing to pay such a high price for shiny windows. Refills, though, are available for less than the original bottle. It is not just for windows so it will be of more use than the competition. It has the most pleasant fragrance. It cleans perfectly well and made light work of a fairly grimy window.

Verdict: Only if you’ve the green ****

Tesco Window Cleaner Spray €0.88 for 500ml, €1.76 per litre

There are two stand-out things about this spray: the price and the smell. It smells so strongly of lemons that after just a few sprays on to a small piece of glass, we were nearly overpowered by the very chemically enhanced lemony smell. It lingers as well, which is not entirely pleasing. The price on the other hand is very pleasing. It is, by some margin, the cheapest of the products tried, and while it may not have the same cleaning power as the more upmarket brands, it does deliver a clean and streak-free window without much fuss at less than half the price of the most well-known brand.

Verdict: Very good value *****