Streak-free cleaning with nothing but water
Short answer
Almost every smooth surface in your home comes clean with one damp cloth and nothing but water. No bottles taking up the cupboard, no haze that returns two days later, and no second pass to wipe away your own streaks.
The technique is the same everywhere: wet the cloth, wring it out firmly, wipe in long strokes in one direction and fold on to a clean side.
Where do you want to start?
Each surface has its own page with exactly what to watch for.
Want to see straight away what you do this with? It is all together under cleaning.
| What you are cleaning | Where to read about it |
|---|---|
| Windows and glass | Cleaning windows with just water · the method, and why methylated spirit and newspaper actually leave streaks |
| Mirrors | A mirror without a single streak · toothpaste, limescale and how to stop it steaming up |
| Kitchen cupboards | Kitchen cupboards without fingerprints · by kitchen type, matt black and high-gloss included |
| It is not working | The six causes of streaks · and what to do about each one |
| Looking after your cloth | How to use and wash iZi-Clean cloths · washing, storing and how long they last |
Why does water on its own work?
Because chemical cleaners leave something behind, and water does not.
The fibre is made using nanotechnology and woven in a particular way. That creates a huge amount of surface area, which draws dust and grease towards it and holds on to them. So the cloth lifts the dirt out rather than dissolving it, and that takes no chemicals at all.
A cleaning product does the opposite: it loosens the dirt and then leaves a thin film of its own behind. You see that film again later as a haze, and it picks up fresh dust faster. That is why the window you have just cleaned looks grubby again within a week.
When you do need a cleaning product
Keeping things clean takes water. Getting them clean can ask for more.
For the everyday work you need no cleaning product. But if your shower screen has had limescale on it for years, or there is baked-on grease that has been sitting there a long time, take that layer off once with a suitable product first. That is a job for an acid or a degreaser, not for a cloth.
Then the real benefit starts: you keep it clean with water alone, and that layer stays away. Staying on top of it costs you a few minutes. Letting it bake on again costs you an afternoon. In the bathroom you do that with a drying towel for the bathroom: a quick dry-off after your shower and limescale never gets a chance to settle.
Which surfaces does it work on?
On just about anything smooth.
Windows, mirrors, stainless steel, your TV, phone and laptop screens, the cooker hood, the hob, kitchen cupboards, tiles, taps and the inside and outside of your car.
Do keep one cloth per zone. A cloth that has been near the hob has picked up grease and will spread it over your glass as a thin film. A colour per room makes that easy without thinking about it, and then you never pick up the wrong one.
What you need for this
- iZi-Clean Wonder Cloth, pack of 12 · enough for a cloth of its own in every room
- Wonder Cloth, pack of 4 · to try it out first
- Drying Towel M · holds up to 800 ml of water, for the bathroom and for drying off
- All Wonder Cloths · the full range
Read next
- The difference between a cheap and a professional microfibre cloth · what to look at before you buy
- Looking for easy clean cloths? · what they are really called and how to spot them
- The iZi-Clean Wonder Cloth in three steps · with pictures from an ordinary kitchen and bathroom
- Which cloth gives streak-free glass? · five types of cloth side by side on one pane
- Cleaning windows without streaks: what really works? · the home remedies put to the test
Frequently asked questions
Do I really not need a cleaning product?
Not for the everyday work. Water is enough, because the fibres take the dirt up themselves. Only for baked-on grease or years of limescale do you reach for a product once, and after that you keep it clean with water alone.
How damp should the cloth be?
Damp. Not dry and not wet. A cloth that is too wet leaves water behind that dries into streaks, and that is by far the most common mistake. We would not use it dry: the cloth feels harder then and can damage a delicate surface.
Do I have to soak a new cloth first?
Yes, but only once. Soak a new cloth for 15 minutes in lukewarm or warm water and wring it out well. After that it is the same every time: run it under the tap and wring it out well. Never soak it again, not even after a wash.
How do I wash the cloths?
At 40 degrees, separately from cotton, without fabric conditioner and never in the tumble dryer. There is no more to it than that. The care instructions set it out in full.
Why am I still seeing streaks?
Nearly always because the cloth is too wet. Wring it out harder until it feels just damp. Still streaky? Work through the six causes.
Start with the room that bothers you most
One cloth, just water, and you are finished sooner than you are used to. Join more than 300,000 households who clean this way.
View the Wonder Cloth, pack of 1230 days to change your mind and a 100% satisfaction guarantee: if you are not happy, you get your money back. Questions? You can always reach us.
