I use windex most of the time and sometimes the cleaner made for glass cooktops - can’t remember the brand. I find the key is using a completely clean cloth/paper towel for wiping. I usually use paper towel. I have no smears. In my opinion it is much easier to get it looking good than my previous stainless gas cooktop.

I don't like the microfiber cloths either. I usually wipe it down with a damp cloth and then to dry/polish I find that a cotton cloth such as an old t-shirt or tea towel works the best. As 3katz4me said, the key is to ensure that the cloth is completely clean and dry.

I agree about the paper towels. There is a big difference for me between using a brand new microfiber cloth vs. paper towels (Viva.)

Now I am wondering if maybe it's just bad lighting and my cooktop is smudgy,

LOL - Rita! I swear that's part of my problem - those darn lights! They show everything!

3katz I've tried paper towels and they are ok, but I haven't found them to be better than microfiber - perhaps brand is an issue - I use Costco brand paper towels. Part of the problem is the gasket that surrounds the glass - didn't think about it much when deciding on what brand to purchase. It makes getting the edges clean very difficult. I was swayed by the blue interior - I admit that now.

sherri I had a stash of old cotton diapers that were the best for this sort of thing but they are long gone. Maybe it's worth buying a few.... hmmm...

GE Monogram has a silver glass top now and the Cafe line has some new colors as well.

Really, mtfishigo? Are these out yet? I can't find anything but black or gray in any GE induction cooktop, in any line.

http://www.thermador.com/cooking/cooktops/cit367tg-36-inch-liberty-induction-cooktop-titanium-gray-frameless

Titanium gray work for you?

I use Costco paper towels too - Kirkland. Maybe my lighting isn't as bright as yours and/or it doesn't bother me as much if it's not perfectly spotless. Inevitably dust and cat hair float down on it shortly after cleaning so the shiny black top is a bit of a losing battle in terms of keeping it pristine.

Thanks, mtfishigo. The monogram is interesting, but on the GE site the Cafe cooktops look like the same ugly gray they've offered in the past, which to me is much worse in person than in the photos. But the monogram does look like something different.

3katz I've tried paper towels and they are ok, but I haven't found them to be better than microfiber - perhaps brand is an issue - I use Costco brand paper towels.

No, you need to use Bounty paper towels. There is some truth to their commercials. Haven't used my cooktop for more than trying to boil water, but it's clean as can be.

um, yeah - ouch on that price!

I don't have a cook top I have a slide in range so as nice as those cook tops are I wouldn't be able to use them.

Just follow up = I was at a home show and the dude there did a cleaning demo on his glass cooktop (black) with jeweler's rouge. That wee bit of abrasive made a world of difference.

I also use homemade glass cleaner (1/2 water, 1/2 rubbing alcohol, few drops of dawn) and commercial C fold paper towels for very low lint and that does a REALLY good job on my black glass bathroom scale (as well as all the SS appliances for nose print removal - blind dog - he's like a roomba)

(Ethyl) alcohol is a fine cleaner, although I'd recommend more than 50% concentration. In chemistry labs, the go-to cleaning agent would be isopropyl alcohol (either 100% or 70%) though.

Works much better than water, and is really cheap. You can buy it at your local drugstore, or online, if you want to safe money and buy in bulk.

The 100% IPA has the advantage of drying quicker. The 70% IPA has the advantage of being a better disinfectant. So, you can decide what you want to optimize for: ease of use, or ability to sterilize your surfaces.

janni seriously? Would you bother with jeweler's rouge for everyday cleaning? Don't answer - I know you are smarter than that! So I've stopped using microfiber and am just on paper towels at this point - maybe a bit better but it bugs me to not have something washable that works. My old Kitchenaid glass top had glass that was like a black with mottled dark gray - super easy to clean. Even in our rental the GE stove had a white and gray mottles surface that was easier than the all black. Whatever company manufactures this glass (and I'm assuming it's probably one company that markets to all the big and not so big players) has limited production to black to make THEIR lives simpler, not ours.

missed your post M. I'm not concerned about a disinfectant for my stove since I don't prep on it. I'll try IPA and see how that goes. Thanks.

I would never do the jeweler's rouge everyday - just wondered if there were some stubborn hazing things that were causing your cooktop stress! (because seriously - how anal would you have to be to be swirling that stuff on every day! get a life, right?)

And agree - all black / mirror finishes look great for the 30 seconds after you peel off the protective film, and then, LIFE HAPPENS!