Let the sunshine in! Not all of us have such lovely large windows like these (from Meg & John's place) but that doesn't mean that we get out of the much maligned chore of window washing. It's getting to the perfect time of year to do a good thorough job before the weather gets too cold to work outside comfortably. To get you ready ...
...for your own beautiful, sparkling, streak-free windows, we compiled this list of good tips, tricks, advice and lots of info:
Top Tip: Do this chore on a cloudy day. Sunshine causes streaks, as the windows will dry too quickly.
First Things First: According to wikiHow (and common sense), wash indoors first - the outdoor job will be much dirtier and you'll go through your tools and cleaner faster.
Homemade Window Cleaner: Cheap and green! Mix equal parts white vinegar with warm water. Alternate: one teaspoon of mild dishwashing liquid to several gallons of water. If cleaning in very low temperatures, adding 1/4 cup denatured alcohol to a quart of cleaner will keep the cleaner from freezing.
The Basic How-To:
New to Using a Squeegee? A photo step by step can be found right here at Readers Digest.
Good for Touching Up Around Edges and Drying: Microfiber cleaning cloths, crumpled newspaper, a chamois or lint-free rag (see Martha's list below for more cloth suggestions).
Don't Forget: to put down a towel along the windowsills indoors to catch drips.
Trick for Spotting Streaks from "How to Do Just About Anything" : Wipe one side of the glass with horizontal strokes only. Wipe the other side with vertical strokes. If you get a streak you know right where to go to remove them with a soft, dry cloth.
The Contents of Martha Stewart's Window Washing Kit:
How to Remove Window Decals From Real Simple Cleaning: Dollop mayonnaise on the spot, then scrape it off with an old credit card. The oils in the mayo dissolve the adhesive, and the card won't scratch the glass.
Please add your best tips and tricks for window washing to the comments below for future updates to the post - thanks!
Tips, Tricks, Advice and Info compiled from experience, books (Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook, Real Simple Cleaning, How to Do Just About Anything) and the web (WikiHow and Readers Digest).
Image: Janel Laban from Meg & John's Big City Home
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I have jalousie windows... how do I clean these?
I guess I could remove each and every piece of glass to clean. That would suck.
Ugh...I hate hate hate cleaning windows. I am a big fan of our window cleaning company--it was much more affordable than I thought it would be and the difference that a proffessional can make is huge. This is one job I leave to the pros.
I use just a bit of amonia and water to wash the windows. I love it much more then the vinegar and water I used to use and te smell doesn't linger.
sorry, i don't do windows.
I think you've got it covered. Thanks, Janel!
How do I clean our original (1930's) stained glass windows? A few of them also have small cracks in them, so I need to be careful.
Don't use soap!!! Don't ever use anything that makes bubbles to clean your windows. Soap = residue. Sticky windows will attract dirt and you'll be cleaning them again way sooner than you should have to.
Also, a quick tip to add to the list in the post: Right before squeegeeing, use your lint free cloth to dry the top and right (or left, depending on which side you are starting the squeegee off on). That way you'll start the squeegee off on a dry area and it won't trail water behind it.
I cleaned windows professionally for seven years, and I totally vouch for the method in the post with the addition of the above step.
Call a cleaning person.
I keep seeing advice that says to use newspaper to clean windows... doesn't this get ink on things?
thistlefinch - no, it actually works! You can take that from someone who has more window than wall area at her house :-)
Buy newsprint blank and cheap at office supply places and hell, walmart. Don't forget the local printer. We always had end rolls hanging around (when I worked at the local newspaper) and loved when people would take them for what ever. Great for childcare providers.
Nothinlikeadame is right about endrolls. If you go to your local newspaper and ask nicely, they'll probably give you free endrolls of newsprint with no ink (if they have a press). You can use it for packing, too. But regular newspaper works, too.
Actual newspaper is fine, but dry it a bit first, otherwise it gets soggy and disintegrates. If you use it as the final dry, you have far fewer streaks.
I used to clean a school, with acres of glass. The best thing was to do the final dry on the inside from the left to the right, and outside from top to bottom. That way, you can see which side of the window you've left a streak on, instead of running back and forth like an idiot!