By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
- Cleaning Cloths
- Lint-free Rags
- Ammonia
- Commercial Glass Cleaner Or Vinegar
- Garden Hose
- Old Sheets Or Towels
- Professional-quality Squeegee
- Vacuum With Small Brush Attachment
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Newspaper Or Clean Blackboard Eraser
- Beach Towel
Step1
Before washing interior windows, put a beach towel along the sill to keep the floor or wall from getting wet.
Step2
Spray a commercial glass cleaner lightly on a clean, lint-free rag. Or mix your own cleaner of 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) vinegar in 3 cups (24 fl oz/750 ml) warm water.
Step3
For extremely dirty windows, mix 1 tbsp. ammonia and 3 tbsp. rubbing alcohol or vinegar in 1 qt. (32 fl oz/1 l) warm water.
Step4
Gently wipe the rag across the window, using horizontal strokes to prevent dripping.
Step5
Grab your squeegee. Wipe the rubber strip with a cleaning cloth to get started. Holding the squeegee firmly, press it downward. Start each stroke in a dry spot.
Step6
Keep the squeegee blade dry by wiping it on the cleaning cloth after each stroke.
Step7
Use old sheets or towels that haven't been washed with fabric softener to dry the windows. For extra sparkle, polish the glass when it's nearly dry with a piece of newspaper or rub a clean blackboard eraser over it.
Step8
Using a small brush attachment, vacuum the window frame and sills.
Step9
Dampen a cleaning cloth with diluted rubbing alcohol. Rub along the sill to remove spots and smudges.
Step10
For exterior windows, start by spraying with a garden hose to loosen or remove grime and debris; then follow the steps above. Second-story and higher windows are best handled by professional window cleaners.
Comments
Anonymous said
on 11/30/2005 Anything you use to clean a window will leave a residue - and will attract dust, dirt, etc. Fill a bucket with hot water, and add 2 drops of dish detergent.. That small amount is only to break the water tension - not to build up suds on the window. Wash the window with a clean cloth dipped in the bucket of water, then use a sqeegee ONLY to wipe the away. Make sure you have a good quality sqeegee. Starting at the top, "squeege" from side to side, not up and down. Wipe the blade after each pass, but do not wipe the window with any cloth, paper towel, etc. I guarantee - perfect shine.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Wipe the inside from side to side and the outside from top to bottom. If you've left any streaks, you can easily tell which side of the window they are on.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 1/4 cup of cornstarch in 1 gallon of water gets deep grime and bugs off windows. Use old T-shirts to wipe the windows clean, do not use paper towels.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Using newspaper instead of a papertowel works really well.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Consumer Reports magazine tested all the typical window and surface cleaning products on the market and found that their "homebrew" recipe worked as good or better than all the brands they tested! You can make a gallon for about $1.50. You'll need 1 pint rubbing alcohol, 1/2 cup sudsy ammonia, and 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap (not the dishwasher type). In a gallon jug, fill it up with good clean water. If your house doesn't have good water, buy a gallon of spring/drinking water and use it. Put the dish soap in last so the soap bubbles don't make it hard to fill the jug with water.