Comments on How to Clean Windows

Newspaper can scratch your windows; modern inks have high metallic content. Use paper towels or unprinted newsprint.

Newspaper can scratch your windows; modern inks have high metallic content. Use paper towels or unprinted newsprint.

The best window cleaner is Windex Multi-task!

Ammonia, water, and a drop of dish detergent is great for outside windows. Budweiser, water and orange juice for inside windows cleans and smells great.

The best window cleaner is Windex Multi-task!

Ammonia, water, and a drop of dish detergent is great for outside windows. Budweiser, water and orange juice for inside windows cleans and smells great.

A few drops of washing up soap is good, but it can be hard to find the correct amount. This can also leave streaks if not careful. I clean windows, and I say the only product to use is car windscreen wash.

A few drops of washing up soap is good, but it can be hard to find the correct amount. This can also leave streaks if not careful. I clean windows, and I say the only product to use is car windscreen wash.

We rehab houses for a living and have tried newspapers to get streak free windows - all we got was black, ink-stained hands! The windows were still streaky and looked horrible in the sun (and in Las Vegas we have lots of sun)! When buyers came to look at the house all they saw were streaky windows and not the pool or backyard! Save the newspaper for reading and hire someone to clean the windows!

We rehab houses for a living and have tried newspapers to get streak free windows - all we got was black, ink-stained hands! The windows were still streaky and looked horrible in the sun (and in Las Vegas we have lots of sun)! When buyers came to look at the house all they saw were streaky windows and not the pool or backyard! Save the newspaper for reading and hire someone to clean the windows!

All you need is water and cheesecloth. Paper towels leave residue and newspaper will tear if it gets too wet. Get 2 pieces of cheesecloth. Wet one with water, wipe your window down and use the other piece to dry. You can't beat it!

All you need is water and cheesecloth. Paper towels leave residue and newspaper will tear if it gets too wet. Get 2 pieces of cheesecloth. Wet one with water, wipe your window down and use the other piece to dry. You can't beat it!

You need 4 basic things: Squeegee, ammonia, Dawn diswashing detergent, and water. The key is don't wash all the way to the top. Leave about 1/2 an inch, so it doesn't smear.

Go to the local corner market. Purchase some window cleaning solution and a roll of paper towels. Then spray the cleaning solution on the window as directed on the packaging by the manufacturer. Wipe clean the solution and you should have a clean window.

Go to the local corner market. Purchase some window cleaning solution and a roll of paper towels. Then spray the cleaning solution on the window as directed on the packaging by the manufacturer. Wipe clean the solution and you should have a clean window.

All of these tips are terrible. The more garbage you put in your water, the more stays on the window when you're done. Newspapers are for reading. If you want the job done right, hire someone with the proper equipment and skill. They should have a squeegee, a window scraper, a wetbar, cotton rags, and good ladders. NOT a rag on a stick, Windex, a paint scraper, or a bunch of extension poles.

All of these tips are terrible. The more garbage you put in your water, the more stays on the window when you're done. Newspapers are for reading. If you want the job done right, hire someone with the proper equipment and skill. They should have a squeegee, a window scraper, a wetbar, cotton rags, and good ladders. NOT a rag on a stick, Windex, a paint scraper, or a bunch of extension poles.

Take about a half pail of warm water and add a teaspoon or so of cornstarch. Stir it around - mixture will be milky. Take a lint-free cloth, wring it out in this mixture and rub it on the windows. Dry with a paper towel. NO STREAKS!!!

What you use to clean with is less important than how you clean. Streaks are the result of left-behind cleaner thicker in a line than on the rest of the window (it is impossible to remove all the cleaner solution, glass is hydrophilic). Scrubbing with a sea sponge or horsehair brush will easily remove almost anything that is water soluble, a heavy microfiber towel is less messy for indoor use, and a strip washer (those things you see most professionals using) is an absolute must for pole work. A squeegee is the fastest method of removing the cleaning solution and can also be the most frustrating to learn. It's not all that difficult, but holding the squeegee at too great or shallow an angle against the glass will result in skipping and uneven removal of the fluid, resulting in streaks either immediately or shortly after the job is finished. Pressing too hard will also result in skipping over the fluid since it will force the edge of the rubber away and use the flat of the blade against the glass (a frequent problem in learning pole work). The easiest stroke to earn is the draw stroke, sometimes called the janitors stroke, where you start from one side and go across the glass in a single stroke, wipe the squeegee blade dry and start a new stroke next to the first. I've known a number of professionals that use this stroke exclusively, so don't worry if this is the only stroke you ever learn. Always wipe the edges with a dry, lint free towel. For extremely dirty (but not stained) exterior glass, a muriatic acid solution with a bit of liquid dishwashing is best, but it has to be very weak. Perhaps 1 or 2 ounces per gallon of water is sufficient (be extremely careful in mixing and using acid solutions, ask someone with experience if you are unsure how to do this). Do not attempt to remove hard water stains with the stronger acids that are used by professionals (such as hydrofluoric acid, or Ammonium biflourite) as these are extremely dangerous to yourself, your home, and the environment and require specialized knowledge to use safely (even the pro's kill or maim themselves with this stuff occasionally). If you are trying to remove cigarette smoke deposits, try adding a half ounce or so of TSP per gallon of water. This stuff will wash clean streaks on the walls if you accidentally let it run down, so be careful and save yourself a wall washing job. Probably the most common detergent used by professionals (in spite of hundreds of cleaners available through supply houses) is plain old Dawn dishwashing detergent. The most common problem when using dishwashing detergent is using too much. If you are getting a lot of sudsing on the glass you are using way too much.

Call a professional!

I have just spent the past hour trying to get my windows streak free. I was very frustrated, then I thought I would check e-How to see what people said. I tried the water mixed with a little dish soap and my windows are now completely streak free! I filled my sink with some hot water, added some dish soap. I used a paper towel to clean the windows and then another paper towel to dry them, now they are beautiful! This was so simple, no more store bought cleaners!

I use alcohol to clean my windows in my car and in my home.

Try to set your breakfast table before you go to bed the night before. This way, when your family gets up at different times and leaves the house at different times, the breakfast stage is set! Less stress on your part!

Use newspapers to clean windows. No water. No soap. Just crumple up the newspaper and scrub away. It really works, particularly in dry, windy climates that just blow dirt.