Comments on How to Clean Windows

Distilled water is the secret! No minerals. Mix 1/2 tsp. baby shampoo in 1 gal. distilled water. Fill spray bottle, cap the rest. Dry with newspaper. TERRIFIC!!

Use 100-percent cotton sheets, pillow cases, etc. It dries better and faster. No streaks, and can also last longer than paper towels and without the "fuzz." One hand-towel-sized sheet will last much longer than many paper towels.

This really works. Pour 1/4 cup dishwasher soap in a bucket warm water. Dissolve completely. Wash exterior windows with soft brush or sponge. Rinse completely by hosing down with water in a sheeting manner. The window will dry spot and streak-free.

Use a quarter teaspoon of Avon bubble bath in a gallon of water. Wipe windows twice and then dry with newspaper. This works really well.

Use 1/2 cup ammonia, 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap, and 1 pint of rubbing alcohol. Mix all ingredients with 1 gallon of water.

Gel Gloss makes "No Streak Window Cleaner," which removes most water spots with mild abrasive and coats window to make spots easier to remove. Last resort: Phosph. Acid Tile and Grout Cleaner. Preventing water spots beats removing them. Rain-X prevents.

Windshield washer fluid for cars also cleans your home windows with no streaking, no mess, no mixing. Almost effortless!

1 capful of Woolite laundry detergent to the hottest water you can withstand. Rub on to window with sponge and wipe down with a squeegie. Then wipe dry with lint free paper towels. What a shine.

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.

When washing windows, instead of newspapers with dirty ink that turns hands black, get the "end rolls" from your local newspaper. Same paper, no ink, and it's usually free.

To make sure you windows and mirrors are streak free, use the old newspapers you have been saving in the recycling bin - they leave no fuzzy lint and keep the glass shiny. If you use vinegar, too, that makes them stay streak free, and keep the bathroom sm

As a professional window cleaner for 20 years, my tip is: To remove hard-water marks from glass, use dry (with no water) 000 fine steel wool. Clean the glass before and after. (Also rotating screens will eliminate a lot of hard-water marks.)

Wash the inside of the windows in one direction, the outside in the other - then you know which side has the streak.

Use a solution of vinegar and ammonia to pre-soak. Use Zud powder to wipe the spots. I have found it works well where heavy spotting from a sprinkler system occurred.

Vinyl or glass: With a sponge, wash with Woolite and water first. Then take your spray bottle of Cinch along with soft paper towels (I use Bounty) and clean without streaks. It is especially recommended for vinyl windows, but wonderful for either.

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!

Glass is a "super liquid" that can be polished by using the finest grit steel wool you can find. Lightly brush steel wool until you've polished and buffed it to crystal clear. Windows stay cleaner longer, because dirt doesn't stick as easily.

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!

Add 1 tablespoon of lamp oil (kerosene) to 1 gallon of warm water. Wash with a sponge. Use a figure 8 motion to dry the entire surface without lifting the squeegee off the glass. Wipe the edges and corners with newspaper.

Mix 1 cup of sudsy ammonia, l pint rubbing alcohol, l Tbsp. dishwashing liquid and l gal. water. This can be used for every cleaning job in your house: windows, mirrors, floors. I put mine in a spray bottle. It is wonderful! I got this from the newspaper.

I have personally cleaned over 10,000 windows. I've owned my own window cleaning company for over 4 years in Hawaii where sun, salt, hard water and dust are rampant. I've heard of almost every single household solution. And some of them may come close to being perfect; all are far from it. To clean a window perfectly: Do not use ammonia, it stinks, it can burn your skin, and it will leave bleach stains on your carpet if you spill it. Do not use Windex and paper towels. Do not use newspaper. Some people swear by it, but in my professional opinion it is substandard. Step one - buy the right solution. Buy "Glisten" solution, it will literally make your windows sparkle. Next buy a decent squeegee. You'll only need one handle with two different sizes. Get 3 lint free towels, a washing bar (T-bar covered in cloth), razor blade holder, and a bag of steel wool #0000. Wet your washing bar. Wet the window thoroughly. If your windows do not have a coating on them, take out your razor blade (make sure you have a new blade, change it daily, and sometimes 2x a day if your doing a lot of windows). Place the blade on the glass and go in one direction. If you hear anything -stop. You do not have to do the whole window, only where there is paint over-spray, sap, etc. Then wet the window again, and place your squeegee on the top and with light pressure applied, move downward. Take your squeegee and dry the end that will touch the dry glass. Apply second stroke, etc. When you are done with the squeegee, take your second cloth and wipe the edges where the water collects. Then take out your steel wool. (People will balk at this suggestion but #0000 steel wool will not hurt any uncoated window) Use your steel wool and touch up any remaining spots. Keep the wool dry or it is useless. Your window will now be spotless. Take some time and some practice, and you may just open up your own window washing business.

Use 1 quart of cold water, l tbsp. of alcohol and a squeegie. Squeeze out sponge and clean window and then squeegie, wiping squeegie off after every swipe. Be sure you overlap your swipes. Change water often.