Angie's LIST Guide to
Window cleaning

Glass surfaces can be troublesome to clean. It’s hard to know which side the streaks are on, and getting rid of them completely can be time consuming. Try these helpful hints:

The right rags: Paper or microfiber cloths will effectively clean glass. Special wood rags will also clean glass without streaks. Stay away from plain, cotton towels. These will leave lint behind, marring the beautiful finish you are trying to achieve. There is truth to the claim that newspapers do a great job of cleaning glass. Old newspapers will work wonders on your glass, leaving it sparkling and clean. While it’s a great way to recycle old papers, it will leave ink on your hands.

Chemicals: Several different chemicals can be used to clean the glass in your home. Spray chemicals from the store are effective, fast and don’t require any special mixing. If you are trying to save money, then you can make your own using 1 cup of rubbing alcohol, 1 cup of water and just a tablespoon of vinegar. Vinegar and ammonia should never be mixed, but you can use straight ammonia to clean glass that is cloudy. You can also choose some hot soapy water to clean the glass. Rinse the glass with water afterward to remove the soap residue, and give it a lovely shine by adding just a little vinegar to the water.

Sneaky streaks: Take the guesswork out of finding streaks by going in different directions on the front and back of the glass. Use side-to-side motions on the front, but focus on up and down motions in the back. When the glass dries, you will easily be able to determine where the streaks are.

Extendable cleaners: Cleaning the insides of windows is easy, but scrubbing the outside is a little more challenging. Look for special tools featuring telescoping handles. With a soft scrubber on one side and a squeegee on the opposite side, these tools are great for cleaning windows outside. Simple spray the scrubber with your solution, clean the window and then remove the cleaner with the squeegee.

Work quickly: One key to getting clean windows that look great is to work fast. Drying the cleaner quickly will prevent streaking and allow you to keep moving. Gather all your supplies before you start working, so you can quickly move from one part of the process to the next.

Cleaning glass and windows is not necessarily difficult, but it can be time-consuming. It can also be frustrating when you are dealing with windows and have to move between the interior and exterior of your home. You can get the chore done with the right tools and the right attitude. However, it may be worth your time to pay a cleaning service to handle the glass for you. Then you can just sit back and enjoy how great it looks, without having to deal with the frustration and time.