Wash your windows like a pro
by John Kirchner
Let’s be honest – the best part of spring cleaning is wiping away the dingy film of winter and unveiling the brisk feel of spring. Nothing is more emblematic of this transition than window washing. Before you break out the toxic window cleaner and squeegee, let’s talk over a few pointers for squeaky clean, non-streaky windows.
Borrowing our tips from the pros, we’ve found a three-step approach that will polish windows to perfection.
- Before you begin, a few things to consider:
- Time window washing to cloudy days – bright sunlight causes the windows to dry too quickly, which may cause the dreaded streaks
- Wash each window individually – streaks increase as you try to tackle more than one surface.
- Gather your supplies:
- Two spray bottles (we caution against using buckets to mix or apply these solutions; you’ll spread the mess with each dip in a bucket.)
- Organic dish detergent
- Water
- Vinegar (organic if you prefer)
- Flour sack cloths (They can be purchased online and are reusable for years.)
- Prepare your solutions. Combine 32 ounces of water with four to five drops of organic dish detergent in a spray bottle. Also, prepare a mixture of three parts vinegar to one part water for the second spray bottle.
- Mist the window with this dish detergent mixture. This mixture breaks down the grease that has accumulated on the windows – very helpful for kitchen windows.
- Immediately follow this by spraying the vinegar mixture on the window. Vinegar is a solvent and it will break down the soap from the first step so you’re not leaving a soap residue. However, on its own, it won’t break down the grease.
- Buff the window dry using a flour sack cloth.
- Follow the same process for the outdoor side of ground-level windows.