Window Cleaning Tips

Here are some great mirror and window cleaning tips, using three effective and frugal green house cleaning methods.

Window Cleaning with Microfiber

Supplies Needed:

1 damp cloth - anything clean and absorbent, but microfiber will make the task easier. If you don't have a microfiber cleaning cloth

spray bottle with warm water (and 1/8 cup of vinegar if you are not using a microfiber cleaning cloth) 1 microfiber window or polishing cloth. The microfiber cloth should be a knitted cloth, not a felted one. Felted cloths are allot cheaper, but they don't stand up to laundering, so they will cost more in the long run.

Window Cleaning Tips

1. Wipe down the window with the damp cloth. If you are not using a microfiber cloth, and the window is quite dirty, you will need to pre-spray with the warm water and vinegar. Leave the window damp, not soaking.

2. Starting at the top, moving in circular pattern, wipe the entire window, removing all moisture. There should be few, if any streaks. Wipe over any streaks again, they should come off without a problem.

3. If you want, do a final wipe of the outside window in a horizontal, and the interiors in a vertical - that way, if you spy any streaks, you will immediately know which side of the window they are on.

4. Move on the the next window.

Vinegar Window Cleaning Tips

Method #1

Supplies Needed:

spray bottle with warm water and 1/8 cup of vinegar

crumpled newspapers or unprinted newsprint

garbage bag to hold 'used' paper

clean damp cloth to wipe window frame of any ink or run-off

Cleaning Instructions

1. Spray the window with the warm water and vinegar.

2. Use a damp cloth to remove any dirt or residues from the surface. (don't let it get too dirty - or you will be scratching your windows instead of cleaning them)

3. Starting at the top, moving in circular pattern, wipe the entire window with the crumpled newsprint, removing all residues and moisture. Go over any streaks that you see.

4. If you want, do a final wipe of the outside window in a horizontal, and the interiors in a vertical - that way, if you spy any streaks, you will immediately know which side of the window they are on.

5. Dispose of used papers in your garbage bag as you go.

6. Wipe the frame edges with a clean damp cloth - to get rid of any run-off or newspaper ink.

7. Move on to the next window.

Method #2

Supplies Needed:

bucket filled with warm water and 1/2 cup of vinegar

1 cleaning cloth (if there is no scrubbing side on the squeegee)

1 window squeegee

clean damp cloth to wipe squeegee blade and clean window frame of any run-off

paper towel or newsprint to handle any streaks that appear.

Cleaning Instructions

I hate this method for washing windows, as it is pretty messy, but my husband loved it before we started using micorofiber. I think there may be something manly about using a tool instead of crumpled newspaper. If you

would like your husband to do windows, consider this method :) 1. Wipe down the window with plenty of vinegar water, using the cloth or scrubbing side of the squeegee. Give it a good all-over scrub.

2. Take the squeegee and wipe across the top of the window in one horizontal stroke. When using a squeegee it's important to always go from one side to the other, or from top to bottom in a single stroke to avoid streaks. Wipe the squeegee blade with a soft cloth after every stroke as well.

3. Starting at either the left or right window edge (whichever you want), work across the window, this time squeegeeing from top to bottom. (don't forget to wipe down the blade!)

4. Take a cloth and wipe down the water that will pool across the bottom of the window frame. Depending on how much water there is, you may want to do this as you go.

5. Check for any streaks and wipe away using a bit of paper towel or newsprint.

6. Move on to the next window.

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