With your windows sparkly clean, your home becomes a cosier, more welcoming place. Although cleaning the windows can be tiresome, approaching it with smart cleaning hacks will allow you to ensure spotless windows in no time. Here are the most effective window cleaning tips you should try the next time you want to refresh the windows at home:
- Pick the best time – while having sparkly clean windows throughout the year is great, you need to remember that good timing matters a lot. If you have planned window cleaning for a hot summer day, you should think twice before tackling the task. With temperatures outside spiking, you risk your cleaning solution vaporizing in a flash, depriving you of the opportunity to wipe the surface. Avoid washing the windows on extremely hot days to deal with the job perfectly. Instead, choose a rather chilly, cloudy day so that your cleaning mixture stands a chance to cut through the buildup of dust and grime on the windows.
- Dust first – Before doing anything else, you should address dusty surfaces around the windows. If you start cleaning the windows without addressing surrounding areas first, dust will end up on the clean windows before you know it. That’s why you should take out the vacuum cleaner and vacuum the floors, the baseboards, the window frames and the furniture. The more dust you eliminate, the longer the windows will stay spotless. Before cleaning the windows, you should also take care of the blinds and the curtains. Use the vacuum cleaner or the washing machine to refresh your window treatments – whatever works best for you. Clean those often, so you don’t have to wash the windows as often as you think. Don’t forget to dust the windows themselves before applying the cleaning solution. Otherwise, you might face a huge mess once the solution is mixed with dust.
- Clean, eco-friendly – no surface around the house can’t benefit from green cleaning, including your windows. Despite the large variety of store-bought window cleaning mixtures you can choose from, you should stay on the healthy side and mix your own eco-friendly window cleaning remedy. Preparing one is not only an easy job but pretty affordable. Mix some water, white distilled vinegar and rubbing alcohol in a spraying bottle and spritz the solution on the windows. The right proportions of the ingredients depend on the size of the surface you want to cover, so make sure you mix the proper amounts. Typically you would need two cups of water, half a cup of white vinegar and a quarter cup of rubbing alcohol to make a natural window cleaner. With your green cleaning mixture, you can address the windows and any other glass surface around the house, like the mirrors or the glass coffee table.
- Dry properly – believe it or not, the squeegee is not the best tool to employ when drying the windows. Squeegees do a perfect job only if you know how to take advantage of them or have professional window cleaning skills. Ditch the squeegee and benefit from microfiber cloths to wipe and dry the windows streak-free. Microfiber cloths are super absorbent and cause no smudges or scratches to the glass surface. Plus, microfiber cloths are machine-washable, therefore, easy to keep clean. Once you are done drying the windows, throw your microfiber cloth in the washer to prepare it for the next cleaning session. However, if you prefer using paper towels to dry the windows with, this also works. Just remember to buy thick enough paper towels that won’t shred when coming into contact with the wet surface.
Keep your home warm and cosy with sparkly clean windows using these simple-to-follow window cleaning tips.