Cleaning windows is one of the most tedious and thankless tasks around the house. You can spend an eternity doing it and then it turns out that there are marks left, or it starts to rain and you ruin your task in the blink of a window. Is it possible to clean the glasses without leaving marks and that they last longer clean? Although miracles cannot be done (when a shower falls on your clean windows, little can be done), we do have some tricks to make them look perfect and shiny for much longer.
How to clean the windows without leaving marks
In the market you can find endless glass cleaners divided into two presentations: sprays to spray on glass or windows, and also liquid creams that are applied on the glass, left to dry and then removed (personally, I personally get better results with the liquid creams).
Step by step to clean windows
- Remove dirt. The first thing to do is remove the dirt with a feather duster or a lint-free cloth.
- Apply the glass cleaner. Then apply the spray or cream. One of the most common cleaning mistakes experts want you to stop making is applying the spray directly to the glass. Except in cases where the product indicates to do so, cleaners should be sprayed on the cloths or rags. This way you do not waste product and avoid possible damage because these products can be very abrasive if applied directly.
- Remove the product. Once the glass cleaner has been applied, you should remove it quickly and before it dries if it is a spray (this way it is easier to avoid the dreaded marks). While in the case of liquid creams it is the opposite. You have to let it dry before removing it.
Tricks to make them perfect
- Never in direct sun. It is very good to wait until it does not rain to clean the windows. But never do it in direct sun or wind, since the window cleaning spray dries quickly without giving you time to remove all the product remains. And it also causes the typical reflections, which we do not see until the sun disappears.
- Suitable rags. One of the most popular home cleaning tricks on the internet is to clean windows with sheets of newspaper or with an old stocking to avoid the undesirable shine and lint that some rags leave behind. However, some experts argue that they are not entirely effective because they are less absorbent, and the ink on the paper can be more dirty than clean. In return, nowadays you can find microfiber chamois, which do not shed lint like the usual rags (I use these chamois or scraps of old cotton sheets in my house).
- Different cleaning senses. A little known but very effective trick when it comes to cleaning windows and glass is to change the direction of cleaning depending on the face. For example, you clean the inside face horizontally, and the outside face vertically. So, if you have marks left, you have no doubt which side they are on and you can go for them without wasting time.
How to make your own homemade window cleaner
Another option is to make your own homemade glass cleaner to avoid commercial ones, considered by many to be one of the most toxic cleaning products because they are usually made from ammonia (a compound that in high concentrations can cause some ailments).
To make it, you only need water and white vinegar, one of the most effective home cleaning products because it cleans and disinfects without harming health or polluting. You dilute a part of white vinegar for every five of water, put it in a sprayer and that's it.
