5 Tips for Cleaning Glass Without Streaks Window cleaning is one of those tasks that begs to be hired out -- all that spraying and reaching and wiping, and you end up with a mess of streaks that catch the light just so. It doesn't have to be that way. Cleaning glass, whether it's a window or a mirror or a coffee table, is more about the tools than the elbow grease. With the right stuff in your bucket, you can get your glass streak-free. Here, five tips that can get you to that sweet spot, the first of which is as basic as it gets: If you're diluting your cleaner, dilute it with something clean.The keys to success are buying a good squeegee and keeping it fitted with a sharp, new rubber blade. The same high-quality window washing tools the pros use are readily available at home centers and full-service hardware stores. The whole setup is inexpensive and will last many years. In addition to a 10- or 12-in. squeegee you'll need a scrubber, a bucket (a 5-gallon plastic bucket will work), hand dishwashing liquid and a few lint-free rags or small towels.

Buy a good squeegee and replace the blade frequently. Look for replacement blades, also called rubbers, where you buy the squeegee and pick up two or three to have on hand. The pros we talked to change their squeegee blades as often as once a day. That's because you just can't do a good job if the edge of the blade becomes nicked, sliced or rounded over with use. Moving Company 11694If your squeegee leaves streaks or just isn't performing like new, don't hesitate to replace the blade (Photos 9 and 10). Buy Laptop In IraqYou can get a little more mileage out of blades that aren't nicked or sliced by simply reversing them to expose a fresh edge. Buy Asus Laptop AuWhen you store the squeegee, make sure nothing touches the blade. You don't need fancy buckets or special soap.

Any large bucket will do. Just add a couple of gallons of water and about a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid and you're ready to go. In warm weather, you'll get a little more working time by using cool water. If you've procrastinated so long that you're washing windows in below-freezing temps (I learned this the hard way), add wind shield washing solution until the water doesn't freeze on the glass. It's up to you. A scrubber works great and is worth buying if you have a lot of medium to large panes of glass. But a good-quality sponge is all you really need, especially if most of your windowpanes are small.I’m happy to be sharing The Best Homemade Window Cleaner with you. It has won us over. After years of filmy residue, we can see clearly now. The film is gone.Ever since moving into our home 5 years ago, we’ve battled trying to get the exterior of our windows clean. They just never looked crystal clear. There was always a filmy residue and often chalky streaks. We tried a variety of window cleaners from homemade to store bought concoctions, as well as using newspaper instead of paper towels with not much success.

That all changed a few days ago when we learned about the best exterior window cleaner ever.We’ve been working on updating a bathroom and ordered some mirrors. While the glass guys were here installing the mirror, my husband, Randy, got to chatting with them about how their business was going. During their conversation he happened to ask them what they use for cleaning glass. They shared a simple recipe for what they’ve found to work. They swore by it. We had already tried just using a simple combination of vinegar and water, but they learned a trick from a commercial window cleaner: add a little dish detergent to the vinegar/water mixture. It was new to us, and it sounded much too easy.So we tried it (or should I say Randy tried it) over the weekend. Randy set out just to test a few windows and the next thing I knew he had worked clear around the house, and was already working on some of the upstairs windows as well. There was an immediate difference, and so much easier than what we had tried in the past.

It was so bright inside we had to wear shades.The Best Homemade Window Cleaner:The proportions:2 cups water 1/4 cup white vinegar 1/2 teaspoon dish detergentWhat you’ll need:a bucket scrub brush with optional, extension pole water hose with optional sprayer attachmentWhat Randy did:For starters, he made a whole bucket of the solution. Using a soft bristle scrub brush on an extension pole handle thingy, dip the brush in a bucket of the solution, and scrub it on the window. Before it has a chance to dry, spray/rinse it off with clean water. Be sure to rinse thoroughly. A hose fitted with a sprayer attachment was helpful.Notes: The solution could be made and used in a spray bottle, but we found working on lots of windows, the bucket and scrub brush worked great. To avoid the need for a ladder (because ladders are the most dangerous tool in the box) Randy used an all-purpose extension pole with a threaded end that enables you to attach different brushes, rollers, etcetera. (Similar to this one.)

Use a soft bristle scrub brush. A sponge mop may also work.This definitely works for outside windows, where you can safely rinse with water. I have yet to try it indoors, but if you do, make sure you can rinse with plenty of water. Perhaps one spray bottle of solution, and a separate spray bottle of clean water?Again, be sure to rinse thoroughly, and before the solution has a chance to dry on window. It’s helpful to avoid windows directly in the sun, so they are not hot and don’t as quickly.No more piles of used paper towels, no ladders, just clarity. I’m planning on trying it on all kinds of things outside that need de-grungifying.Keeping the shades on. The future is definitely gonna be brighter around here, y’all.If you like this DIY post you may also enjoy learning how to Make a Chalkboard.Happy cleaning!(This post contains affiliate links.) DIY Projects, Home & Garden, How toCleaning Windows with Vinegar Without Streaks Previous Post << >> Next Post In this how-to, you'll learn

How to make your own vinegar window washing solution. What type of solution you will need based on how dirty your windows are. How to use vinegar for other house hold chores. Vinegar is a miracle from nature. Completely non-toxic and anti-bacterial, vinegar is actually beneficial to any surface it touches. It safely kills germs and is much more economical than chemical cleaning solutions. It’s not even harmful when accidentally inhaled or ingested. (If you’ve got kids, you’ll love that part). The acidic composition of vinegar acts quickly to break down the kind of film that frequently accumulates on glass surfaces. When you wash a window using a solution that contains vinegar, the results will almost always be free from streaks and sparkling clean. Recipes for Vinegar Window Washing Solution Martha Stewart included a section with detailed recommendations for window washing in her series, "20 More Things Everyone Should Know". Below are a few choice tips, along with her vinegar window-washing recipe.

Mix one part hot water to one part distilled vinegar. Sponge cleaning: Moisten the window, using the solution, then clean. Squeegee cleaning: Always dampen the squeegee first and clean from the top down, wiping the edge of the squeegee after every stroke. Clean only when there is no direct sun on the windows. Rinse and dry the window frames immediately to avoid any damage. Green Living, from National Geographic, recommends this simple recipe, plus a few extra tips for the best window cleaning outcome. In a spray bottle, mix 50% distilled vinegar (white) and 50% tap water. For extremely grimy glass, prewash with very soapy water, then go to the vinegar spray. Got highly resistent spots? Try rubbing hard with a cloth dipped in undiluted vinegar. Are the Streaks Still Blurring Your View? Don't blame the vinegar. Streaks are caused by residue left on the glass by commercial products. See the information below: 1/4 c. white vinegar

1/2 tsp. dishwashing detergent or liquid Combine these ingredients in a spray bottle, then just spray and clean. Forever After Vinegar Wash 1 c. white vinegar Combine these ingredients in a spray bottle, spray and clean. This is for normal windows. Vinegar Wash For Horribly Grimy Windows 1 c. full strength white vinegar Warm up the solution and use directly on glass to clean. What's the Best Wipe? You can ensure a streak-free, squeaky clean window by using one of the above tips and wiping with paper towels, microfiber cloths or newspaper. Whatever you use, make sure its lint-free. HINT: Squeegees are harder to get the hang of, but they almost always do a better job. Homage to Vinegar in the Home Psst! Reader's Digest recently published a collection of over 150 uses around the home for common vinegar. Here are just a few to give you a glimpse of tricks you are probably missing out on: Clean window blinds- A cool idea is to don a pair of white cotton gloves, dip your gloved hands in a 50/50 solution of hot water and white vinegar, then clean the blinds by simply sliding your gloved fingers down each side simultaneously.