Washing windows is part of the household chores, and doing such work is not always easy. Especially for those who live in big cities, where a lot of dust and dirt is in the air. Stains on windows can block 50% of the daylight, and it is notoriously bad for the health and mood of those who are constantly in the room. In addition, cloudy glass, covered with a layer of dust, splashed with rain or snow look depressing. This article has been written by Expertology experts to help you choose the easiest and most unbureaucratic way to clean your windows so that it never lets you down and makes your apartment or home easier to care for.
Necessary inventory to clean the glass in the window
To wash window panes quickly and accurately,you can use these auxiliary items:
Sponges or kitchen towels to clean the glass with detergent and to remove residual MS.
Microfiber or microfiber cloths – useful for cleaning frosted glass.
Scraper for washing (including double-sided with foam and water scraper) – allows you to remove detergent, dirt without streaks, scratches and other traces.
window squeegee with a sprayer – means two in one, the sprayer pours a soapy solution or detergent, squeegee removes dirt from the glass.
Use a brush with semi-rigid bristles to remove stubborn stains like bird droppings, paint, etc.d.
Paper towels or toilet paper – needed to wipe the glass dry, without traces of detergents.
A box cutter for removing tough dirt like glue, film, and paper.
Gloves to protect the skin on your hands, a respirator mask (in case products with a strong, caustic smell will be used).
You will also need a glass cleaner to wash your glass well. You can use a commercially available product, or you can make your own solution from what you have on hand. Let’s take a look at both of these options – we’ll give you a list of effective window cleaners that you can buy, and we’ll also tell you about recipes for making a cleaning solution at home.
Household detergent that can be used to clean glass
The range of household detergents suitable for cleaning windows is very wide. You can choose the product for every “taste” and budget. Here are a few cleaners that are in high demand among hostesses:
Frosch Glass Cleaner.This is an eco-friendly cleaner that contains biodegradable, plant-based ampholytic surfactants. Product tested by dermatologists, suitable for people with sensitive skin.
Organic People eco sprayFor cleaning glass and mirrors. Cleans all smooth surfaces in the apartment, has no strong odour, economical and inexpensive.
Mr. Muscle.This product has already proven to be effective and easy to use. In addition, on sale there are replacement bottles without sprayer, which allows you to save on the second and subsequent purchases.
Window cleaning cloths.Allow you to clean glass without the use of chemicals, just water. Leaves no streaks, no need to polish and wipe dry.
Fratty HB Fratty Cleaner 2 in 1For cleaning glass and office equipment. Safe and inexpensive product for glass, plastic and most surfaces of the house.
CIF– A liquid that will provide a high quality cleaning of glass and a mirror-like shine without much effort.
IKeep– Domestic cleaning preparations. It is suitable for cleaning glass, mirrors, various transparent surfaces, earthenware and porcelain. Advantage – absolutely safe for plastic window frames.
Eco-friendly window cleaner Green Care Glass Window Cleaner.Allows you to clean without harming the health of your household, also does not harm the environment.
C
- n Windows & Mirrors Lemon.A fairly inexpensive and economical product.
A multifunctional concentrate for windows and other glossy surfacesTenzi Glass. A universal product that can be used for many types of cleaning.
Help– The best inexpensive product from the class of household chemistry, which will allow you to forget about the question, what to wash the windows in the apartment.
This is not the whole list of quality and effective window cleaners. The range is wide, but we hope that the recommendations of our cleaning experts will make it easier for you to choose the right glass cleaner.
Home remedies for high quality glass cleaning
The simplest product that will help wash glass so that it is not visible at all – laundry soap. Take a quarter of a standard bar, rub it on an ordinary fine grater to form a chip. Add some warm water, wait for the soap to dissolve. You should get a creamy substance. Pour a little soap onto a damp dishwashing sponge, lather up, thoroughly soap the glass and leave the foam on for 2-3 minutes. Then the cleaner can be washed off with normal water, then wipe the surface with a paper towel until it is completely dry and streaks are gone. Thus you not only achieve a perfect transparency of the windows, but also prevent mold, which often appears on the perimeter of the window at the rubber seal. Laundry soap has disinfectant properties. If you have PVC windows you must make sure that the soap solution does not get on the snow-white window frame otherwise it may cause the frame to turn yellow over time.
You can also use such homemade non-specialized products for cleaning windows:
Dishwashing liquid. It gets rid of dirt no worse than special sprays.
Ammonia, rubbing alcohol, rubbing alcohol or vodka. Do a great job with dirt such as glue or tape.
White spirit or any similar solvent. Removes foil, tinted or decorative films, glue stains, grease and similar dirt. But before you wash windows, test the preparation on a small surface, if the concentration of the preparation is too high the glass may become opaque.
Chalky solution (1 cup water + 3 tablespoons of ground chalk). Excellent for cleaning frosted glass.
Vinegar solution (1 liter of hot water + 1 tablespoon of 9% table vinegar).
Do not forget that for cleaning glass surfaces can not apply preparations in the form of powders, including those that contain abrasives, because they can leave the surface scratches, which can not be eliminated.
Magnetic window cleaner
It’s just perfect for people who live on the upper floors of high-rise buildings. Glass cleaning for such people is connected with the risk to fall from a great height and to be crippled. But you don’t want to leave the outside of the window unwashed? No way, because you can buy a magnetic brush and forget about the fear of heights. Its principle of operation is simple – the brush consists of two halves, each of which is attached to a magnet, they are connected by a cord. Each of the halves has a washable surface (the cleaner is applied to it), as well as a scraper to remove the foam. The user holds one half in his hand and moves it over the glass, the other half is hung out of the window from above by a string and magnetized to the glass from the outside. This second half follows precisely the movements of the first half, which the user is operating. This way you can clean the glass from the inside and outside without the slightest problem, without the risk of falling from a height.
When choosing a device, be sure to read what is written on the package and read the reviews of the specific product, manufacturer, model. Some magnetic brushes are not suitable for plastic windows with double glazing, as the halves are not magnetized due to the large distance between them. But it is possible to choose a suitable tool to help clean the glass, the range of such products is wide.
Tips and recommendations
Cleaning experts have put together some recommendations for the readers of our online publication,that will help you wash your glass properly and avoid common mistakes:
Before washing glass, make sure the window apertures and window sills are clear of any excess material and move curtains to prevent the cleaner from getting on them and leaving stains.
Wash the frame before cleaning the glass. Do not use colored products for this purpose, so that the plastic is not stained. Soda and similar substances that can scratch the plastic or wooden surface, corrode the paint, also do not use.
It is better to wash the window glass in hot, warm, but windless weather, the surface will dry faster and there will be no streaks, as well as re-contamination with dust.
To prevent condensation from collecting on the glasses, you can wipe them after washing with a mixture of glycerin and alcohol in a ratio of 1 to 10. To prevent condensation, it is also recommended to ventilate the room regularly, and air inlets can be installed on the windows.
If you need to wash your windows in the winter, and they are frozen, you can quickly remove the ice with a solution of warm saline. And if you treat the windows with it also at the end of the procedure, the glass will shine beautifully.
Whatever you decide to clean the glass, first treat the inner surface, then the outer.
At the end of the procedure wipe the surface first vertically, then horizontally, this will prevent streaks.
Do not use rags with easily detachable fibers to wipe the glass. Such traces, stuck lint on the windows will be very visible.
