Ever wonder the feeling of uneasiness at home? Dim sunlight and lights may be to blame but the unsuspecting culprit could be your windows. After all, windows are like eyes to the outside world of your home. Dirt on the window can down the overall mood.
Clean windows, therefore, should be an important household chore. The good news? You can clean them once or twice a year besides eliminating harmful germs. For starters, make yourself available on a day without much sun to avoid the windows from drying out too quickly and leaving unsightly streaks. The end of fall and end of spring will be the ideal time.
You do not need to dread that you will be doing the cleaning alone. Having the family involved can be a fun event and you may even entice your neighbours or friends to join in the fray by returning the same favour when their turn comes.
Before you begin, you may opt to strategise your window cleaning plan especially if you have a big house. Divide the home into sections like the living area windows, balcony windows, bedroom or bathroom windows.
Get ready with a bucket (or two), cleaning solution, brush and dustpan, cleaning sponges or cloths, lint free cloths for drying and a cloth rag. Newspapers and squeegees can be substituted for drying cloth. Gloves are useful too as an anti-dirt-on-hands helper. For better convenience, a vacuum cleaner, soft toothbrush, toothpaste and trash receptacle or bag should be easily reachable.
If you are an environmentalist, you can try making your own cleaning solution by mixing two tablespoons of ammonia or three tablespoons of vinegar (or lemon juice), half a cup of rubbing alcohol and a quarter of teaspoon of dishwashing detergent into a spray bottle with water, shake well and it is good to use.
Depending on your choice of where to start, I would prefer to clean the exterior windows first to trace any remaining dirt from the inside.
First, carefully sweep the windowsills of the exterior window where dusts are usually trapped. You can also use the soft toothbrush to clean the corners. After that, wet the sponge or cloth in the cleaning solution with the right wetness. Proceed to wash the windows with circular movements starting from the corners towards the centre of the windows. Wash one side of a window with horizontal strokes and the other with vertical strokes so you can spot any streak.
Next, dry the window from one of the upper corners using newspapers or squeegees with the strokes in the same directions. I prefer to use crumpled newspapers which does a great job in bringing out shininess of the windows and leaves a film that is resistant to dirt. Besides, it is free. You can also wipe any remaining drips with dry cloth or simply allow the window to air dry. But the windowsills should be wiped totally dry with a cloth rag to preserve the varnish and wood if you have wooden windowsills.
Repeat the same process when you carry on the cleaning on the interior windows. Remember to get any window shades, blinds or curtains out of the way before you vacuum or brush the windowsills.
As a final tip of the day, polish any scratch on the window with toothpaste.
Forget about the hard work you need to put in to clean the windows. Nothing beats the enjoyment of looking through a clean window at the end of the day.
Additional Reading:
www.doityourself.com
Image Credit:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/4/7727513_30a95ce03b.jpg
