I love the windows in my house. They are enormous. They are the awesome kind with the pop-out tabs that allow you to clean the outside of the bottom half without going outside and taking the screen off. I notice that this time of year (Winter) the sun is low enough that all the streaks and smears and dirt reflects and I have spent a number of days trying to clean the gunk off without leaving streaks. I started out using a Pledge product for multi surface, but didn’t like the smell or the chemicals. I switched to Windex and was only happy with it half the time (on the North side of the house where the reflection didn’t show off the streaks). I was raised using newspaper to clean windows because they don’t leave lint, but the window frames in my house are white and the newspaper left horrible black smears all over the frames. I had been using paper towels, but I wasn’t a fan of the waste, and they left greasy-looking smears which I could never eliminate.
I believe I have finally found the answer.
What you will need:
Bucket or large bowl
Microfiber cloth
Rag
Squeegee
1 paper towel
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
2 cups warm water
Combine the water, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol. Use the microfiber cloth to wipe the glass on the windows. Squeegee, working horizontally from top to bottom, wiping squeegee between swipes with a paper towel, and wipe up any drips when the window is finished. Wipe the window frame with a rag wet with water.
The vinegar cuts through gunk on the windows (I had some left over gummy sticker residue from when the windows were installed) and the rubbing alcohol evaporates quickly. Microfiber cloths generally (except for mine, I think) don’t have lint to smear around. I am exceptionally happy with the results. I went on a rampage this morning, cleaning the insides of all the windows and sliding door, and vacuuming and wiping out the window tracks. It’s not quite time for spring cleaning, but now I will know how long it takes them to get dirty!
The Calico Cottage 