Ditch the Commercial Window Cleaner
All you need is soap and vinegar.
If you give me about 5 minutes of your time and the dirtiest window in your house, I promise you will become a believer in the cleaning power of soap and vinegar. Here are the before and after pictures to prove it (and please don’t hold my crummy phone picture quality against me).
These big, beautiful sliding glass doors lead from our family room to our backyard. I love these doors because they provide natural light, connection to the outdoors, and visibility to kids playing in the backyard. They do, however, get grimy.
Prior to launching Start with Soap, I would wipe them down with diluted vinegar about once per year and call it good. This helped, but it did leave visible streaking, which became more noticeable as the windows got grimier over time. In the “before” picture on the left, you can see the streaks from last year’s wipe down.
First use soap to clean away dirt and grime, and then use diluted vinegar to eliminate soap residue and water spots.
This had been the status quo for about 4 years—spotless windows are not particularly important to me, commercial cleaners were out of the question, and I didn’t want to devote more time or effort to the endeavor. So that was that.
But when I launched Start with Soap, I knew streaky windows would be a deal breaker for some. So I did a little research.
As is so often the case (particularly here on Start with Soap) the solution is simple—soap.
The winning combination for windows, mirrors, and other glass is to clean with soap first. Soap removes dirt, grime, and waxy residue from prior cleaners you might have used. Then, after cleaning with soap, finish with diluted vinegar. Vinegar removes any soap residue or water spots and leaves windows totally streak-free and spotless. I like to add orange essential oil to my diluted vinegar for extra degreasing power.
My error it previous years was skipping the initial cleaning with soap. The vinegar is great for cutting through soap residue, but it doesn’t eliminate the dirt and grime like soap does. So if you have a dirty window and you use diluted vinegar, alone, you’re going to smear around much of the dirt and end up with streaks. On the flip side, if you happen to have windows and mirrors that are not particularly dirty, you might be successful with diluted vinegar, alone.
My go-to cleaning supplies: soap, vinegar, and baking soda.
So if you’ll indulge me with 5 minutes of your time and the dirtiest window in your house, here is what you do:
Grab a spray bottle of soap solution (or a bucket of soapy water) and a rag (a microfiber cloth if you have one) and clean your window. If you use a fairly diluted soap solution (like my suggested dilution of 1 tablespoon soap flakes and 4 cups water), you do not need to rinse with clean water. Be sure to use a true soap!
Grab a spray bottle of diluted vinegar (1 part vinegar, 3 parts water, and optionally a few drops of orange or lemon essential oil). You can reuse the same rag or grab a fresh one. Wipe down your window with the diluted vinegar.
Enjoy your spotless window!
Although my streaky glass doors did not particularly bother me, I must say that I am loving a clear view of our bird feeders and other backyard activity. I am enjoying it so much that I just may clean my windows more than once per year.
