Homemade window cleaning solutions
Many of the store bought window cleaning solutions available in spray bottles are nowhere near as effective is the kind you can make at home with some very simple ingredients.
First, I like to cover a few window cleaning tips...
The first topic would be using newspaper to clean windows. Although this can work, I strongly recommend against it. The reason why is because the ink from the newspapers can get real messy and you'll constantly have to re-clean after yourself. There are much better alternatives available which I will get into shortly.
The second tip of what to cover is on using vinegar. Vinegar smells, and is completely unnecessary. Contrary to what many people say,it does not do the "best" job. It does work, but many alternatives work just as well.
In addition to the cleaning recipe, we are going to require a few additional things from you. A high quality microfiber cloth or ink free packing paper, distilled water, dish soap, and if your windows are really dirty you can use a little bit of ammonia.
I cannot stress the importance of using distilled water. Do not use tap water. Tap water contains something called total dissolved solids. Distilled water is closer to pure water. If you poured pure water onto glass, it would dry crystal clear and not leave any marks. Tap water on the other hand would leave hard water mineral deposits.
Combine one quart of distilled water with four drops of regular dish soap. That's it. That is one of the most effective window cleaning solutions you can use. If your windows have a lot of build-up upon them, you can add one cap-full of ammonia to the solution. Ammonia is really good for cutting dirt. Window Treatments are common in sunny cities like
Las Vegas. Window Cleaning with ammonia should be used with extreme caution as many people have window treatments and do not know it. Do not use ammonia if your windows are tinted or have treatment on them because it will discolor them.
It is also important to use dry and clean microfiber cloths. When you're done with your microfiber cloths wash them of the gentle cycle of your washing machine, but do not put them in the dryer. Putting the microfiber cloth in the dryer will destroy the effectiveness of the cloth.
If you really want to learn how to clean windows, learn how to use a squeegee. You will be amazed at the speed, effectiveness, and overall result.