Window cleaning is a meticulous and particularly time-consuming household activity. To ensure that this activity is not in vain, it’s a good idea to know a few tricks to ensure that the end result is impeccable.
Because it’s such a tedious task, achieving an excellent result will give you a sense of pride when you see shiny, streak-free windows and mirrors.
Window washing isn’t complicated, but knowing a few tricks can come in handy. To that end, here’s a full article dedicated to the subject.
What are the best window cleaning products?
The first thing you need to know if you want to clean your windows without leaving any residue is which products to use. In this area, it’s perfectly possible to ditch chemical and industrial products in favor of healthier, natural alternatives.
Here are some of the best products for spotless window cleaning:
- White vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Blanc de Meudon and Marseille soap mix
- Dishwashing detergent
All these mixtures can be made using just a few ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboards. Investing in or re-using a bottle with a spray nozzle will enable you to use them to clean windows and mirrors throughout your home.
Also, always remember that too much product in your cleaning routine can lead to streaking. Using the right amount of product is therefore crucial.
Secondly, it’s clear that you can’t do a good job without using the right tools. Here are the tools you need to clean your windows properly:
- Microfiber cloths
- Squeegee
- newspaper
What’s the best way to clean windows without leaving streaks?
Cleaning your windows properly – i.e. washing, shining and leaving no streaks – is entirely possible if you follow a very specific methodology. This involves :
- Start by dusting the window or mirror frame. This will prevent dust from flying off and sticking to the glass as soon as you’ve washed it.
- Secondly, it’s important to choose the right time to wash your windows, avoiding doing so when they’re in direct sunlight. This dries out the product and encourages streaking.
- Use two microfiber cloths, one to apply the product and the other to wipe the windows. An eco-friendly and ultra-efficient alternative to the microfiber cloth is newspaper.
- For large surfaces, a squeegee is ideal. However, you’ll need to dry off any excess water to avoid leaving streaks.
How to wash your windows in an environmentally-friendly way?
1 – White vinegar
In addition to its many other uses around the home, white vinegar, or spirit vinegar, can be used to make windows and mirrors sparkle.
To apply this method, simply dilute 25 cl of vinegar in 75 cl of water. The result is an ideal solution for cleaning all your windows. Note that for very dirty windows, you can increase the concentration of vinegar.
The real advantage of diluted vinegar is that it can be applied directly to the glass, so there’s no need to rinse.
Good to know: for this trick, you can use spirit vinegar, cider vinegar or household vinegar.
2 – Lemon juice
Lemon juice is also used to shine windows and mirrors throughout the home. Thanks to its acidity, lemon juice is widely used in the household and is an ingredient in many cleaning products, as it cleans, degreases, whitens, descales and sanitizes.
In this case, lemon juice is diluted in hot water at a rate of approximately one glass of lemon juice to 1 liter of water. The resulting product is then simply sprayed directly onto the surfaces to be cleaned.
Once again, no rinsing is necessary to avoid streaking and obtain an incomparable shine, provided, of course, that the windows are thoroughly wiped after washing.
3 – Mixing blanc de Meudon and Marseille soap
The combination of blanc de Meudon (calcium carbonate) and Marseille soap makes a formidable cleaning product for shiny, streak-free windows.
To make this product, simply mix half a glass of liquid Marseille soap with a large glass of hot water and add 250 grams of blanc de Meudon.
This product can be sprayed on windows, and does not require rinsing after washing. If you follow our washing recommendations, you’ll achieve impeccable results worthy of your efforts.
4 – Dishwashing detergent
You don’t have to look far for an effective product to clean your windows, as washing-up liquid does the job perfectly.
When diluted in hot water, it can shine windows and mirrors just as well as glasses and plates. In fact, its washing and degreasing properties are ideal for making your windows spotless and giving them a perfect shine.
Be careful, however, because in this case, a good rinse is necessary to avoid leaving streaks after cleaning.
In conclusion :
Cleaning your glass effectively without leaving streaks is now a thing of the past. It’s also worth remembering that choosing homemade products of this type contributes to protecting the planet and respecting the environment. These products are also much healthier for users.
So there’s no reason to hesitate: opt for natural products and get impeccable windows at all times. Don’t be put off, and try one of these solutions now – your wallet will thank you too!
