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uest Blogger: Carmen Fiordirosa
The spring season is the perfect time to give your home a good cleaning — and when you’re in the midst of seasonal de-cluttering, mopping floors and otherwise sprucing up your home for this bright and fresh time of year, don’t forget about the windows. Your home’s windows impact your home’s curb appeal, let sunshine in on long springtime days, open to let in fresh air, and give you wonderful views to the outdoors. Unfortunately, over time, it’s all too easy for them to get dirty and dingy both inside and out — and that’s why a regular cleaning is so important. The good news is that it’s easy to get professional results at home even without complicated tools or techniques. To refresh your home this season, gather the right tools and combine them with a little elbow grease. Here are some tips on how to get your windows sparkling this season:
1. Gather Your Tools: To clean your windows as well as the pros, you only need a few simple tools. Group together a bucket of warm and soapy water, an effective cleaning tool like a wash mitt or microfiber cloth to put in the water — an absorbent microfiber cloth to dry the windows after they’re washed, and a squeegee. You may also want to use a glass cleaner, depending on your preferences, but simple soap and water will work. Wipe each window with soapy water, using the wash mitt or cloth. Next, wipe the soapy windows with a squeegee and dry the windows with your second absorbent cloth.
2. Clean Inside and Out: Washing the windows inside your home is important, but you won’t get pristine results unless you take care of the outside, too. Streaks and water spots will disturb that crystal-clear view from your living spaces to the outdoors. Start your window cleaning on the inside, but move from there to the exterior glass. Because direct sunlight can make dried glass more likely to streak, wait for a cloudy day or a late afternoon to get outside and remove the effects of winter’s rain, snow and wind.
3. Tackle Mildew: If mildew appears on your window frames, put on rubber gloves and use a bleach solution to spot-clean those areas and then rinse them thoroughly with clean water. You can detect mildew by looking for gray or black spots on the wooden frames.
4. Remove the Screens to Clean Them: If your windows have dirty screens, it’s best to give them a thorough cleaning, too. To do so, remove them from your windows and take them outside. Scrub both sides of the screens with hot water and a soft-bristled brush, and then shake them to loosen any dust or dirt that has collected. Wash them with a hose and air-dry them before re-installing them in your window frames.
5. Don’t Forget the Window Tracks: After cleaning your windows, take the time to wipe the window-sills, too. Using Q-tips or paper towels dipped in a cleaning product or vinegar, wipe along the track to remove dirt and grime. Clean window tracks are the finishing touch to a pristine cleaning job.
Just because you can’t hire professionals to clean your windows doesn’t mean you can’t have professional results. Use the tips above to revive your home’s windows this spring and make your home become more of a showcase!
About the Author: Carmen Fiordirosa is the director of marketing at CleanTools. When not at work, Carmen is busy cleaning her own home and taking care of her four children. CleanTools produces a variety of drying and polishing products for home use.
