Window Washing 101

Tell me I am silly, but I will not open my windows in the spring until I put the screens in - and I won't put the screens in until I wash the windows. When the warm spring weather comes and the house begins to get too warm (especially upstairs) I get motivated to get the windows washed.

One of the things I do to get ready for winter is take all the screens out of the windows and store them in the garage. I take my screens out in the fall because it just makes things easier in the spring. One year I decided to leave the screens in all winter and discovered it makes more work.  A lot of extra crud collects between the window and the screen over the winter, therefore making more of a mess to clean up in the spring. I also have the hassle of hauling the screens out of the house, washing them and letting them dry before I put them back in the windows.  If the screens are already out of the windows, it just makes things simpler and I can get the job done quicker.

Last week we had beautiful weather to wash windows.  The ideal time to wash windows is on an overcast day and about 60-70 degrees outside.

To begin with I get all the screens out of the garage and line them up along the van.  I know, it seems silly, but it really works well. I can rinse the screens on the concrete driveway and the van holds them from blowing over in the wind.  I rinse both sides and then wipe the outside edges with an old rag.

I give each screen a little tap or two to get the excess water off and then I let them air dry. 

While the screens are drying, I start washing my windows.  I use newspaper and vinegar to wash my windows. It may seem like an odd combination, but it is something my mother taught me. Newspaper and vinegar cleans windows and mirrors much better than paper towels.  It is also environmentally friendly - you don't waste tons of paper towels and you are giving your newspaper another purpose. But the biggest plus to using newspaper and vinegar is it really makes the windows "squeaky" clean.  

Yes, the glass really squeaks as you wash and what's better -  

there are no streaks!

It's pretty simple.....

 You will need a bottle of white vinegar and some newspaper.

Fill an old squirt bottle with vinegar and crumple up your newspaper.

 Squirt your window with vinegar and wipe with your wad of newspaper.  

You don't need to change your newspaper all that often, but when it becomes too saturated you will need to get a new piece.

The black ink from the newspaper won't get on your windows but will make your hands kinda messy.

But it is worth it - my windows are sparkly clean and I am HaPpy!