Spring cleaning your windows

Spring cleaning your windows is a rite of passage. It says goodbye to the cold dark winter and hello to the bright and sunny spring and summer. Spring is a time of rebirth and everyone enjoys looking out their windows and seeing the signs of that rebirth. Giving your windows a thorough cleaning helps make that view clean and dust free.

Window cleaning is one of those tasks that you either love or hate. Those who love doing it probably do it twice a year, in the fall and the spring. For the ones who hate this job, luckily there are plenty of cleaners to help make that task easier and quicker. If you desperately hate it, you can always hire someone to do it for you but clean them you must, one way or another.

If you are looking to stay green all you really need is some white vinegar, water, a spray bottle and some newspaper. Newspaper is one of the best ways to dry your windows, it will leave you with a lint and streak free shine. It is also a great way to recycle newspaper.

Start at the top of the window and spray along the top so that the drips will flow down on the area that has not been cleaned yet. You can clean in a circular motion or you can wipe horizontally. If the windows are very dirty it may take more than one round of spray and wipe. You will need to do the inside and the outside of the window. How you will do the outside will be determined by the type of windows that you have and which floor your window is located on.

If your home is in a high rise apartment no doubt management will take care of the outside of the windows for you. At home on a first or second floor, if you have tip in windows then the exterior is quite easy to clean. If you have track windows you can use a ladder either inside or out to reach the outside. If the windows are high, Windex has a spray that you can attach to your garden hose and it will hit the windows that are hard to reach any other way.

If you are not going green then just plain Windex and a paper towel or a lint free rag will do an equally good job. Beyond just the glass it is also important to wash the window frame and the sill as these can get quite grimy over the winter as well.

Sparkling clean windows are very uplifting. They make your home seemed brighter and even if that is the only spring cleaning that you do, chances are no one will notice. The feeling of satisfaction that you will feel when your task is completed makes it one that is worth tackling every spring.