Secret to Streak-free Glass Cleaning for Windows, Mirrors, and Other Surfaces
Written on May 29th, 2007 by JennaPosted in Cleaning, Home
Bree: “You don’t have to wash those. I already did them.”
Orson: “Oh, I found some streaks. So, I’m wiping them down with undiluted red wine vinegar.”
Bree: “I’ve never heard of that.”
Orson: “Oh, sure. And for tougher spots I use a fifty-fifty mix of denatured alcohol and water. And for those really intractable stains, I mean, we’re talking shower doors, I wipe on laquer thinner with a towel.”
Bree is breathing heavily and staring at Orson.
Orson: “Bree?”
Bree grabs Orson and kisses him passionately. She drags him into the bedroom. The kitchen faucet is still on.
As much as I love the beauty and simplicity glass, I hate how hard it is to clean it. Its like you have to go an extra mile to ensure that there are no streaks! Since we don’t own wineglasses at home, I can’t really try what Orson recommends. I certainly will if we ever do buy a set! I’m not sure if his suggestions can be applied to glass windows, mirrors, and tabletops. But, I already know a method of cleaning glass without streaks. It certainly won’t make your significant other horny but it will definitely get rid of your streaks! The secret is in two components, newspaper and vinegar.
Newspaper – More Then Current Events
Rule #1: Don’t ever wipe glass with a rag. Have you ever noticed the guys who clean windows on corporate office buildings. If you look closely, you see that they do not use rags. Some use
hand-held wipers, others use special disposable towels, and the frugal ones use ordinary newspaper. Rags spread dirt picked up from the last usage. Plain “Bounty-type” paper towels leave tiny, annoying, little “lint hairs” everywhere. Both show lots of streaks. But for some reason, newspapers do not leave any dirt, hair, or ink at all!
Vinegar – Much More Than Your Typical Old Wives Tale
They say, “Mother always knows best.” As much as I hate to admit it, she really does. When we were young our mom would make us clean the windows with a cocktail of store-bought glass cleaner and vinegar. To this day, I hate the smell of vinegar. But, I have to admit that this necessary evil works. I never see any streaks when I clean with this concoction. Plain Windex will work fine. Just pour a fourth of the glass cleaner out and replace the volume white kitchen vinegar.
Like I said, something spectacular like spontaneous sex will not occur when you use this combo of old newspapers and vinegar. But, I guarantee that you’ll have an easier time cleaning your house. Comment on your results or if you have any additional suggestions.
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February 27th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
I like to use coffee filters, it works wonderful paired with your vinegar/glass cleaner solution.
April 29th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I tried this and I can not get it to work! No matter how many times I clean my windows and what I use, I cant get the streaks out…its driving me crazy help please!!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Stepanie:
did you have painting done recently? Sometimes the paint dust gets on the window, and when you clean it, no matter what you use, the paint dust just mixes with the cleanser and leaves streaks, you just have to clean over and over till it’s gone.
July 20th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I have the best way to get streak free glass & mirrors. (really!) It’s call the KB Wonder cloth. It uses only water to clean with (cleans better than glass cleaner) and it dries streak free. You dont have to spray the glass and you dont have to dry the glass. You just wet the cloth, wring it out and wipe, it’s that simple, and it works fantastic. The web site gives a (no risk) money back gurantee. http://www.wondercloth.net
August 27th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Vinegar and water work great but leave streaks- if you have previously used a regular commercial glass cleaner. Add a tablespoon or two of dish soap to your spray bottle of vinegar and water. It eliminates the coating of chemicals that commercial window cleaner leaves behind. No streaks, I swear- and it will smell ALOT better.
September 5th, 2009 at 5:48 am
Hi!
I’m Steph Cruz, one of your blog followers. I work for http://www.startcleaningservice.com it’s a site dedicated to giving information and advice to people who are thinking about launching their own cleaning business.
Anyhow, I sent you this email to ask if you would consider having me write a guest post on your blog. It can just be a short article about cleaning, housekeeping, household cleaning tips, window washing - or really anything that you might find interesting.
Please let me know what you think. Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely Yours,
Anne Stephanie Cruz
http://www.Startcleaningservice.com
Steph@startcleaningservice.com