Cleaning Windows

• If necessary, dust off the window and sill with a clean paintbrush. Excess dust and water can cause mud.
• Use a professional-type squeegee available for about $20 at a janitorial supply store. Forget the cheap brands you find at the grocery store. They are not as effective, and you have to replace the whole thing once you get a nick in the blade.
• Don't clean windows while they are in direct sunlight. Your cleaning solution will dry too fast.
• Dip a 100% cotton cleaning cloth in your solution. Wring out the excess and then wipe the window to loosen dirt.
• Grab your squeegee. Start each squeegee stroke in a dry spot. Wipe a strip with a cleaning cloth to get started.
• Squeegee in a pattern from top to bottom, or side to side. If you clean the outside and the inside, Work top to bottom on the inside and side to side on the outside. By doing this, you'll be able to identify which side any streaks left behind are on.
• Keep the squeegee blade dry by wiping it with a cleaning cloth after each stroke.
• Replace the blade when necessary. Even the smallest nick can cause streaking.
• Don't have a squeegee? Use newspaper for drying freshly washed windows. It's cheaper and leaves no lint behind.

• Wash windows on a cloudy, but not in the rainy day. This is the best time to vacuum the frames and sills.
• Cold &Clear water is the choice of most professional window washers. If windows are very dirty you can add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water.
• For drying windows, a wad of crumpled newspaper works just as well as expensive paper towels. Wear rubber gloves to keep your hands free of ink.

• Slip your hands into a pair of socks for cleaning the miniblinds. Dip one hand into a bucket of warm, soapy water and hold the blinds between your two hands.
• Rub back and forth until you've cleaned the whole surface. Then reverse sides so the dry sock dries the blinds.
• Wipe miniblinds with damp fabric softener sheets to eliminate static that collects dust. The same trick works for your T.V. screen.

• Take the blind down and take it outside.
• Lay it on an old blanket preferably on a slanted area of the yard.
• Let the blind out all the way and make sure all the louvers are flat.
• Mix up a bucket of all-purpose cleaner or ammonia solution.
• Scrub with a soft brush then turn it over to do the back side.
• By now the blanket is wet and is helping to clean the blind and protecting it.
• Hang the blind on a clothesline and hose it off.
• Gentle shaking will help it begin to drip dry.