Alcohol, Newspaper, and 8 Other Glass Cleaning Tricks
Glass cleaning is easier than you could imagine following the tricks we have for you. They’re not only infallible, but also very budget-friendly. Without a doubt, you will have several of the products you will need at home.
Although leaving these crystals shiny and without a stain is a titanic task to the point that many prefer to pay a professional to do it, it must be said that it all depends on the products you use and the technique you handle.
But stay calm and don’t panic: you can do it with our tips! Take note of the following hacks for cleaning glass!
Tips before cleaning glass
Before applying the tricks to clean glass that we are going to give you, it’s important to know some previous steps that guarantee the success of the process:
- It’s necessary to remove the dust accumulated on the crystals because you can end up scratching them with liquid products.
- Prepare a 100% cotton cloth for drying. This way, you will avoid creating new stains or leaving lint adhered to the glass. If you don’t have one, you can use an old T-shirt.
- Make sure the window frames are completely clean. Otherwise, you could soil the glass when liquids come in contact with this area.
- Protect the walls under the glass. The products we use can drip and cause stains on the paint.
10 glass cleaning tricks you should know
Save money and get amazing results by applying the following glass cleaning tricks we have for you. These include the use of very cheap products, such as alcohol, vinegar, and newspapers.
1. Vinegar
White vinegar is a natural product with outstanding properties that is present in many household cleaning processes. It has the ability to remove accumulated dirt, to provide shine, and a perspective of transparency on the glass.
To use it as a glass cleaner, you only have to mix half a liter of white vinegar in five liters of water. Apply with an atomizer or directly with a cotton cloth. Rinse with water, and you will notice how your windows look shiny and beautiful!
We think you may be interested in reading this, too: The 10 Best Baking Soda-Vinegar Cleaning Solutions
2. Traditional alcohol
Undoubtedly, alcohol is one of the products that you always have at home and it is useful for many things. However, you probably don’t know that you can use it to clean the glass in your home. The result is amazing.
Add a few drops to a cloth dampened with water and wipe your windows. You will get a mirror effect that you would not expect to have with other products. The shine and transparency left by this liquid will make your windows look like new.
3. Hot water and liquid soap
The third of our glass cleaning tricks includes a foolproof mixture made of warm water and liquid soap. The first thing you have to do is to go over the windows with a cloth dampened in warm water to remove the first layer of grease.
Then, wash that cloth, dampen it in warm water with a little liquid soap, and wipe vigorously again. When you have removed the grease and dust stains, wash the cloth again, and with more clean water, remove the soap.
4. Mixing cleaner with vinegar
You can find different glass cleaners on the market, but we recommend adding three parts of white vinegar to enhance its action. You can also add a few drops of lemon to improve the shine of the windows.
Make this mixture in a spray bottle, apply it to your windows, and rub it with crumpled newspaper to remove stains and grime. Dry with more recycled newspaper and you’re done.
5. Traditional stain remover
Stain remover is a product sold in stores and, as its name suggests, is specially designed to remove stains from glass and surfaces. It comes in a spray bottle for easy application and is very effective in removing accumulated dirt and stains.
What you should do is apply the product on the window after cleaning it to remove some dust, and then rub it with a soft sponge that will not scratch the surface. Use a damp cloth to remove the product and a completely dry one to observe its effectiveness.
6. Dry with coffee filters or newspaper
Although we recommend using 100% cotton cloths, a more sustainable alternative includes coffee filters and newspaper for this task.
Filters are made of a very soft type of paper that allows you to clean the windows without scratching them and leaving a very nice shiny finish. On the other hand, old newspaper also doesn’t scratch the glass and prevents dirt from sticking easily.
7. Use the top to bottom technique
After choosing any of the recommended products to clean your windows, we recommend applying the top to bottom technique to clean.
This consists of starting to clean from the top to the bottom. In this way, you will avoid generating drops of dirt on the part that you have already left ready. In addition, it’s important that there’s no lint left behind that looks like stains after drying.
8. Avoid the appearance of bubbles at all costs
This tip is especially for cases where you’ve chosen a mixture that includes soap. Foam usually leaves stains and that’s what we don’t want to see on our glass, right? So, the recommended thing to do is to use a very small amount of this product and make sure to rinse very well.
Like this article? You may also like to read: 5 Chemical-Free Solutions for Cleaning Your House
9. Clean interior glass horizontally and exterior glass vertically
In the ninth of the glass cleaning tricks, we’ll tell you about a technique to improve the results: it’s to clean the interior glass with horizontal movements and the exterior glass with vertical movements.
The reason for doing this is very simple: if there are stains or streaks after the process, you will know with more certainty which side needs to be polished.
10. Be consistent with glass cleaning
We’ll conclude this list of glass-cleaning tricks with a very useful tip. Constant maintenance of your windows will reduce the time you have to spend on them and will make the products work more efficiently, not having to fight layer upon layer of dirt.
After performing the deepest cleaning, be sure to dedicate time to maintenance every time you do general cleaning in your home or office.
Which of these glass-cleaning tricks will you try?
We shared 10 glass cleaning tricks that are budget-friendly and environmentally friendly. Try the ones that are easiest for you to apply and notice how your window panes regain brightness, transparency, and vitality.