The Best Window Cleaner ever.
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I’m happy to be sharing The Best Homemade Window Cleaner with you. It has won us over. After years of filmy residue, we can see clearly now. The film is gone.
For years and years, we battled trying to get the exterior of our windows clean. They just never looked crystal clear. A filmy residue and often chalky streaks would remain once the windows dried. We tried a variety of window cleaners from homemade to store bought concoctions, as well as using newspaper instead of paper towels with not much success.
That all changed when we learned about the best exterior window cleaner ever.
We had been working on updating a bathroom and ordered some new mirrors. While the glass guys were here installing the mirror, my husband, Randy, got to chatting with them, as he usually does, about how their business was going. During their conversation he happened to ask them what they use for cleaning glass. Did they have any professional tips or tricks? Yes, they did!
They shared a simple recipe for what they have found to work. They swore by it. We had already tried just using a simple combination of vinegar and water, but they learned a trick from a commercial window cleaner: add a little dish detergent to the vinegar/water mixture. Really? That simple? It was new to us, and it sounded much too easy.
So we tried it (or should I say Randy tried it) right away. Randy set out just to test a few windows and the next thing I knew he had worked all the way around the house, and was already working on some of the upstairs windows as well. There was an immediate difference, and so much easier than what we had tried in the past.
It was so bright inside we had to wear shades. I crack myself up.
The mixture below, is super simple and used with a soft bristle brush and hose. That’s it. No more piles of used paper towels, no ladders, just clarity. I’m planning on trying the same mixture on all kinds of things outside that need de-grungifying.
Keeping the shades on. The future is definitely gonna be brighter around here, y’all. Happy cleaning!
How to Make The Best Window Cleaner
The Best Window Cleaner
This simple mixture will help wash exterior windows to a sparkly clean.
Materials
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dish detergent
Tools
- bucket
- scrub brush
- optional extension pole
- water hose
- optional sprayer attachment
Instructions
- Combine water, white vinegar and dish detergent in a bucket. Increase amounts as needed.
- Using a soft bristle scrub brush on an extension pole handle thingy, dip the brush in a bucket of the solution, and scrub it on the window.
- Before it has a chance to dry, spray/rinse it off with clean water. Be sure to rinse thoroughly. A hose fitted with a sprayer attachment is helpful.
Notes
The solution could be made and used in a spray bottle, but we found working on lots of windows, the bucket and scrub brush worked great.
To avoid the need for a ladder (because ladders are the most dangerous tool in the box) Randy used an all-purpose extension pole with a threaded end that enables you to attach different brushes, rollers, etcetera. (Similar to this one.)
Use a soft bristle scrub brush. A sponge mop may also work.
This definitely works for outside windows, where you can safely rinse with water. I have yet to try it indoors, but if you do, make sure you can rinse with plenty of water. Perhaps one spray bottle of solution, and a separate spray bottle of clean water?
Again, be sure to rinse thoroughly, and before the solution has a chance to dry on window. It’s helpful to avoid windows directly in the sun, so they are not hot and don’t as quickly.
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One of my friends who was a window washer in college used this recipe, but she swore by Joy dish detergent and used newspaper to get any residue off the windows after squeege-ing them. Vinegar is a wonder cleaner!
I just finished my windows on the outside and did not squeegee anything. Then again, I was wondering why you could not add a little bit of jet dry to help them dry faster……..I have no streaks except on one storm window where it must leak. I rent and really old house and the windows really old…….But now sparkling clean and can see out just perfectly with no dust left……..smiles
you are right joy does wonders but use blue or green only..family business of this and looks like im taking it further..lol. but wanted to drop a hello..have a blessed day..
Committed to memory forever!
My sister uses a similar recipe on her shower doors and raves about it! I’m going to try it for sure!
Thank you for this!! It’s a battle I’ve had for a long time.
It should work on inside windows– it works for me, but maybe Minnesota farm dirt is different that the film/dirt from your part of the world, especially ifyou live in an urban area and have smoke/exhauset in the mix.
I use this recipe for windows, with the two bucket method. First, the vinegar, soap, water bucket and a rag to wet and wash the window. Second bucket, water and vinegar (about a cup vinegar to about 1 gal of water)and a second rag to rinse the window. Be sure to rinse it before the window dries. Then polish/dry with a microfiber cloth, or, for a quick finish, use paper towels and a commercial cleaner for the last time. It doesn’t take very long actually. About like washing dishes. Quick wash, quick rinse, and them some time to polish. There is a aerosol type that foams up and wipes off easily. I sometimes use it if I don’t want to spend much time polishing with a cloth. Can remember the name. Using it on mostly clean windows means one can goes a long ways, so I feel a tad less guilty about using the aerosol. Yeah for clean windows!
Hi Amy! Just read about your chalky streaks on your window. I have a friend who always had the chalky streaks on her windows. Her house is painted brick. Turns out the house had been painted with an indoor only latex paint, so every time is rained, it would wash some of the paint off the house (and onto the windows). I always thought she just had old windows until she had her house re-painted using the right paint and she commented on how nice it was to have clean windows. Just thought I’d pass that along in case you might have the same problem! I’m anxious to try your window-cleaning solution. It sounds great!
Do you need to squeegee after rinsing, or does it air dry?
This is the only window cleaner I use, indoor and outdoor.
When using on indoor windows, there is no need to rinse with water, just wipe with paper towels, or newspaper, whatever you like to use.
Never leaves streaks. The best window cleaner ever!
I agree that vinegar, water and detergent are the best mixture for window cleaning. I do recommend it to everyone.
I have been really using a lot of home made products rcently. I just cant stand the smell of the chemical stuff and Im finding the home made stuff works better! I love it! Thanks!!
You can also try a mix of water, vinegar, cornstarch and rubbing alcohol mix. Does wonders, easy to use and very economical.
Can you tell how much of the vinegar etc?
Hello, Gayle. The proportions are at the bottom of the post.
I have a lot of shrubs and plants in my flowerbed. Will this mixture hurt any of my shrubs or plants if it gets on them? Thanks!
The nitrogen in the dish soap will help your plants green up, but the reason we use vinegar is that it is acidic. Mixed in these proportions won’t hurt the soil, (as long as you aren’t dumping a whole bucket in your flower bed-and if you did you’d just want to turn on your sprinkler for a while), but it would be a good idea to rinse off the leaves before you move on to the next window as it may leave spots on the leaves if it dries on the leaves.
it is so easy really i also very upset about my house window glasses but now i am going to try this also and i am very shore i am not getting upset this time thanks for the tip. Share more tips with us like this. 🙂
I just used this recipe. OMG! My window have never been this clean.
I cleaned my glass patio table and it sparkles now!
I will never again buy a chemical, store bought window cleaner again.
THANK YOU!!!!
Yay Maureen!
Isn’t it wonderful to see clearly? 😉 To be able to see a real change, makes cleaning outside windows so much more fun!
I am looking to make a homemade window cleaner to refill the bottle of my empty Windex outdoor window cleaner. It’s the one that attaches to the end of the hose. Will this solution do the trick?
Hey Andrew!
It should work. Let me know how it does!
Amazing!!! Worked great! Wiped down the inside too, then went over it with a clean wet cloth! Crystal Clear! No More Oklahoma Red Dirt for we on my windows!
I’ve tried similar vinegar solutions, some with alcohol, some with just a drop or two of dish detergent, but this mix beats them all! I have a large bay window that I can’t reach without a ladder so I used this solution with a long-handled siding brush then rinsed well with the hose and the results were amazing. As I waited for it to dry it seemed like there were some areas that would leave spots but low and behold … it dried sparkling clean with no streaks or spots!!! So nice and easy not needing a squeegee, newspaper or anything to wipe it down. I used Dawn detergent and I think it’s the extra soap that allows this to dry so clear. I also washed early before the sun hit the window which I think helped. Thank you for the very best window cleaner ever!!
This solution works. Period. I’ve tried them all. The trick for me was not getting all hung up on squeegee’ing my exterior windows, some of which were basically impossible to reach. I just sprayed the windows with a garden hose and nozzle, applied the solution liberally with a soft brush+extension pole (I bought a car washing brush which is super soft), gave the windows a GOOD scrub and then hosed them down thoroughly. Done. Unbelievable. They look way way better than when I used the squeegee (which would inevitably leave annoying streaks) and you can go way way faster. Half the time. Awesome tip. Thanks.
Not to be picky – but this is not chemical free. Besides the water, both the dish detergent and the vinegar are harsh chemicals that just happen to be “chemicals” that we don’t associate with being harsh when used as intended. I love this recipe as well and highly recommend it. But it always irks me when someone says it’s “chemical free” just because you are using something that’s under your sink already.
Here’s the formula for a common dish soap (Sodium Laureth Sulfate): CH3(CH2)10CH2(OCH2CH2)nOSO3Na. Here’s the one for vinegar (acetic acid): CH3COOH – plus water.
Thanks for pointing that out Fishpotpete. I’ll edit the text to correct that. And you’re right, I wasn’t thinking of dish detergent as being harsh chemicals.
Here’s the chemical formula for water: H2O. Everything is made of atoms.
I’m a professional Window Cleaner. Your suggestion will not work especially if you clean them in the sun unless you rinse them afterward with purified mineral free water. (Deionized, Distilled).
Thanks for sharing, Frank!
I wonder if there’s an attachment one can place on a garden hose that’ll clear out the minerals. Seems the drying water with any minerals will leave deposits. Something is used in car washes that’s “streak free.” I can’t reach my 2nd story windows without getting killed to dry them and I’d love to simply use the hose after washing them with your solution. Thoughts?
…I forgot to say. There are a lot of beautiful photos on your replies. Ladies, you wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning your windows if I was around your area. I’d gladly care for your windows. Smile.
First time I’ve endorsed a commercial product but if you have hard rusty water like we have try the Windex outdoor a lll in onr cleaning pads. They come out spotless after rinsing (which should be done before they dry). They are by far the best product we’ve ever used and one pad does our entire lakefront home with many large windows! Good luck.
I so agree with you about the Windex Window Cleaning stuff. I bought three kits so that I would have and xlong pole and a med pole, that way I could reach my really high windows. Plus these poles don’t weigh a ton, so you don’t end up maxing your shoulders and neck. They are streak free and stay pretty clean through the season. As for screens, I take them off the window in the fall and clean them with the Windex Pads on both sides. Then I rinse and wipe as much water off as I can and loosely place them around to air dry. Once dry, I take them and put them in the shed or garage for the winter, then I have clean screens in the spring, and don’t have to mess with taking them out first… just clean the windows and snap the clean screens back in, and you are ready for summer!