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You can't see the great outdoors if your windows are dirty, but how can you keep them sparkling without using a lot of chemicals?
Consumer Reports once rated plain water as the most effective window cleaner. Most commercial window cleaners are, in fact, mostly water, with additional unpleasant ingredients such as ammonia, butyl cellosolve, silicone, and formaldehyde. Plus, some blue coloring, of course.
Here's how to clean your windows by using no chemicals and less money:
For indoor windows, try using club soda in a spray bottle. The sodium citrate softens the water and increases the cleaning effectiveness. (For added psychological effectiveness, you can add a few drops of blue food coloring.)
Newsprint has a reputation for window cleaning, but it's better to leave them in the recycling bin and use two clean, lint-free rags -- one for wiping and one for drying.
For really dirty outdoor windows, use a squirt of liquid deteregent in a bucket of warm water. Using a squeegee will help you get the window dry quickly, which is the key to avoiding streaks.
If you really want outdoor windows to shine, follow up with a rinse of water and white vinegar -- about 1/2 cup of vinegar to a gallon of water. This is a good all-around cleaning solution for other parts of your house, too, such as floors and tubs.
Photo courtesy FreeFoto.com.
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