Dish Soap and Water
Dish soap is perfect for cleaning windows with residue and buildup, and you only need a few drops of dish soap to get the job done. If you're cleaning inside windows, use a spray bottle and if you're washing exterior windows, use a bucket.
The best homemade window cleaning solution is to just mix two gallons of water and about a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid together in your bucket. Some people also opt to use vinegar and water to clean windows. In warm weather, you'll get a little more working time by using cool water.
For very dirty windows, especially exterior windows, combine 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and 1/2 tsp of dish detergent. If you're cleaning immediately, use warm but not hot water for added cleaning power. Shake the bottle to combine.
Mix up your window-cleaning solution: In a plastic spray bottle, mix together 2 cups of warm water with 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of Dawn.
Unless you are rinsing the windows with water (as Dawn dish soap was designed) then you are leaving a residue. Dish soap was not designed for window cleaning, though many use it and have no problems. roga: if there's a bottle of something SPECIFICALLY made to do the job you're doing, you should be using it.
A mop can help you reach windows from the outside. To get streak-free windows, mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a bucket. Then, dip a standard mop or a microfiber cloth in the cleaning solution, and wipe down the window's surface.
“Vinegar is a good cleaner because it's acidic, but when you add dishwashing liquid/dish soap to it (which is a base or neutral) - you neutralise the vinegar. You take away the very thing that makes it work well. “The dishwashing liquid works that well on its own. Adding the vinegar is a pointless step.”
Hot water cleans windows faster
Removes dirt more easily – hot water is more successful in removing dirt. This is because hot temperatures make dirt particles vibrate faster, which makes it a lot easier to wipe them away.
Professional window cleaners use a solution made from dish soap and water to achieve a streak-free clean. The key is to use a small amount of soap and distilled water. Some professionals add ammonia to the water for increased cleaning power.
You can also make an all-natural window cleaning solution using a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and hot water. Adding a touch of liquid soap to the vinegar solution will help remove any streak-causing wax left on the window from commercial cleaners used in the past.
Bottom Line
If you're a homeowner, clean your windows regularly, twice or thrice a year, and once every month for commercial properties like restaurants. However, take into account factors that may require you to clean exterior windows more often. You can do it yourself or call in a professional.
A big problem is the evaporation rate. If you're cleaning your windows on a warm sunny day, the liquid part of the solution evaporates quickly and leaves behind a residue that appears as streaks. On the other hand, if you don't entirely remove the liquid you can also be left with a streaky window.
This match made in heaven has been a household staple for a long time and I make sure to keep it handy. To make the solution is simple and easy on the wallet! Pour equal parts of vinegar and Dawn into a spray bottle. Gently shake, then spray liberally onto the surface to be cleaned.
The combination of dish soap and vinegar is highly effective for a few different reasons. They're both excellent at breaking down tough grease and grime, but vinegar alone will simply run off of most surfaces, and dish soap is too thick to use on its own.
If you are trying to clean windows that are higher up and harder to reach, consider using a telescoping rod that has a mop attachment on the end. This cleaning method is one of the safest ways to clean through tough-to-reach windows because you don't have to leave the ground.
When using Dawn Powerwash, you should avoid cleaning porous surfaces such as marble and other soft natural stones or untreated wood. It is also best to keep Dawn Powerwash away from painted surfaces, too. Always make sure to test new cleaning products on inconspicuous areas of surfaces first.
“Dish soap does have a way of leaving streaks if it isn't rinsed,” says Jessica Ek of the American Cleaning Institute. What to use instead: “A product formulated to clean a particular surface or material is always the most effective option,” Ek says.
Dawn Original Dish Soap is a standby, well-known dish soap—and for good reason. This classic pick is the best overall dish soap because it requires less scrubbing than other dish soaps. It's also a versatile choice since it can be used on more than just dishes.
In a spray bottle, combine ¼ cup of white vinegar with ½ teaspoon of liquid dish soap. Dilute the solution with 2 cups of water, then shake the bottle vigorously to mix the components. If you don't have white vinegar on hand, you can substitute it with lemon juice.
The blue solution in the reservoir is an alcohol-based glass cleaner probably diluted with some water. After multiple people have wiped bugs, mud, oil, and gasoline off their vehicle using the squeegee and dunked it back into the tub, that fluid is more filth than detergent.