The Right Technique. It's often recommended to spray the window cleaner directly on your microfiber cloth, newspaper, or t-shirt instead of the glass. The reason is that this will help you avoid drips that can leave streaks if you don't wipe them up quickly.
4. Use Vinegar. Whether you are out of name brand glass cleaner or you want to use a more natural cleaner, vinegar works wonders on windows. Try a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water for a streak-free clean.
Using isopropyl alcohol and white vinegar together makes a quickly evaporating spray glass and mirror cleaner that competes with commercial brands. This can also be used to give a nice shine to hard tiles, chrome, and other surfaces.
In a spray bottle, combine 2 cups of white vinegar, 2 cups of water, and 5 drops of concentrated dish soap. Give it a good shake to thoroughly mix the ingredients. The vinegar is an acid and will help break up any mineral or hard water deposits. The dish soap helps to soften up the grime and gently remove dirt.
When hard water dries on glass surfaces, it leaves behind minerals that build up and form chalky white deposits over time. This glaze looks unassuming at first, but after spending time in the sun and wind, it becomes bulkier and more difficult to remove, creating a murky haze over your glass.
Commercial window cleaners will leave a very fine wax residue, a cleaning mixture of vinegar and water alone will often result in streaky windows. To remove this wax residue a simple detergent can be added to the vinegar and water to perfectly clean your windows!
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. Sweep away dirt: Using a broom, sweep away the cobwebs and debris from the windows and sills.
Interior windows should always be cleaned using a professional squeegee and scrubber tool for a streak-free clean. Exterior windows can be cleaned the same way but can also be cleaned using a water-fed pole for clean results without streaks.
All you do is mix up some vinegar, cornstarch and rubbing alcohol along with a few drops of essential oil, shake to mix and you are in business. This mixture of simple ingredients has some impressive cleaning power!
To make the best window washing solution with rubbing alcohol, add 1½ cup water, 1½ cup rubbing alcohol, and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar (if you have any) to a spray bottle. Close the bottle, shake it to mix the ingredients, and use it to clean windows and other glass surfaces in your home.
Use straight vinegar.
If you have really grimy windows, you'll want to wash them with an extra strength solution. Simply warm 1 cup (240 mL) of white vinegar and apply it directly to glass (a spray bottle is best for this particular solution).
You can also use common glass cleaning products like Windex on window film. The only thing you should NOT use to clean your window film is anything that is abrasive, because it will scratch the surface of the film.
One of the most common reasons for glass to become foggy or cloudy is water damage. This can be from a leaky window, condensation, or even humidity in the air.
Almost all windows have an insulated glass unit (IGU) inside of them. An IGU doubles the R-value of a glass window, increasing its energy efficiency. Foggy windows occur when the seal around the IGU begins to deteriorate. Over time, the seal around your insulated windows will begin to decline.
Spray a stronger mix of 1:1 water and vinegar (or Windex, or glass cleaner) at your window, so that the solution covers most of the glass. (I found Windex to work better, but if you have pets—or kids—who frequently lick outdoor windows, vinegar may be the best route for you.)
“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.”
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.
For most windows, combine equal parts distilled water and white vinegar. In most cases, it's best to do this in a spray bottle, but for larger windows combine more liquid in a bucket. For very dirty windows, especially exterior windows, combine 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and 1/2 tsp of dish detergent.
You can also use water from a bucket. Then fill a spray bottle with white vinegar and completely saturate the glass. Allow it to soak for at least 10 minutes—longer if there's serious buildup. Next, dip a scrubbing sponge into baking soda and scrub the glass.
The easiest way to repair a fogged window is to replace the window sash itself. The sash is the IGU and the frame around it. Most windows have two sashes and replacing them will provide the homeowner with a brand-new, intact IGU that prevents fogging. The old sash pops out, and the new one drops in.