Use a soft scouring pad, water, and dish liquid to scrub the dirt from the window sill. For stains, add some baking soda to the mix and scrub lightly.
Make a warm water soapy solution with a squirt of washing-up liquid or a dedicated liquid window cleaner in a bottle (not the spray type). Use a cloth or non-scratchy sponge to wash down the sills. You might need to soak the sill and leave it for five minutes before rubbing again to shift stubborn dirt.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Sprinkle some baking soda on the window sill. Add a little vinegar and use an old toothbrush to scrub the grime. Rinse with water and dry with a clean towel.
Avoid harmful chemicals: If you have children or pets, you may wonder what to clean window sills with safely. A diluted vinegar solution (3 parts warm water to 1 part distilled white vinegar), poured into a spray bottle, is easy to apply, affordable, safe, and effective.
'You can wipe with a cloth or an old toothbrush to break up the dirt,' she says. 'A handheld steamer is also a great way to clean window tracks. The heat of the steam will blast through the dirt quickly and easily and then you can wipe it up with a cloth.
Mix a solution of equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Spritz generously into the window tracks until the baking soda is uniformly saturated. A chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar will cause the powder to foam and fizz. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
(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.)
Use Windex® Vinegar for a streak-free shine** without the smell of ammonia. Give glass surfaces a streak-free shine. ** This product is formulated with vinegar and doesn't leave behind the smell of ammonia. It's safe to use on all glass surfaces.
Plan to Clean Your Windowsills Once or Twice a Year
Windowsills become dirty after lots of use and time. If you live in a climate where you're only able to open your windows for a few months of the year, you'll need to do one to two yearly windowsill cleaning sessions at most.
The most common professional window cleaning solution recipe is filtered or distilled water and dish soap. Just a few spoonfuls of dish soap is all that's needed to create foam for gliding and to help break up any grease and dirt on the glass during cleaning.
White vinegar is a safe and effective way to remove oil and grime from stainless steel surfaces. All you need to do is find a reusable spray bottle and dilute the vinegar with equal parts of water. A great option is our Reusable Metallic Spray Bottle which is brilliant for cleaning around the house.
One of the first signs of water damage is often discoloration. As moisture seeps into the walls or window sills it often causes yellow, brown, or copper stains. It might fade with sun or rain, or the stain might be permanent and only get bigger over time.
Use WD-40® Specialist® Water-Resistant Silicone. Lubricant on window tracks of classic cars that won't. slide up and down easily.
Paper towels are an easy go-to whenever you're cleaning glass. But, that right there is your problem. Paper towel is the number one culprit of leaving behind streaks and lint. Paper towels are typically treated for absorbency, which makes them ideal for spills, but awful for glass cleaning.
In addition, the mixture creates a byproduct, saltwater, that robs both of their cleaning properties. Both vinegar and ammonia are good cleaning agents, but if you want to be on the safe side, then it's best to go with vinegar.
Wipe off any excess cleaner to prevent streaks
You can use a squeegee for a streak free finish. Also work in an S-shape. Periodically wipe the squeegee blade on a clean rag to avoid smearing dirt around. Remove remaining water with a damp chamois or microfibre cloth and dry the windowsill.
To kill and remove mold from a window sill, you can either scrub it with undiluted white vinegar or with a household bleach solution. It's usually worthwhile to start with the vinegar approach because vinegar is less harsh than bleach.
Even if you never open your windows, dirt, dust and dead insects will find a way into your window tracks. Because of this, you should make cleaning the tracks a part of your housekeeping agenda during your fall or spring cleaning.