Super simple, easy guide to washing your windows and exterior glass

We’re in the business of glass, which means we’re also in the business of knowing the best ways to keep that glass clean and sparkly. We’ve already posted before on this topic (how to clean your windows like a pro), but realized that sometimes — like right before the holiday season, for instance — our customers just want a quick, fast, easy way to wash their windows with supplies they already have around the house.

So if you’re not in the market for a window scrubber and a squeegee and just want clean windows with minimal work, THIS is the window washing guide for you.

All you need is:

A standard cleaning bucket
Warm water
White vinegar
Liquid dish soap (like dawn)
A non-abrasive sponge or lint-free rag
A hose or bucket of clean water for rinsing

*And — if you’re an overachiever — a dry, lint-free or microfiber rag (or paper towels) for drying your window panes (if they’re wood or painted) to prevent any possible damage.

Have those supplies lying around? We thought so!

Step-by-step guide:

1 – In a standard cleaning bucket, pour about 1 c of white vinegar and 2 t of dish soap. Not sure whether or not your bucket is “standard?” Use about 1/4 c white vinegar and 1/2 t dish soap for every 2 c water.

2 – Fill the rest of the bucket up with warm water.

3 – Dunk your sponge or rag in the mixture and wash your windows to your heart’s content — we recommend washing only one window at a time so the soap mixture stays wet.

4 – Rinse your window, and rinse thoroughly, otherwise you’ll get streaks.

5 – (Expert level) dry your window panes to prevent any possible damage.

6 – Enjoy your sparkly clean windows!

Here are a few extra tips:

• Wash windows one at a time so the soap stays wet before you rinse it — if the mixture dries on the window before you rinse it, it may leave streaks
• Avoid washing windows when they are in direct sunlight (or when it’s hot outside) so they don’t dry to quickly — quick-drying windows means more likelihood of streaks
• Have particularly dirty windows? Wash first with warm water mixed with a little liquid dishsoap and rinse, then proceed with the vinegar mixture
• Still have a few streaks? Don’t worry about washing the window again – just rub the streaks gently with a microfiber or lint-free cloth
• If you have LOTS of streaks, it could be because the windows didn’t get quite clean enough during the scrubbing step, they didn’t get rinsed thoroughly enough, or they dried too quickly. (Not sure whether the conditions are perfect? Do one test window first.)