Window Glass--Cleaning
In cleaning windows to remove soil and grease use
an alkali, such as ammonia or baking soda or washing
soda.
To remove hard water deposits and some soils, use a
weak acid such as vinegar (a strong acid would etch the
glass).
Never combine an acid and an alkali to clean glass.
One partially neutralizes the other and you waste these
neutralized materials. Thus do not mix vinegar and
ammonia; use one or the other in your water solution to
get the full effectiveness of the one product used.
One popular "recipe" from a commercial product
suggests combining ammonia (a moderately strong alkali),
baking soda (a mild alkali) and vinegar (a weak acid) in
water to clean glass. It gives good results but you
could get the same result by just using less ammonia
without the weaker alkali and the neutralization of the
vinegar and part of the ammonia.
Be careful not to drip alkaline or alcohol solutions
on painted or varnished woodwork as it can damage the
finish.
Wring out a cloth, sponge, or chamois almost dry
before wiping the glass surface. Dry the wet surface
with newspapers, paper towels, window wipes, or a
chamois. Try not to drip cleaning solution on woodwork.
Avoid washing windows in direct sunlight because they
tend to streak and are more difficult to clean.
Rubber squeegees with long handles are useful for
reaching large or high windows. When using a squeegee,
stroke from top to bottom. Wipe the squeegee after each
stroke. Also convenient for cleaning hard-to-reach
windows is an extension wash brush (available in
automobile supply stores). The wash brush can be attached
to a garden hose.