Clean glass not only makes your home look neat and tidy, but it also provides you with a clear view when looking outside. There are seemingly endless glass cleaning products on the market but are they the best way to achieve a streak-free shine? In this post, we’ll which products and methods we recommend here at True Blue Glass to ensure your glass is gleaming every time.
The thing about cleaning glass is, there are many different ways you can achieve the same result.
One thing that doesn’t differ is the need to prepare the glass before applying a cleaning product.
Remove dirt and dust
Before you apply any cleaning product to the surface of the glass, you must remove dust and dirt first. Skipping this step will most likely result in streaks as the contaminants will adhere to your cloth and mix in with the product. It doesn’t matter how much product you apply or how much you wipe the surface, it will smear, and you’ll have trouble achieving a smudge-free finish. This is where people go wrong most of the time.
Before applying your product, clean off any dirt or dust with a clean, soft, non-abrasive cloth using a water and dishwashing liquid mixture. Mix approximately one tablespoon with around 1 litre of warm water in a spray bottle and apply liberally over the surface. Leave this to sit for around 5 minutes before wiping off. If you don’t have a spray bottle, you can make this mixture using a bucket. Rinse the cloth when necessary as you go. It’s imperative that you clean out the tracks if any, and the framing at this stage for the best result.
As mentioned, there are a couple of ways you can clean your glass, all options listed below are equally effective, and you can choose one based on what items you may already have on hand. They are:
Vinegar
A cheap and cheerful window cleaner that works incredibly well is white vinegar. Most of us have it in the pantry, and best of all it’s environmentally friendly and economical compared to some premade glass cleaning products. To make your own vinegar glass cleaner, simply combine water and vinegar together in a spray bottle using a 50 to 50 ratio. Give it a good shake and spray generously on your glass. Let it do its thing for around 5 minutes and wipe off with a microfibre cloth. Repeat if necessary.
Window vacuum
This method is a little more expensive and fancier but works as well as the traditional vinegar method. These have a compartment that stores your preferred window cleaner that you spray onto the glass, it has a squeegee attached which you can use to run across the glass and the vacuum feature sucks up any residual water and product from the surface, leaving it dry and sparkly. The thing about these cleaners, while pricier, is that they are an all-in-one product meaning you don’t have to have a combination of items to clean your window.
Squeegee and glass cleaner of your choice
A squeegee and glass cleaner, while a step down from the high-tech window vacuum, works well to clean glass. This is as easy as preparing your glass as outlined above, applying your glass cleaner, whether that’s a premade product or the vinegar solution, allowing it to sit and then running over the glass with the squeegee starting from the top and working your way down removing water as you go. This should result in a clean and clear window. Just ensure your squeegee is clean before using it on your windows to prevent smears.
Newspaper and water
The most budget-friendly option of the lot and most eco-friendly too is water and newspaper. Simply apply tepid water to your glass using a spray bottle and then wipe off using scrunched up newspaper. You can use vinegar or a window cleaner in place of water if you choose.
Make sure you avoid the following things when cleaning your glass
Glass can be susceptible to scratches and marks if the wrong products or equipment is used.
Only use soft, clean cloths and avoid using abrasive items such as stiff brushes, scourers, or scrapers on your glass. This can cause irreversible damage and can ruin the appearance of your glass and potentially its lifespan.
Avoid using harsh chemicals on your glass. Cleaners such as bleach or any product containing the ingredients phosphoric or hydrofluoric acid.
Acidic and alkaline cleaners of all kinds should be avoided. They’ll not only damage your glass but their fixings too, and often the only remedy to fix damage such as this is an entire replacement which can be time-consuming and costly.
A little effort goes a long way
Taking the time to clean your glass regularly will ensure that it doesn’t get excessively dirty and impact its ability to perform as it should. It’ll ensure your glass stays looking beautiful year-round, and you don’t need to book in replacements more often than you normally should.
We hope this post has been of some help and you can clean up the glass around your home to make it look brand new with the information shared. If you are unsure of what to do, speak to your local Glass Replacement Brisbane expert!
If your glass has seen better days and no amount of cleaning is going to help restore its former clear shine, talk to the professionals here at True Blue Glass. We are South East Queensland’s leading glass and aluminium company, and we’d love to help you give the glass in your home a new lease on life.