Vinegar... in the space between Thanksgiving and Christmas

Image by George Hodan

TGIVF!!

If you're like most of us, you'll be planning your Christmas decorating as you're washing your last dish on Thanksgiving night. Unless of course, you're too caught up in Black Friday plans... but that's another subject altogether.

Before you start hanging lights around windows, it's a good idea to wash them first. But it's a bad idea to pull out the Windex, or some other toxic substance that you'll be squirting about.

Here's my eco-friendly recipe for streak-free clean windows just in time for the holidays.

Mix a 75/25 (water/distilled white vinegar) solution in a spray bottle and spritz away.

Here are some tips to make cleaning your windows a bit easier:

• Never wash your windows with any kind of liquid spray when the sun is shining on them. This will simply produce streaking, and you'll have to go back and do them again. If you're using a Norwex Envirocloth and Window Polishing Cloth, you're good to go, sunshine or not. But when you use a liquid spray, do the side of the house where the sun isn't shining.
• If there's a waxy build-up on the glass from commercial window cleaners, mix a solution of 2 cups water, 1 cup DWV and a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap. Spray it on and wipe. This should take care of the wax residue.
• If there are paint splatters on the windows from a recent, or not so recent paint job, dip a clean paintbrush in undiluted DWV and brush the paint right off. If there is a substantial amount of paint on the glass, heat up some full-strength vinegar and apply it to the window with a brush or rag. Allow it time to soak in and soften the pain before scraping it off with a razor blade.

Once the windows are clean, those dirty mini blinds and shutters look even dirtier. Don't you hate that?! You can always blame dirty windows on the weather or road construction, but when it comes to indoor dust and dirt, it's pretty much obvious where the blame lies. So now that the windows are letting the sun show off a bit, don a pair of cloth gloves and dip your fingers into a 50/50 solution of DWV and water. Slide your fingers between the slats. What could be easier? Yeah, I know... not having blinds or shutters in the first place!

Oh, and let's not forget the curtains. This is a good time to toss them in the wash with some eco-friendly detergent and vinegar. If the weather cooperates, you can hang them out to dry and they'll be wrinkle-free and ready to hang. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Cleanness... everywhere you go...

Keeping it green with vinegar,

Hana

For more tips like this, check out my book, Vinegar Fridays on Amazon.com or discounted at Lulu.com.