| The call came unexpectedly. It was my | | | | Simply put, if you don't use microfiber, |
| mother. She was in a panic about the | | | | you'll wipe those windows until your arm |
| need to clean year's worth of dirt off | | | | wants to fall off, leaving you feeling |
| the windows on her house. "I love ll the | | | | like the Venus di Milo. |
| views," she said, "but I don't want to | | | | The recipe |
| spend the whole ay cleaning windows." No | | | | To clean your windows, fill a bucket |
| problem, I told her. In "Name that Tune" | | | | with water and then follow the |
| fashion, I told her how she could clean | | | | instructions on your favorite bottle of |
| windows with not five, not four, but | | | | sudsy ammonia to make your cleaner. A |
| only three window-cleaning tools -- and | | | | whole bottle of ammonia costs about a |
| do it faster than she ever thought | | | | dollar and will make gallons of cleaner, |
| possible. "This, I want to hear," she | | | | making it an economical choice. Or, you |
| said. | | | | can do what I do and simply add a |
| Outdated methods | | | | quarter cup of sudsy ammonia to a gallon |
| Too often, window cleaning turns into a | | | | bucket of water. (Sudsy ammonia has a |
| dreaded chore. That's because until now | | | | little bit of detergent that helps make |
| we've cleaned with everything from old | | | | the dirt come off easier.) Put in your |
| shirts, discarded towels, newspaper, and | | | | squeegee and get the sponge wet with the |
| pallets of paper towels. If that's what | | | | ammonia water. Scrub the windows with |
| I had to work with, I'd board up my | | | | the sponge, squeegee off the excess |
| windows. But, clean windows aren't out | | | | water, and polish dry with a microfiber |
| of your reach. | | | | cloth. Bada bing, bada boom, you're |
| The problem with windows is that we | | | | done. |
| think we need gallons of specially | | | | Ah, that's great for the outside |
| formulated window spray to get them | | | | windows, but what about the inside |
| clean. After only ten minutes of | | | | windows, you ask? Dampen a microfiber |
| spraying and pumping, you'll wind up | | | | cloth with your ammonia water and wring |
| with kung-fu grip and a huge bill for | | | | it out. Wipe the inside windows with the |
| all that spray. But with a small | | | | wet cloth and follow with the dry cloth. |
| investment in a car window sponge and | | | | Voila! You're finished again in nothing |
| squeegee cleaning stick, some ammonia, | | | | flat. |
| and a few microfiber cloths, you can | | | | The phone rings. It's Mom, singing my |
| clean your windows in no time. | | | | name. Her arms are still moveable she's |
| Microfiber is my absolute, hands-down | | | | happy to report, and her hands aren't in |
| favorite cleaning cloth - for | | | | a frozen death grip from all the |
| everything. Whether it's dusting, | | | | squirting of window cleaner and she's |
| cleaning shiny surfaces like granite, | | | | finished with the inside and outside |
| glass-topped cooking surfaces, or | | | | windows in under two hours. Now that's a |
| polishing stainless, nothing cleans as | | | | job well done and done, well, fast. |
| well as microfiber. Look for microfiber | | | | Every carpenter will tell you that any |
| cleaning cloths in the automotive | | | | job is easier when you have the right |
| sections of dollar stores, megamarts, or | | | | tools - and that's true for window |
| variety stores. These cloths will leave | | | | cleaning too. |
| your windows completely streak-free and | | | | Until next time, make your living space |
| won't deposit lint on them or give you | | | | more beautiful with sparkling windows. |
| blackened hands like newspaper does. | | | | |