We’re in the home stretch of the Buzzfeed 10 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge! Today is the window challenge and it was kind of a let down for me because it was raining in Chicago this morning. I was hoping to have sparkles of light dancing on my freshly cleaned windows like something from an ad.

One minute: Dust off the sill
Supplies you’ll need: Microfiber cloth or socks, vinegar solution
Dust off the sill. Use your duster or a cloth sprayed with water/vinegar. Make sure to open the window and get the grime that’s trapped underneath.

Five minutes: Clean the blinds ( + dust off the sill)
Supplies you’ll need: Microfiber cloth or socks, vinegar solution, APC
Put clean old socks on your hands. Spray one with your water/vinegar mix and rub along the each of the blinds, using the other to dry. This works for wood blinds as well as plastic ones.

Ten minutes: Scrub the frame & muntins ( + dust off the sill + clean the blinds)
Supplies you’ll need: Microfiber cloth or socks, All-purpose cleaner
If your windows have separate panes, the muntin is the wood or metal strip holding the panes together. Spray your APC on a sock then clean only the muntins. Then do the same with the frame or molding around the window.

When I opened my window I used a vacuum nozzle to get the dust and bugs that were trapped underneath the sill first. We live on a major street and the amount of dirt that gets blown on to our windows is pretty disgusting. I didn’t feel comfortable using the water/vinegar or an all-purpose cleaner on our wood blinds so I just ran the microfiber cloth across them. It did a fine job. No muntins (so that’s what they’re called!) on our windows so cleaning the glass was easy-peasy. If it hadn’t been raining I would have tilted them in to clean the outsides as well. I’ll just have to save that for another day.

How did you do with your windows today?

xo Jennifer