Tackle it Tuesday: Washing Windows

I often times forget about our windows. I don't know why, they are some of my favorite things in the house. I love opening them up and letting fresh air in, oh how I'll miss that in a few months when we'll be locked up like Fort Knox trying to keep the air out! But for now, they are open and deserve a little attention. So tonight's Tackle it Tuesday was spent shining the windows!



I not only washed the glass, but the window casings as well. But then I had to take it one step further and utilize one of the awesome features of our windows, the fact that I can clean the outside...from the inside. Oh just wait.

First, you slide the bottom portion up just a bit. There are two tabs on the top of that portion that slide in, and it pops in from the top, like so. Here you can clean the outside of the bottom portion.




Then, you pull the top portion down just a bit. Again, there are two tabs on the top of that portion that slide in, and it pops down from the top...like so. So both portions of the outside glass are easily cleaned from the inside.



Now I don't have to climb through the landscaping or get out a seriously tall ladder. If your windows don't already do this, and you are considering getting new ones, I highly recommend these!!

A few tips for washing your windows:
*A great green window washing solution is vinegar and water- 1 gallon of water to 2 tbsp of vinegar.
*Rather than use paper towels, try newspaper. Sounds silly, but just do it. Although, I recommend wearing rubber gloves if you do.
*Wash from the top down, and don't forget the edges and ledges!

As I mentioned before, our new sliding glass door was installed yesterday by my wonderful husband and father-in-law. It's not 100% done, but here is a sneak peak. It has shades between the glass so no more cleaning blinds! I love the sleek look and even though the vertical blinds didn't take up a ton of space, it looks so much more open! It got it's first good cleaning today :)

Here it is with both shades down, but open- not the easiest thing to photograph.



And here it is one one shade down and closed and the other completely up.