Getting around to the household chores can be a tedious task, but cleaning expert Beatriz Santos has shared a clever trick that will leave your window tracks sparkling clean in no time at all
There’s nothing more rewarding than a streak-free glass shine after a day of household chores, but many Brits are neglecting to clean their window tracks.
The hard-to-spot grooves are designed to hold your windows in place, but over time dirt, dust, and dead insects can accumulate. A build-up of grime can prevent windows from working properly and lead to draughts entering the home, warns Squeegee Squad.
Fortunately, one household expert has shared a nifty trick for “effectively” cleaning the difficult-to-reach area, and it only requires a few cupboard essentials. Beatriz Santos, who goes by @makelifesimpler_ online, took to Instagram to share her window track hack, confessing: “It’s always so satisfying to see the before and after.”
The first step requires vacuuming away any accessible dirt using the hoover’s nozzle attachment. If you are unable to reach these smaller areas, Beatriz recommends replacing the nozzle with a cardboard tube taken from a used toilet paper. This trick means you are able to make the nozzle as tight as possible, allowing you to pick up any trapped dirt.
The expert then placed a washing up sponge on top of the window tracks and marked where the track indents lined up using a marker pen. With a safety knife, Beatriz then made slits in the sponge where she had marked.
She explained: “Wet the sponge with soapy water and line up the slits with the tracks.” This clever method allows the sponge to wipe away any dirt that may have accumulated in the trapped areas – leaving you with sparking clean window tracks.
Shoppers can bag six sponges for 35p from Sainsabury’s, working out as 6p per sponge, while soap can be picked up for 59p from Aldi. Impressed followers flocked to the comments to share their reaction to the little-know trick, as one user penned: “Love this tip! Great way to reuse toilet paper rolls instead of throwing them out.”
Another gushed: “Okay that’s a great idea,” while a third shared: “Oh I’m going to try this tomorrow.” According to experts, windows should be cleaned at least twice a year and many have hailed the white vinegar cleaning solution.
This involves combining two parts water with one part white vinegar and in a spray bottle, which leaves you with an effective and non-toxic cleaning combination. If you don’t have white vinegar in your kitchen cupboard, Architectural Digest suggests using a few drops of dishwashing soap instead.
