If you’ve never tackled cleaning window tracks there are a few tricks the professionals use that we’ll share with you. It’s really not brain surgery, but most people wipe the area when they wash their windows. Over the years, the grime and dirt build up and those simple wipes don’t work anymore.
When the professional come in to clean the tracks they carry a few tools that will help to make the job easier. A minivac or vacuum cleaner with an attached hose will work just fine; an old toothbrush, and don’t use your husband’s; a toothbrush shaped wire brush will work well too; a thin putty knife; clean rags, thin ones work best, and you won’t want to use them in the bathroom again; dish soap, along with some detergent that will soak off the dirt; and finally an old towel.
If you haven’t thoroughly cleaned the window tracks in your home, get ready because it’s going to take a bit of scrubbing. First of all you’ll need to remove the window (if your windows slide open otherwise just open them wide). The sliding window can be open as far as possible, then you should be able to lift it up and out, and place it on that old towel that you placed by the wall. You don’t want the window to slip and fall, or get the carpet dirty, and it will if you aren’t careful.
Then take the vacuum cleaner hose and pick up the loose dirt. We failed to tell you that you’ll need a bucket with some hot or warm water and the soap, and you may want to place a towel under the bucket. Take the toothbrush or wire brush and try to get rid of as much of the grime as you can. In some instances if you take a SOS pad it will remove a great deal of the stuff you’re trying to get rid of. Scrub if necessary.
When the track is as clean as you can get it, go to the window and before you put it back on the track clean it too. Otherwise you’ve just wasted your time. It’s a good time to clean the window.
If you don’t want to go through all that, call a professional, they’ll do the job, and they aren’t really cheap. Some charge $5.00 per track and that can add up. After the tracks are clean, keep them clean and each time they’ll be easier to clean.
