Your window track is located behind your window sill and secures your window. The track also prevents drafts and ensures that your window opens and closes smoothly. The track’s nooks and crevices, on the other hand, allow dust, grime, allergens, and pests to gather. Regular maintenance is essential, but window tracks can be difficult to clean with your standard set of tools.
While you don’t have to use your vacuum to clear loose debris from your tracks, doing so speeds up the cleaning process and helps to leave less debris behind. When vacuuming, make sure to use the tiniest attachment and, if available, a brush attachment to get dirt and other debris out of the corners.
To clean the surfaces of the tracks, use disposable cleaning wipes or paper towels wet with cleaning spray (fill a spray bottle halfway with warm water and a few drops of dish detergent). You can use cloth rags, but keep in mind that you will be throwing them away once you’re done since it’ll be impossible to clean them later.
Sprinkle the window tracks with a generous amount of baking soda. Make sure the powder does not form lumps or piles. Fill a spray bottle halfway with water and half with white vinegar. Spray until the baking soda is evenly saturated in the window tracks. The powder will foam and fizz because of the chemical interaction between baking soda and vinegar. Allow the combination to sit for 5–10 minutes.
Scrubbing can begin after your mixture has begun to bubble. The narrow bristles of a toothbrush are ideal for this activity because they can reach into those narrow parts of the tracks, cleaning debris from all those hard-to-reach locations. Put down the toothbrush and take up the toothpick if you still see dirt and debris, especially in the corners. The toothpick allows you to reach those difficult-to-reach tight locations and dig out any debris that the toothbrush may have left behind.
While waiting for the vinegar and baking soda to act, you can continue with cleaning the vertical tracks of the windows. Spray the vinegar-water mixture along the vertical window tracks on the sides of your window. Put on rubber gloves and scrub the vertical track with an old toothbrush from top to bottom. Make sure you get into the window tracks’ corners.
At the top of the vertical track, press a piece of paper towel. Wipe all of the filth toward the track’s bottom in a smooth, continuous motion. Repeat the process on the bottom track, wiping from one end to the centre with a fresh piece of paper towel. If one of the tracks is still unclean, spray it with more vinegar-water solution and wipe it down with another paper towel.
If there is any loose dirt or debris on the sill, vacuum it up. Fill a spray bottle halfway with warm water and a few drops of dish soap. Spray the solution on a clean microfiber cloth and wipe the windowsills.
Window tracks sometimes end up being ignored during routine cleaning. This can lead to the accumulation of debris and dirt in the tracks, which in turn affects its smooth functioning. If you tend to leave this for later, you can always hire a house cleaning company that will do it for you.
