While hanging our faux brick panels up in the playroom/guest room I happened to look down and see the grotesque window tracks. I remembered that I hadn’t cleaned this particular window when we moved in over two years ago, since this room wasn’t going to be used that much. Apparently the pervious owners didn’t clean it either, because the caked on grimy dirt was about 15 layers deep. Gag me! So today I wanted to share with you a pretty quick and painless approach to clean window tracks with minimal scrubbing yet you’ll get great results!
Now’s the time that I’m going to warn you, if you have a weak stomach, you might want to come back later when your food has fully digested and there’s less chance of it being hurled all over your computer screen. Just saying…;)
Alrighty…Let’s get down and dirty!
I switched sides on you, because the other had a squished skeletal lizard. Yeah…It was that bad. The corners are of course always the worst with the moldy, mucky window crud that is always the hardest to reach and clean out.
Here’s what you’ll need…
- white vinegar and baking soda (or hydrogen peroxide works too!)
- q tips
- an old tooth brush
- some hot water
- paper towels
- and a trash bag or plastic grocery bag to throw the used stuff into
The first thing I did was sprinkle a bit of baking soda into the corners, then I poured a bit of vinegar into a cup and poured it into the tracks. The baking soda will begin to bubble and loosen up the caked on cruddy stuff.
When the bubbling calms down take your q-tips and begin to make circle motions all along the track, then go back into the corners and sweep the muck towards the middle of the track. You’re going to need to keep replacing your q-tips since they get dirty fast. I think I wen’t through about 30 doing just this window!
Mmmm yummmm-ay!
Once you’ve loosened up all the muck. Get your cup of warm water and start pouring from the corner to the center of your window track.
Then use your paper towels to wipe everything dry.
Look at the difference with minimal effort! Now, because mine were SO BAD, I repeated the same process in the stubborn spots like the corners. Sprinkled baking soda, poured a bit of vinegar and let it bubble up, then I used a tooth brush to go back and scrub it better and get the mud out of the corners. Rinsed with water, and wiped dry.
Before…
After…
I should have done this two and half years ago!
I hope you loved this easy window track cleaning tip! Here’s some other cleaning tips you might find helpful!
How to Maintain Wallflower Plug-Ins
Best way to clean shower glass
How bad are your window tracks?? Please tell me mine weren’t the worst you’ve ever seen!
Talk to you soon friends, take care!
XO
I think window track cleaning is probably one of the most annoying homeowner tasks kind of like weed pulling where you know no matter how many times you go out and clean your garden, the weeks will still grow back. I try to clean out my window tracks every spring and fall using a pressure washer. It never fails that when I open it back up there is dirt and bugs all up in there.
-Jackie
http://ournashvillelife.blogspot.com
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Maybe it’s a Florida thing (because I don’t remember them being this bad when we were in Ohio or during my upbringing in New York) but our window tracks are TERRIBLE, too! And I had to chuckle at the skeletal lizard comment because we’ve totally seen the same thing here in the home we’re renting! But reading this post gives me hope. Time to bust out the cleaning supplies!
Lauren @ The Thinking Closet recently posted…How to Stain Wood with a HomeRight Finish Max Sprayer: Video Tutorial
No, yours are by far not the worst, lol. Mine are horrendous and I have been wondering how to go about doing just this! Thank you for this post it’ll help so very much in this house and the new one we hope to get soon!
I generally run the edge brush (when vacuuming) on tracks every two months. A brush with long bristles is best. Less chemicals later when you have to deep clean like this. This is also a great chore for kids, that’s how I learned to clean window tracks 🙂 (keep different inside and outside brushes…ew…)
Isn’t it amazing how dirty window tracks get? Q-tips are great to clean the closet tracks too.
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THANK YOU for this!! We moved into a place with disgusting window & door tracks, I can’t wait to clean the heck out of them. And don’t worry, mine are way more disgusting than yours…I’m guessing its 12 years worth of crud.
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I have been living in apartments for the last 20 years, and I am amazed at the crud and discussting dirt, filth and mess people leave, either lazy or just dont care. I am acclimated to cleaning every nook and cranny during my first week in my new place (8 apartments to be exact) and I have discovered that light switches, toilet holding tanks, and window and door tracks. I have found baby poop stains on the carpet that I thought was an iron burn, (uuuukkk) to layers upon layers of bugs, dirt, grime, and who knows what else. Being a home owner before I am discussed with peoples cleaning skills. Wether it is your own home or you are renting dont leave your filthy dirty stinky lazy cleaning habits for the new tennants you made the mess clean it up or better yet develop a cleaning regime that you will use when you buy your own dream home.
can’t wait to do this tomorrow! who says that? lol I’m also in Florida. lizards everywhere….
Just wondering where you got your foux brick from I am looking for some and not sure where to get it?
Hi Teresa, it’s from Lowes in their molding department 🙂
Great idea! Thank you!! Do you have any ideas on how to clean baseboard water heaters (don’t know what they’re technically called). They look like long radiators. I just moved to Upstate NY from the West Coast and have absolutely no idea how to get these clean. AND they are GROSS!!! The house hadn’t been really lived in for 20 years so got no love – cleaning or otherwise. Thanks in advance for any ideas!
Unfortunately I don’t know. We don’t have anything like that here 🙁
before you wet anything, use a firm small brush and a small screw driver or a cuticle stick to scrap out gunk, then vacuum. i use a shop vac and i bought these very small attachments (look where they sell shop vac attachments) they work great for a lot of things, then use your wet solution. that way not so much slim…. hope this help some of you.
I use an expired credit card, cut it to the width of the track and then dry scrape away. Cost: $0.
No yours are bot the worst tracks! I am going to use your method on my sliding glass door traqcks….Theyb are the worst! I live in the sesert and mine get so gross! So tomorrow, they are getting clean! YAY!
Thanks for the tips…and to all your readers for their tips too! You have notivated me!
TIP 1) I used a LOT more baking soda then just a sprinkle. I kinda dumped it into the bad areas. 2) I put my vinegar into a spray bottle, then after I used a wide spray to activate most of the baking soda, I used very focused stream to blast out the tiny sections I couldn’t reach with my cloth. No toothbrush or scrubbing needed. If there was still grime in there, I simply resprayed and reactivated the baking soda. Followed up with several rinses of hot water. Wiped any extra up with paper towels. SO EASY!
Mine are this bad! I just never thought about cleaning window tracks, and now they’re so bad that I’m overwhelmed. Now I have a way to do it and I will!!! I’m half looking forward to it, half detesting it because I feel like I’m going to throw up lol! Thanks for the tips!
Sarah
Sarah recently posted…Thrift Store Stool Makeover
I use instead of a toothbrush a artist paint brush and while track isn dry brush all dust and dirt to centre of track and then vacuum it up first followed by vinegar and soda and no paint brush followed by the warm water and clean up with the paper towels works well less mess as well
I use a small cheap paintbrush instead of toothbrush to brush all the dust and dirt to the middle of the track first while dry vacuum up the dirt followed by vinegar and soda with the brush and then the water and clean up with a paper towel so much easier with the paint brush
Sorry for posting my tip twice
Gayle McLean recently posted…Thanksgiving Hostess Gifts
Great tip Gayle! It was worth it x2! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving! XO
I don’t know about these but a lot of tracks you can removed the window by pushing up and the track comes out so you can clean them in the shower that’s how I do mine
How do you rinse with water and not get water every where?
The windows are open so it drips outside.
Wait, what? You clean window tracks? I best not check mine then! Is ignorance truly bliss? Darn it you’re going to make me look! ……… AAARGH the horror!! Carnage in window tracks! Oh save me!
haha!
I use a flat head screw driver and a tooth brush to scrape & loosen up the dry stuff and use the vacuum hose to suck it u before getting it wet. Makes cleaning up the muck easier.
Thank you so much! I live in Florida and have battled this for years!
That’s where I am so I feel your pain! Happy cleaning 🙂
I’ve been dreading cleaning my window tracks and I know that I I need to do it. Thank you for the tip and I’m sure willing to try it.
Hey, thanks a lot! How do you clean the outside of your house windows?
vinegar and dawn dish soap works wonders!
Instead of toothbrush or qtips use acrylic paint brushes. They get the corners really well and a bamboo kabob stick works for the tight places. I clean after home renovations/construction and we use plain old hot water and a bit of dish soap and a cloth . Less waste( paper towel/qtips)
Great idea! I just used what I had on hand at the time but those items sound like they’d work great too 🙂