I love our sliding glass door—it lets us see out to our beautiful lanai and beyond, gives us a feeling of connection with the outdoors when we’re thrilled to be inside in air conditioning, and provides a panoramic view of our spectacular sunsets.

But our slider also torments me when it shows off the dirt that blows in from the construction going on around us, and the streaks that are particularly visible when the sun is setting. It knows I’m looking and it torments me…

I love our slider but it plays me like a fiddle.

We’ve been having our windows cleaned professionally every few months. That said, it’s rainy season and there’s building going on a half-mile directly behind us, leaving in its trail a dusty moonscape—it didn’t seem to be the best time to invest in professional cleaning. Yet, our slider was filthy and something had to be done…

So, I googled. Quite a few solutions came up but I found one that used only three ingredients (all of which I had)—and it didn’t require a squeegee or towel drying. Sounded too good to be true, but in less than an hour, the slider and nearly all of our other outside windows were sparkling. And yes, I missed a few spots, but went back afterward and touched up.

Give this a try on your windows!

Source: Pinterest (Posted by Lena Wall-Smith)

Streak-Free Window-Cleaning Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon liquid Jet Dry rinse aid (I used Cascade rinse aid)
  • 2-3 Tablespoons dishwashing soap (I used Dawn. The post said that you can use laundry detergent as well, and that while liquid dissolves easier, powder is okay too.)
  • ½ gallon warm water
  • Spray bottle
  • Sponge
  • Hose (unless, of course, you’re inside😊)
  1. Mix above ingredients together in spray bottle.
  2. Spray down windows with hose.
  3. Spray with cleaning solution and scrub well with sponge.
  4. Rinse well with hose and let dry. No need to squeegee or towel dry.