Airstream Spring Cleaning, Day 2
Windows, windows everywhere! 25 window surfaces to be exact. And that’s only counting the one side. Multiple that by 2 in addition to the accompanying screens to most of the count, and you have a whole lot of scrubbing going on.
The day started out beautifully, and with a slight window of opportunity (punny! :)) with the weather and approaching front, I wanted to leap at the chance and get a head start on the heavy task at hand. The cleaning of many years of dirt and grime from the ledges of our Airstream’s soul.
When we first bid and then subsequently won our trailer off of eBay, ‘Airabella‘ was immediately tucked away in storage whilst we worked diligently in Calgary for that opportune time to leave our work and explore the North American continent. A year and a half later, we made the Airstream our travelling home and headed south, escaping the cold Fall-Winter temperatures with only a quick surface clean to tide us over until Spring.
Today was the day to tackle the dirt firsthand, providing us with a clean and clear outlook out to the beautiful world around us. The trick was: how could I effectively clean her filthy windows with as little environmental impact as possible?? Instinct and years of conscious cleaning led me in the right direction.
First off, I used an air compressor to blow out the cobwebs, wasp nests and excess garbage from the sills surrounding every window. Then I used a strong solution of hot water, borax and vinegar to surface wash the windows with a micro-fibre cloth. After the bulk of the grime was removed, I gently mopped the screens from both sides and followed with a final rinse of the windows, using a mixture of Sal’s suds, vinegar and hot water. Having a huge pile of newspapers at my disposal, I capitalized on the paper’s capabilities to leave a lint-free dry finish. The end product? A multitude of streak-free squeaky clean windows.
The whole process took me about 8 hours. To say that I was exhausted by the end of the day would be an understatement. But in the flurry of cleaning and Spring overhauls, slaDE and I were content in knowing that our Airstream was ready for a Summer of glorious splendour, wherever we would extend our jacks.
Here’s a few of my favourite eco-friendly recipes for washing windows:
Homemade Window Cleaner Recipe
Eco-friendly all the way. Live, love it, breath it!
