How to Clean Window Tracks? (Step-By-Step Tutorial)

Windows are usually a great way to view the outdoor scenery right from your comfort zone. You can decide to look through a closed window pane or an open window. Whichever way you choose, a dirty window track will ruin the view once you set your eyes on it.

Window tracks accumulate dust and debris from both outside and inside. Irrespective of the kind of window you have, whether sliding window or fixed, dust settles on it.

To ensure you get your undisrupted view each time you look out the window, cleaning the window tracks becomes necessary. Here are some window cleaning tips to help you understand the steps on how to clean window tracks. 

Steps on How to Clean Window Tracks

Step 1: Get Your Cleaning Materials

Some supplies are necessary to ensure that your window tracks become as neat as ever. These supplies include;

• Bucket of warm or hot water, ensure that the water is clean
• Liquid soap (dish soap is advisable)
• Window track cleaning brush (You can use an old toothbrush). Window tracks have inner parts that are not easy to clean except with the use of this brush. This cleaning brush is essential so you can get to those places and corners that are hard to reach.
• A vacuum cleaner with hose attachment works great to clean up larger debris.
• Hydrogen peroxide. This solution helps break down stubborn dirt in the tracks to make easy to clean. You can also use a combination of baking soda and vinegar for this purpose.
• Cotton swabs for cleaning out tight corners
• Butter knife or any slim object
• Paper towels to soak up residual hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and vinegar mixture
• Towels: Get two of this item, ensure one of them is dry. The dry one is for wiping up moisture from the tracks when you finish cleaning.

Add a few drops of the liquid soap to the warm or hot water until it becomes foamy. Now you are ready to start cleaning.

Step 2: Using the Vacuum Cleaner to Remove Bigger Debris

Some debris like dead insects are usually present in window tracks. You can remove this kind of trash using a vacuum cleaning with adequate pressure. The exciting part is that these cleaning machines works great to remove as much waste as you can. If debris is stuck on the track, use the brush part to remove it.

Step 3: Wipe the Track Using Hydrogen Peroxide

Target dirty portions of the track and drop Hydrogen Peroxide on them. Hydrogen Peroxide helps remove stubborn dirt that the vacuum cleaner cannot remove. You can also do this by using baking soda and vinegar.

To use vinegar and baking soda, apply a little quantity of the effective mixture into the tracks. Ensure to target portions where stubborn stains exist. You will notice it fizzling as the mixture touches it.

Whether you use Hydrogen peroxide or baking soda and vinegar, leave the mixture on the tracks for a few minutes. After that, use your cleaning brush or old toothbrush to go over the stubborn debris. Ensure you start at the ends and move towards the center with your brush.

If you use the brush properly, you will notice that most of the dirt is out already. Use the cotton swabs to clean out dirt from tight corners where your finger cannot enter.

Dry up residual hydrogen peroxide or baking soda and vinegar mixture with your paper towels. Do this by pressing the paper towels into the window tracks. Then remove paper towels after you soak it all up completely. If your window track looks clean already, there is no need to go further. But if this method does not make look sparkling as you want you can go further with the next steps.

Step 4: Get Your Bucket of Foamy Water (Warm or Hot Water)

Your bucket of hot water containing liquid soap comes in handy here. Wash the window tracks using the foamy hot water. Hot water and steam dissolve or break down dirt while the soap will wipe it off. Cleaning window tracks with steam also help sterilize the tracks

You can use vinegar or other organic options in place of liquid soap.

Step 5: Using Your Scrubbing Brush, Scrub Tracks

With your special track brush or old toothbrush, scrub the track by dipping the brush in hot water. The dirt comes off easily because you softened it with hot foamy water.

Ensure you scrub the corners and ends properly to remove hidden debris. Sweep debris to center and pull out using your butter knife or any slim object.

Step 6: Clean Out the Track Using a Towel

Use one of your towels to clean the track. The towel has to be damp to be able to wipe out any remaining dirt. Ensure that minimal water is on the fabric to prevent water from accumulating in that area.

While wiping down the tracks, clean out those hidden areas too. This approach will make sure no debris remains on it at the end of the day.

Step 7: Dry With a Towel

Use your dry towel to soak up and clean all moisture. You can also air-dry the tracks while preventing re-entry of debris by ensuring it’s dry.

Remember that moisture breeds mold and other micro-organisms. So removing all moisture using your dry rag will ensure your track remains clean over a long time. If you are aluminum window tracks, you will need to dry up properly to prevent it from rusting.

Important Tips for Cleaning Window Tracks

To ensure that the track is perfectly clean, here are important window tracks cleaning tips.  

Wipe both Vertical and Bottom Tracks

We tend to forget that vertical tracks can also accumulate dirt and subsequently forget to clean it. To ensure that your window tracks are spotless, clean out the vertical tracks first.

If the bottom tracks get cleaned out before the vertical part, then work done is zero. The reason is that debris from the vertical tracks will end up falling on the bottom tracks messing up your job.

Clean Your Window Tracks Frequently

How often you clean window tracks determines how much dirt accumulates over time. You can clean this using paper towels or wet rags. All you need to do here is wipe that area with a rag or towel. If you find large debris, you can pick it out using a butter knife.

This cleaning it regularly reduces the time you will spend in deep cleaning the window tracks in the future.

Use a Brush for Corners and Areas that are Hard to Reach

To effectively clean out areas track and ensure it is sparking, a brush is necessary. The reason is that the brush helps you clean out places your fingers cannot naturally access.

Ensure you use a clean brush for track cleaning and always rinse brush at intervals during cleaning. Rinse the brush so your job will not look messy.

Deep Cleaning Window Tracks Not Less Than Twice Yearly

When you clean your window tracks often, the job becomes easier and comfortable the next you want to. It is also keeps it spotless over a long period. Ensure to clean your window tracks at least two times a year.

Wrap Up

If your window Track is dirty or as accumulated debris, you don’t need to need worry. You can follow the above steps on how to clean window tracks. It is an easy process, and you do it properly when you follow the guide carefully. Below are a summary of the steps to cleaning your window tracks and ensuring a good view year-round

• Gather materials for cleaning like water, soap, brush et.c (see more above)
• Using a Vacuum cleaner, clean out the tracks to remove large debris
• Soften dirt using Hydrogen peroxide or baking soda and vinegar mixture
• Brush out debris
• Apply foamy hot water on the dirt to soften it up more
• Brush out remaining debris
• Dry out window tracks using dry rags

If you follow these window cleaning tips judiciously, your window tracks will be sparkling in no time. You can leave a message in the comment section if you have any questions or suggestions.