Please tell me I'm not the only one who's noticed how dirty their window tracks are since throwing the windows and doors open to air the house?
In truth, it's because it's too easy to forget to clean window tracks until the heat suddenly hits and you reach for the windows to let the hot air out or create a cross-breeze to help keep a room cool.
I was actually pretty horrified by how filthy my window tracks were, in my otherwise clean home. I have a regular window cleaner to wash the outside and I ensure the inside panes are always gleaming, but somehow cleaning the tracks has been completely neglected. Until I saw Lynsey's time-saving cleaning trick and felt inspired to clean them immediately.
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"Drench a piece of kitchen roll with white vinegar, place it into the window track, then simply swipe it along to lift dirt and debris in one go," says Lynsey in her helpful tutorial video on her Instagram @lynsey_queen of clean.
To get into the tight grooves, on both window and door tracks, she suggests using the back of a spoon to push the kitchen towel into every possible crack.
"No fiddly brushes. No chasing dust around. Cleans and lifts debris at the same time." Lynsey declares it one of her favourite expert cleaning hacks because it takes mere seconds, involves no harsh chemicals, and "leaves your window tracks looking so much fresher".
Trying Lynsey Crombies window track cleaning hack
It really is as simple as it looks. You tear off a sheet of kitchen towel; I recommend doubling over two sheets to make it more robust when wet. Spritz the paper towel with white vinegar and place it along the window track.
I used a silicone cooking spoon (to avoid the scratchy sounds of a metal one) to drag the sheet along the length of the track, applying light pressure to wipe into the creases to ensure every bit of grime is picked up.
The dirt from the track transfers onto the paper towel as you wipe. Full disclosure, I did have to repeat the process because the tracks on my French doors were particularly dirty. Nevertheless, this trick worked an absolute treat.
As always, the professional cleaner is keen to encourage her fans to give it a try and let her know how they get on – and they didn't disappoint with this window cleaning task.
"So helpful. Thank you," wrote one, "Definitely trying this," enthused another. "I hate this job, thanks for the tip," said another more directly.
Here at w&h, we are always on the lookout for simple cleaning hacks that save us time but still produce great results without harsh chemicals or too much elbow grease. Cleaning with vinegar is always up there for some of the most effective ways of removing dirt, as this simple window track method has demonstrated.
Lynsey also attributes her trick of using a vinegar-soaked kitchen towel as the easiest way to deep-clean a mouldy washing machine seal – another cleaning trick we now use regularly.
