Improve Your Home's Curb Value With These Natural Window Restoration Tips
A home's "curb value" is the monetary value that it's exterior adds to its overall market price. Fixing up your old windows is often considered one of the 10 best ways to improve your curb value. The following process will immediately improve the look of your windows while remaining relatively environmentally-friendly.
Eliminate Scratches With Nail Polish Remover
Scratches ruin the look of a window and immediately decrease its contribution to your home's curb value. Eliminate these scratches safely and easily with clear nail polish remover. Carefully clean the area around the scratch with a soft cloth wipe and water. Dry it with a soft cloth towel and then apply the nail polish directly to the scratch. Make sure to cover the scratch entirely while avoiding any excessive buildup or gunk.
Another natural way to remove glass scratches involves mixing water, white toothpaste, and baking soda in equal amounts and gently rubbing this paste into the contours of the scratch with a soft cloth. Don't apply this paste outside of the scratch. Wash the area and repeat until the scratch is gone.
Clean the Glass With Newspaper and Vinegar
Once you've removed all the scratches from your glass, you can move on to cleaning it. One of the greenest ways is with vinegar and newspaper. It is especially useful if you have a lot of newspaper around the house and want to reuse it.
Start by diluting your vinegar with water and liquid soap: a good recipe uses two cups of water, a quarter cup of vinegar, and half a cup of liquid soap. Mix this cleaner up until it is evenly spread and then fill up a spray bottle with it.
Now, spray your mixture on the glass of the window and rub it across the surface with a newspaper page. Rub in a circular motion for the best results. Really focus on the small, hard to remove spots. Continue to apply cleaner and use a new sheet of newspaper when the one you're using gets too wet. Move on to vertical and horizontal swipes until you've cleaned all the gunk off the window and created a streak-free window. If possible, clean both sides to get the best results.
Finish Up With Homemade Wood Stain
Last, but not least, we move on to staining the window frames with a homemade, all-natural stain. Creating your own homemade wood stains is actually a lot easier than you'd imagine: all you need is a natural stain ingredient and a steel wood pad. Commonly used natural stain substances include:
- White vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar
- White vinegar
Start by placing a very fine piece of steel wool for the first three ingredients in a jar. Pour your stain ingredient into the jar until it completely covers the steel wood pad. Wait 24 hours and pour the solution into another jar. The color of the steel wood pad will indicate the color of the stain.
For a darker stain, leave it in the jar longer than 24 hours. If you find that the stain is too dark, slowly pour water into the jar to dilute its color. Apply the stain to the wood of your window frames, let it dry, and add at least three to four coats.
When you're finished, your windows should look gorgeous! And if your basic window structure is still strong, you may have added thousands of dollars to the value of your home. For more information, contact companies like Active Hurricane & Security Protection.