LESLIE: Now we’ve got Beverly on the line who’s dealing with some windows that won’t come clean. Tell us what’s going on.
BEVERLY: Yes. Good afternoon. I’m trying to find out how to clean windows on a house that was empty for – it was only 14 years old but it was – told it was empty for several years before we moved in.
TOM: OK.
BEVERLY: And the windows just can’t come clean with the normal methods.
LESLIE: Does it seem like there’s a fogginess on the inside that you can’t get to?
BEVERLY: Seems like it’s on the outside. Some of them are double-pane; some of them are single-pane.
LESLIE: OK. And are you seeing – so you’re seeing it on both types?
BEVERLY: Yeah, there’s nothing on the inside. Seems like it’s just all on the outside.
LESLIE: Hmm. Have you tried simply white vinegar?
BEVERLY: Not the white vinegar yet, no. We tried the over-the-counter things that are supposed to get the lime and – like the things off the shower.
TOM: Right.
LESLIE: Right.
TOM: Yeah, the mineral deposits.
BEVERLY: Right.
LESLIE: Which, essentially, white vinegar does that; it really does a fantastic job of getting rid of mineral deposits. You know, generally, you would mix it with water but I would say in this case, try it undiluted. And newspapers are really a great trick when it comes to cleaning your windows; they do a wonderful job of really getting the windows clean without leaving streaks. But I think …
LESLIE: And Beverly, I know that you think this is on the outside of the glass but if it’s a 14-year-old house, it probably has some older, thermal-pane windows. And thermal-pane windows, when they start to leak and the seals start to break, they’ll develop a very fine condensation inside the glass, where you can’t get to it. You can clean that all day long, it’s not going to change anything because it’s on the inside. And there’s not a lot that you can do about that short of replacing the window units themselves.
So, if you’re absolutely positive that they’re single-pane windows then, of course, it could come clean. But if it’s a thermal-pane window, it’s just not going to happen.
BEVERLY: Right, right. Yeah, it’s a little grainy to the touch, you know what I mean?
TOM: Mm-hmm.
BEVERLY: So I’m just hoping I could get that clean. So, I really appreciate your help and I’m going to give that a try.
TOM: Alright. Well, good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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