Originally published at: Okay, I'll try a chalkboard eraser on my windows if it makes cleaning easier | Boing Boing
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Old trick from my restaurant days, extra large coffee filters are excellent for cleaning glass or glass ware.
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Note: It’s possible to get cleaning vinegar, which is twice the concentration of regular vinegar.
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Where do you get a chalkboard eraser these days? I thought we were all dry erase now.
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I don’t particularly mind the smell of vinegar when cleaning, but i suppose some people might be more sensitive to the smell or just not like it. Still i would prefer it over Windex as its more natural and less harmful than other cleaning solutions. One alternative however is to add some drops of essential oils to the vinegar to balance out the smell 
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The combo of windex and coffee filters couldn’t be beat for degreasing the vertical roasters and side item case at Boston Market. I think the eraser is worth a shot though, I hate wasting paper.
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We saved ours for the wood fired pizza oven[s], good fire starter. Yes, I too dislike wasting paper…
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Ammonia + newspapers.
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I can’t imagine the reporter tried their solution of 25% dish soap on actual windows, but I can’t imagine that wiping off easily. Reporting a story on how to clean things seems to be the hardest challenge of all.
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I’ve made this in the past and it works well enough for my needs.
"2 cups water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dishwashing soap (we like Dawn)
By the way, newspaper makes an excellent polishing cloth to prevent streaks."
In my experience newspaper make things worse, I use a microfiber cloth, failing that a paper towel.
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For cloudy glassware, run it through the dishwasher once with citric acid instead of detergent. The results are amazing. Everything will look brand new. You can also buy commercial dishwasher cleaner (like Glisten) but citric acid is the main ingredient in it. Do not use vinegar in your dishwasher. That’s acetic acid which will attack the rubber hoses in the machine. Citric acid is safe. Your glassware and the dishwasher itself will be cleaner than you ever thought possible. 
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How much citric acid would you add to a cycle? This is brilliant.
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I only clean my windows with steel wool and flaxseed oil, and then I bake them at 550 degrees to season them.
Wait, no.
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Fill the detergent cup, just like you would with detergent. The commercial cleaning powders come with more than that, and you spread the extra around in the machine, but I find filling the normal cup thing to be enough.
Don’t put dirty dishes in there, just clean (but cloudy) glassware or clean dishes that have calcium deposits on them (feel rough to the touch). The citric acid won’t clean off food like detergent, but it’s goddam magic on mineral deposits.
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Ahh, got it. Since replacing our dishwasher a few years ago we’ve used nothing but pods, but I can figure out what a standard measure is no problem. I already use citric acid on the kettle, it never occurred to me to take it to the dishwasher. Thank you!
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Citric acid also does wonders if you have hard water (like I do) and have mineral deposits on the stainless interior of the washing machine.
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Technology Connections taught me last week that US dishwashers aren’t like ours on the right-hand side of the Atlantic which come with water softeners, so ‘dishwasher salt’ isn’t a thing over there.
Do you want to spend the best part of an hour learning about the finer points of dishwasher detergent? Of course you do…
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I feel like Lifehacker ran out of actual life hacks like 5 years ago and now just find ever more elaborate solutions for problems that don’t exist.
Clean windows:
Lightly soapy water + squeegee + a rag to catch the drips. I literally did our entire house last year in about 30 mins and we have giant windows and windowed doors (like floor to ceiling glass).
Also, Windex is somehow the worst glass cleaner ever. I think it’s a marketing trick to get you to buy more Windex to clean off the Windex residue.
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Bosch says no to using either vinegar or citric acid in their washing machines, not sure about dishwashers…
Can I descale the washing machine with citric acid?
Descaling your washing machine? Avoid using citric acid! There’s a Bosch recommended washing machine cleaner for cleaning. It’s been tested in Bosch washing machines and provides optimal cleaning results.
We advise you not to descale your washing machine with household products that contain acid or vinegar. These can attack the rubber parts of the machine. Primarily, make sure that you don’t use too little washing detergent. Please see the detergent manufacturer’s instructions.
But, weirdly, sells a citric acid based descaler for both washing machines and dishwashers 
Descaler for Dishwashers & Washing Machines (1 Container)…
Ingredients: Citric Acid, Maleic Acid, PPG-4 Laureth-5
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I learned in the army that newspaper is best for glass. But I rarely get any thing on newsprint nowadays. Which is good.
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