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There’s nothing like natural light to illuminate your home … until the sun’s rays start to highlight all of the dirt, spider webs and fingerprints built up on your windows. Don’t start wishing for clouds and rain just yet, though — it’s easy to keep your screens and window glass clean year-round. Read on to learn seven simple tips that’ll have you looking forward to sunny days and open windows.

Save Yesterday’s News

This one might come as a surprise, but it turns out yesterday’s newspaper can come in handy when it’s time to wash and dry your windows. A black-and-white sheet of newspaper is surprisingly wonderful at wiping your windows dry. Of course, you could also use a squeegee if you want to be professional about it.

Screen Queens

Your screen is vital when you want to open your windows, but they tend to get super dirty over the winter when they’re not in use. Fortunately, you don’t have to take them out and scrub them like you might’ve already done in the past. Instead, grab your vacuum, stick on the dust-busting brush, and clean your screens from the inside out.

Keep the Spider Webs Away

Are you tired of not wanting to open a window because of spiders that reside between the glass and screen? There’s a super simple way to keep those bugs away! Spring is a perfect time to finally open that window to clear out the webs and vacuum the screen. Afterwards just spray the corners of the screen where spiders seem to go with a mixture of 8 oz water and 5-10 drops of peppermint essential oil.

Welcome Fresher Air

You just cleaned that window last week, right? So why is it so dirty? Don’t blame yourself — it turns out your heating and air-conditioning system might be to blame. Try replacing the filter in order to ensure it more efficiently cleans pollen, dust, dander and other free radicals from the air. Your windows will stay cleaner for longer and, as an added bonus, you’ll be breathing fresher air. Now that’s a win-win.

Fight Tough Stains

You might live in a hard-water zone or you might just have an unlucky mix of regular rainfall and metal panes. Regardless, you’ve now got mineral stains and streaks on your windows. One of the best ways to tackle them is with steel wool, which scrubs them away with ease. You could also try gritty cleaning solutions that rub away stains with abrasives and easily rinse away.

Seal the Deal

You’ve also got to worry about your blinds, since they cover your windows. Blinds made of cloth are particularly notorious for collecting unwanted dust. This is another problem that’s no big deal to overcome. Simply spray them with Static Guard or another spray with similar antiseptic qualities. Make sure you do it right after you clean them, so as to not lock in any lingering dust bunnies.

Sill the Deal, Too

Finally, you’ve got to get your windowsills sparkling to complete the picture. This is one task that can be frustrating because your exterior windowsills are clearly exposed to the elements. In order to aid them in repelling dirt and dust from piling up, brush on a thin layer of floor wax. Voila.

You might even find yourself dreaming of a house with even more windows now that you know how to maintain them in a flash. Now, go enjoy the sun — you’ve got a good view from the inside and out.