Dirt in windows

[meatnub]

(I think i'm going to enjoy posting here a lot)

My wife and I aren't neat freaks, we both work full time and have a 14 month old. We try to clean best we can (vaccuum once a week, wash curtains every couple months..) We try, we're not perfect.

There are older windows in our house that the previous owners didn't replace (they put in new windows in some places but not all throughout house... strange).

These older "metal" windows have black dirt in the window crevices. There is black dirt in the window sill (between outer most window and inside window).

Is this mold? Could it be full of allergens?

My question is - should i take the time and get a tooth brush and get into the nooks and crannies and remove all that black dirt? Or just clean it normally with some cleaner and paper towel.

Thanks

[David Nebenzahl]

On 7/25/2008 1:19 PM meatnub spake thus:

Black gunk probably = mold. Usually a little soap (any kind you like to use for gen'l cleaning) plus a *little* bleach (don't overdo it) will get rid of it. Toothbrushes work well for nooks & crannies.

Don't sweat mold, unless you happen to be allergic to it (some are, most aren't).

[Marina]

David Nebenzahl wrote in news:488a3735$0$19666$ [e-mail]:

ohhh, if you are new parents, you're scared of dirt....and then you get real....LOL.

My mom was very neat, but she only washed drapes one a year.

Maybe they didn't have money to burn so they replaced the ones that didn't work very good.

[Oren]

Post a link here with a pic.

Fix it when it breaks, not strange at all.

Between the glass panes?

[J.H. Holliday]

One thing you might want to do in your future posts is stay on-point and leave out extraneous text-- like the entire first paragraph of your OP (that's Original Post). Get right to your problem...don't tell us about your aunt Tilly or Uncle Bob....

[Hell Toupee]

It's most likely just dirt that has accumulated in the sill between the inside and outside windows. Leave the outside window open during the rain, and sometimes the rain gets into the opening between the outside and inside windows. Rain is dirty, and over the years that gap between the inside and outside windows can accumulate a lot of dust and dirt from the rain and wind.

I just wipe it out with a wet paper towel during spring and fall cleaning.

[jmeehan]

In my opinion that first paragraph did a lot, by giving us a good hint of how bad the situation may be and what the OP was really asking.

However I agree that straight to the point questions, providing full information are the best way of getting good answers.

[Red Green]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Agree. At least we know their only acceptable level is not a Class I clean room environment.

[Phisherman]

Moisten a Q-tip with household bleach and touch it to a black area. If the black disappears in a couple minutes you got mold. Be extra careful about getting bleach on carpet, clothes, skin, eyes, etc. A toothbrush may flick bleach where you don't want it.

[ransley]

Laundry bleach will kill it if its mold