Fortunately, glass windows are easy to clean and maintain with basic equipment and a regular cleaning schedule. Here are tips to make the task easier.

Get the Basic Cleaning Equipment
Most glass windows can be cleaned with basic equipment such as a squeegee, scrubber, bucket, lint-free towels, and dishwashing liquid. You can also use commercial cleaning products made for glass windows that usually come with a free towel or scrubber. You might also need a ladder and an extendable handle for the squeegee if the windows are high.

Dusting and Vacuuming
Remove loose dust on the windows with a dusting cloth or a microfiber cloth. You should also change and wash the curtains and remove all accessories or decorations near it. Don’t forget to wipe the sill, frame, hinges, handles, and knobs, then cover the window sill and frame to protect them from the drips.

Make a Soapy Solution
Although there are commercial cleaners for glass windows, dishwashing liquid is safer to use and is also gentler on the hands. Create a soapy solution in a gallon-sized bucket filled with cool water (preferable distilled water to avoid mineral buildup) and a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Just dip the scrubber, sponge or squeegee in the bucket and you’re ready to clean. You can also use white vinegar to sanitize, deodorize, and to remove stubborn grime.

Scrub Thoroughly
Cover every inch of glass with the soapy solution using the scrubber or the sponge, including the edges to make sure that you remove all the dirt. Then, you can work the squeegee in any direction you want, but move it in one direction when removing the excess water.

Using the Squeegee
When you’re satisfied that you’ve removed all the dirt on the glass windows, use the squeegee to remove the excess water by tipping it so that only its corner is making contact with the window. Starting from the top corner of the glass, create a clean, narrow strip on one side. Create several clean strips from top to bottom until you have removed all the excess water. Finally, make clean strips across (left to right or right to left) the window by repeating the same process.

Wipe Off Excess Water
Squeeze most of the soapy water from the scrubber and the squeegee before finishing one window. Do not drop the scrubber and squeegee into the bucket, instead, place them on the side so that there are no excessive running and dripping. Then, using the lint-free rag or a microfiber cloth, wipe off the excess water and suds on the edges of the glass window. Repeat the same process above in every panel. If the windows are large, it would be more manageable to divide the glass into sections for easier cleaning.

Change the Squeegee Blade
If the blade in your squeegee looks worn out, you need to replace it by removing the clips, screws or lamps that hold it near the handle.

Learning a new language is beneficial if you’re planning to travel or live abroad. It enables you to understand and speak with people from different countries, while giving you the opportunity to explore diverse cultures. However, learning a new language is not an easy task to accomplish. To help you, here are five tips on how you can make the process a cool and successful one.

1. Love What You’re Doing

Like any other things, you have to love what you’re doing in order to enjoy them more – the same thing goes for learning new languages. The process becomes easier if you’re eager to learn a particular language, or if you love learning different languages in general. Just find a motivation and some positive association with the language of your choice – whether it’s a food, culture, love or destination – and you’ll be off to a good start.

2. Spend Enough Time to Learn Every Day

Learning a different language requires consistency and dedication. Whether you’re learning a language by yourself or taking some language course, you need to commit to learning it – ideally every day.

Studying from time-to-time won’t give you much progress. So spend enough time every day to create a habit of learning a new language, and to progress constantly. Also, try repeating certain words every day to help you memorize them better and learn the language more easily.

3. Explore Other Country’s Culture

Exploring the culture of the country where the language you’re learning is spoken is what will help you improve quickly, and make the entire process more interesting. You can do this by listening to their music, and watching their TV shows and films. This will allow you to enjoy your own interest, while learning their language.

4. Take Things Easily

Learning a language is a process that takes time, but you can make things easier for yourself by starting with the basics, such as introducing yourself, and saying several sentences about who you are and what do you do for a living. You then learn how to engage in a conversation with someone who speaks the language you learned, and everything will start from there on.

5. Have Fun Learning

The most important thing to remember when learning a new language is to have fun, since failing to do so won’t keep you motivated to learn the language. There are various ways on how you can learn to speak multiple languages these days. The key is determining what method works for you, and being consistent in practicing your chosen language.

Although learning a new language is a bit challenging, it can actually be a fun activity to do. Just make sure that you put the aforementioned to work as you learn a new language, so you’ll have an enjoyable and enriching experience.

For divers out there, we do not need to go overseas just to experience the best dive sites and feel the diversity. Diving is just a few minutes away from us because the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park already opened. The dives will start next month actually but they are inviting the public to register now.

Before the dive, divers are required to submit to certification from international training organizations and they must record at least twenty dives. This is not something for the amateur since the marine biodiversity needs to be protected. After securing the Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) certification, what other preparations should we consider?

Here are some tips on prepping for diving:

• On selecting location: In this case, we already know where to head but what if we are overseas? How will we determine and select the right location? We have to determine the variables first before making the decision. Variables include attraction which refers to choosing a site based on assortment of animals and plants as well as caves and shipwrecks. The next variable will be depth. For recreational divers, they are advised not to dive below 130 feet. Another variable is visibility. This is important so we can see where we are going. The visibility will depend on the weather and other sea conditions. We need to consider clear waters so we can see whatever treasure it is hiding. Temperature should also be considered. Divers use wet suits to protect us from the cold. Other places might not require wet suits. We have to know if we need one or not so our body will not be surprised.

• On gears: Diving has a lot of risk than swimming. We have to prepare our gears before the big journey down under. The crucial part here is to select and endure that our gears are operational. The success of our dive will depend on the condition of our gears. We have to look for wetsuits (thickness will depend on the water’s temperature), fins (we have to choose fins that provide wide channels), buoyancy compensator device (this kind of equipment will permit us to attain neutral buoyancy whenever we are underwater), regulator (a gear that controls and maintains the air), snorkel and mask, knife and more importantly the SCUBA tank.

Now it is time to head to Sisters’ Island. The National Parks granted six licensed operators to lead the dive sites. For interested divers, we can simply sign up with licensed operators and for the list, we have to refer to the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park website.