How to clean your windows like a pro

In an exhaustive search of the web, I have come across many articles advising people to clean their windows with vinegar and crumpled newspapers, or Windex and a rag, or other ineffective methods. Many of these techniques will give you poor results and are also quite time consuming and frustrating. Although I am a professional window cleaner, I freely share how to clean windows because I know that there are still many people who do not have the time and energy to do it themselves. But if you want to do it yourself (either for a monetary consideration or if you like to do things yourself), here are some tips.

First of all, you need the right equipment. This will involve a squeegee, a strip washer (also called a scrubber), a window cleaning solution, a 5-gallon bucket, a couple of lint-free cloths, i.e. microfiber, and possibly an extension pole. Your squeegee is one of your most important tools, so it is important that you purchase a high-quality one with replaceable squeegee; Avoid car squeegee brushes with wooden handles (found at gas stations). For your squeegee, you’ll probably want a 12 to 18-inch one for most windows. You can usually find a decent squeegee (ettore or unger) and scrubber at most home improvement stores, such as Home Depot or Lowes. For your window washing solution, you can use a professional detergent made by ettore, unger, etc. or you can use liquid dish soap. There is really no need for ammonia, which is unhealthy for humans and can damage a window tint.

Once you have all your equipment, fill your bucket with water and add a couple squirts of dish soap; Next, dip the scrubber in the soapy solution, and then squeeze the excess water back into the bucket. Scrub the entire window with your scouring pad; Then take your cloth and wipe the left and top edge of your window. Next, pull the squeegee horizontally through the window, left to right, top to bottom. After each pull, wipe excess moisture from the squeegee rubber (called the blade). For most interior windows, horizontal pull is the easiest.
Then to finish the window, clean the right and bottom edges of the window (the reverse of the initial cleaning).

Something to keep in mind is that cleaning interior windows will be much easier than exterior windows for reasons of accessibility and debris level. Many times, exterior windows will have burned insects and other hard-to-clean crunchy debris on their surface. Professional window cleaners use special razor blades (scrapers) and white scouring pads to remove these things. For the do-it-yourself individual, I would recommend that you only use the white scouring pads (available online at Windows 101 or at cleaning supply stores) to avoid damaging your windows. Do not use green or brown scouring pads under any circumstances, as they will damage your windows.

To use the white scourers on a pole, you will need a “squiggle” which is a swivel mount for these scourers. Cleaning second story exterior windows can be challenging due to accessibility. Some window cleaners use one pole, some cleaners use ladders, and some, like me, use both. If you are using a pole, it is critical that you get the angle correct. For second story windows, you need to stand at the correct distance from the window to get the correct angle. A common mistake is being too close to home.

Getting a zero degree squeegee like Unger’s zero degree twist lock is also very helpful (a standard squeegee has a forty degree angle) because it allows you to stand far enough away from the window without getting too much of an angle on it. glass. It should be noted that the windows of the second floor, which are cleaned with a pole, should be cleaned from top to bottom, not horizontally. The Unger Zero Degree Squeegee will be your best friend if you are using a stick. Alternatively, you can use a ladder to clean the exterior windows. If you choose this method, you may want to tape rags to the ends of the ladder if you are going to rest on glass or perhaps climb a large ladder.

Now what if you’ve cleaned an outside window but it’s still cloudy and possibly stained like a glass of water after washing it in the dishwasher? So, you may have hard water deposits. These can form slowly over time if you have hard water (from sprinklers or window hoses). In this case, you must get a hard water remover. Winsol makes a Crystal Clear 550 product that will, in most cases, completely remove these deposits. You can get Crystal Clear online and at many cleaning supply stores.

One last tip, if you must clean your windows with a spray, use a “spray” glass cleaner (it is alcohol-based, not ammonia-based) and a waffle-woven microfiber cloth or leather chamois. Not all microfibers are the same, many of them shed tiny particles. But whatever you do, don’t use crumpled newspaper. If wet newsprint leaves black ink on your hands, what do you think it will do to your windows? I hope this article has helped you and has at least given you some starting points.