One of the tasks that a lot of people find difficult to handle is window installation. This is why, in most cases, homeowners prefer to hire experts to handle window cleaning for them. However, this is not as difficult a process as you might think. With a few tips, you should be able to clean your windows without any trouble.
Forget about cleaning the windows with paper towels and a spray bottle. That is too much work. Get yourself a squeegee and the cleaning process will never be the same again for you. It is faster to clean with a squeegee, and easier too.
What You Will Need
Nothing fancy here, just the basics, stuff that you can get at the local home center or hardware store.
You will need the following:
-Squeegee, 10-12 inches
-Bucket
-Sponge/scrubber
-Small towels or lint-free rags
-Dishwashing liquid
For the best results, make sure that the squeegee has a sharp rubber blade. You can buy a few just in case. If you notice that your squeegee is leaving streaks, or is not cleaning as it was when it was new, you should change the blade.
Steps
Add a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid into the bucket and pour in a few gallons of water. In case the weather is unfriendly and you are working in below zero temperatures, you should add in some windshield washing solution to make sure the water does not freeze on the windows.
With large panes of glass, a scrubber will be perfect. However, a sponge will work just fine too.
Insert the scrubber into the bucket and then squeeze the excess water out. In case you are using a ladder, make sure you have a stabilizer for your safety.
Work all angles to get as much cleaning done as possible when scrubbing the glass. Make sure the squeegee moves excess water to the parts that have not been cleaned yet.
With the squeegee blade firm against the glass, pull it across the window. Make sure the top of the squeegee stays in contact with the top of the window.
Use a clean towel to wipe the blade of the squeegee, or across the scrubber so you can get rid of excess water and trapped dirt.
Make sure to overlap the previous stroke by a few inches, from the top to the bottom, wipe and repeat until you cover the entire window.
For efficient window cleaning, make sure you wipe off excess water at the lower end of the window. Use the lint-free rag to wipe off streaks, and change the rags when they soak up.
Use the squeegee even inside the house, so that you don’t have dripping water all over the place. Depending on the amount of dirt on your windows, you can complete 5-10 window washes before rinsing your scrubber.
Change the blade of the squeegee when you notice it is worn out or does not give you the results that you need.
Tips for Windows That Are Hard to Clean
Before you start cleaning, use a razor to remove any specks and labels. Make sure you use a new blade so you don’t scratch the glass. Never use a razor blade on tempered glass.
Use a fine scrub pad, probably made of nylon, to remove bug droppings or tree pitch before cleaning.
Use mild household abrasives to clean mineral deposits and glass stains from shower doors before doing window repair.