Summer Cleaning: Clean Your Windows Like a Pro
By Jennifer Carter Avgerinos
Summertime should be full of outdoor fun, but if you can’t even see the outdoors it may be time to give your windows a good cleaning. Ideally, windows should be washed twice a year, but how many of us really do it? Cleaning the windows on the inside of the house is easy; cleaning the outside is a little trickier. Part of the problem is safely being able to reach the outside of the windows. The thought of dangling precariously from a ladder in the hot, summer sun is not an appealing one. It’s actually easier to clean like the pros than you think.
The techniques aren’t complicated and the results will amaze you. Here is the proper method:
What you will need:
- One large bucket
- A combi (squeegee + scrubber in one) or separate scrubber and squeegee*
- A telescopic pole for windows above 6 feet*
- A lint-free or microfiber cloth
- Liquid glass soap (grease cutting dish soap works well too)
- Warm water
Instructions:
1. Fill the bucket with warm soapy water- just a squirt of liquid soap in a bucket of warm water – the fewer suds, the better.
2. Get a combi (squeegee + scrubber tool) or separate window scrubber and squeegee. Ten inch combis and scrubbers are small enough for multi-pane windows and big enough for picture windows alike.
3. Dunk the combi or scrubber in the bucket and soak up a lot of soapy water, wring out and apply to window working dirt loose without scratching the glass. If you’re working with high windows, attach the tool to the telescopic pole and extend it to the desired height. Start on one side of the window and work your way back and forth until the window is completely wet.
4. Flip the combi over to the squeegee side or move from scrubber to squeegee. Starting at the top of the window and working to the bottom in long, even strokes. At the end of each stroke, wipe the squeegee’s blade clean with a lint-free rag like microfiber. The window should always be wet, to avoid scratching (if the squeegee squeaks a lot, add a bit more soap to the water). If you are working with high outdoor windows, just tap the end of the blade on the window sill to shake off the water and then continue moving across the window from one side to the other instead of lowering the squeegee each time to wipe the blade.
5. Remove any water remaining on the edges of the glass with the same microfiber cloth, which soaks up wetness without leaving streaks. Dry the window sill also. For high windows, fold the microfiber cloth over the top of the squeegee to finish drying the window.
Recap:
- Wet
- Squeegee
- Wipe
- Enjoy
Click here to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YYdtM6VmhI&list=UUc4p5XgpZeyIsXM-TNCev9g
Voila! Now you can enjoy the beauty of the outdoors through your sparkling windows.
*Unger window cleaning tools are available nationwide at Home Depot and at homedepot.com
