Just because professional window cleaners exist doesn’t mean that savvy homeowners aren’t going to try to clean their own windows. In this article, we are going to discuss how to clean your windows from the inside, the outside, and the general do’s and don’ts you should understand to get the best possible result. To preface, I will always recommend that you choose a professional as cleaning exterior windows either requires ladders or expensive filtration systems that doesn’t make the ‘DIY’ process worth it. Coming from a window cleaning company, that may sound like a marketing tactic but the reality is, risking your life climbing ladders to clean a window simply isn’t worth it. If your planning on cleaning your own windows and your home exceeds a singular story, we highly, highly recommend you take the proper safety precautions.
Cleaning windows with a squeegee is by far the most common method professional window cleaners use to achieve the best result. Due to the nature of a squeegee, it delivers an instant result by drying the windows as you swipe. Professional window cleaners will use expensive squeegee rubbers, channels, and handles but a DIYer can simply head to their local hardware store and pick up a basic squeegee, mop and bucket.
Everything you need to clean your windows with a squeegee can be bought at your local hardware store such as Ace Hardware or Home Depot. The tools you need depend on the type of windows and the height of the windows. Luckily, the process for cleaning exterior windows is basically the same as cleaning the inside. The only difference between interior & exterior window cleaning is that exterior window cleaning requires ladders or extension poles. For a DIY homeowner, the use of extension poles is going to be a massive challenge. The control required to squeegee a window from 15 feet in the air with a pole takes skill & time to learn; for that reason, we recommend the use of ladders.
Make sure you know how large your windows are before you purchase a squeegee. If you have large panes of glass, I recommend you purchase a 18 inch squeegee. If you have medium size panes of glass, I recommend you purchase a 12 inch squeegee. If you have small, french pane windows, typically a 6 inch or 8 inch squeegee will do the trick. You want to avoid using a small squeegee on larger panes of glass because the efficiency of swiping will be reduced and your ability to clean properly will decrease.
You will also need a window cleaning mop. You can find all these items in the window cleaning section of your local hardware store. These mops are based on size as well, but the sizing is not as important compared to squeegees because you don’t need to be precise when applying the solution to the glass.
Next, you need microfiber towels to wipe up the water and solution on the edge of the glass where the squeegee doesn’t pick up as well. The reason behind microfiber towels is it doesn’t leave fibers behind and it picks up water better than a normal kitchen towel. Most homeowners have these lying around the house, otherwise you can pick them up pretty much anywhere.
For the solution, we use dawn dish soap to professionally clean windows. You don’t need some special glass cleaner or window cleaning solution. You simply need a solution that will lubricate the glass to make it easy to glide the squeegee. Fill up a bucket to the desired amount of water and add a few ounces and slosh the dawn dish soap around with the window cleaning mop.
There are two primary window cleaning techniques with squeegeeing. Depending on the amount of windows you have, you should decide which technique is right for you. The basic technique takes almost no time to learn and performs at a good level but it’s slower. The professional technique takes a little more time to learn, performs at a high level and is very fast and efficient.
If you have a smaller amount of windows that aren’t very large, you should consider learning the basic technique as it doesn’t require much skill and will likely deliver the same result. If you have a larger amount of windows, you should consider learning the more advanced technique as it will save you time.
The process of cleaning outside windows is almost identical to cleaning inside windows. The only difference is the use of ladders. If your house is single story and the windows are accessible from the ground level, then repeat the steps stated above.
Assuming you have second story windows, you’ll need to climb ladders to access them. The steps are similar just with added logistics due to the fact that you’re high in the air and have to carry equipment on your person while cleaning. We strongly recommend you hire a professional window cleaning company if your windows are above single story. If you’re a true DIYer and want to take the risk of climbing ladders, we urge you to take the proper precautions.
You’re going to take the risk and climb a ladder to clean the windows. Here are some general safety tips you should know before going up.
To achieve this, set your foot on the bottom of the ladder and use your arms to lift the ladder into place. This angle won’t allow the ladder to slip down from under you but will still be angled enough to not fall backwards.
You want to rest the top of the ladder onto a flat, stable wall that will ensure that the ladder doesn’t slide from side to side. When we clean windows, we set the ladder to the right or left of the window frame, then reach over. Another viable option is to extend the ladder above the window frame then reach under to clean the windows. Both of these options take a degree of skill that you may not be able to achieve instantly. Another reason to just call a pro.
Ultimately, cleaning windows really isn’t that hard and can be done by yourself for very cheap. Many of the tools required should already be lying around your home. The two different techniques achieve different results based on the size and type of window.
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