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Cleaning Window Tips for Clearer Windows

On the surface, window cleaning seems like a pretty easy job. Ask any teenager to wash your windows, even for pay, and they will jump at the opportunity. The problem however, is that they will only do this once before they come to tell you that they don’t ever want to do that again. The problem with window cleaning however is not in the actual work involved, it’s in how you do it, when you do it, and what tools you use. If you want someone to enjoy cleaning your windows, or if you want to do it yourself, keep some of these tips below in mind.

If you plan on washing your windows in direct sunlight or on a hot day, you will start to see that this will make ugly streaks that you can’t get rid of no matter how many times you go over and clean them! It’s frustrating, but knowing a obvious but overlooked trick like washing them when the sun is not beating down on the windows, or is not so hot, can save you from failure and frustration and a lot of wasted time as well.

So here are some window cleaning tips that will take the frustration and difficulty out of window cleaning are:

The way you clean with the squeegee counts!

Now when you hold the squeegee, make sure it is angled in the direction of the water flow. If the water is running down towards your feet, move the squeegee either sideways making the water being squeegeed to move down to the part of the window you haven’t hit yet. If you are on top of the roof for example and the down angle is above your head, squeegee moving forward, again so the water flows to the part of the window not yet touched. If you move against the flow, the water will build up and flow out the sides of the squeegee causing streaks.

Wiping the blade is important!

Some people try to squeegee the whole window one stroke at a time without wiping the blade until the end. This doesn’t work very well and can cause a streak to form from the water left on the blade. By wiping the blade after each stroke you avoid this problem and get the window cleaned much faster without retracing steps.

Overlap the streaks.

After each stroke of the squeegee you should overlap the top of the last stroke (about an inch into the dry area) and make your next stroke. If you are pointing the squeegee correctly so the water buildup falls down towards the wet part of the window surface and you’re drying off the blade after each stroke, you will not make an additional streak that you have to go back over again. Don’t ever try to squeegee right on the line, this will splash up into the dry area of the window and is extremely counter productive.

Make sure you use plenty of water.

Without the right amount of water you will have a hard time making perfect frictionless strokes with the squeegee. Be liberal with how much water you use and always when possible use sideways strokes where the water drips down towards the wet part of the glass.

There you have it. Some simple to follow window cleaning tips that will make your life a lot easier.