Five tips to spotlessly clean windows

Look ahead to the weather forecast and select a clear day that is expected to be less than 20 Degrees Celcius. That is the ideal temperature for cleaning windows and reducing the chances of streaking throughout the process.

If the sun is shining on the windows it’s going to rapidly dry the window cleaner onto the glass, faster than you can wipe it off and this also causes that streaking effect. Plus, because it’s caused by the cleaning product, you won’t be able to rub the streaks out very easily - particularly not with more product.

If it’s a really hot day, even if the sun isn’t directly shining onto the windows, again, you’re going to have this issue with the window cleaning products drying on the window faster than you can rub it off. If there is one thing that will destroy your window cleaning plan - it’s this streaking effect, so we need to avoid this and stick to the objective of getting clean, sparkling and completely spotless windows.

2. Exterior Window Cleaning

Cleaning tall windows can be very taxing - but you can make it easier on yourself by using a squeegee with a long handle or a stool to help you reach higher - in some scenarios, you may need both.

You definitely want to avoid falling out the window while you’re cleaning them. This means you should never try to reach these high-up places by cleaning your outside windows from inside your house, holding on and trying to reach around the window to clean the outside - this is dangerous. If more than your arm needs to extend to clean the area outside, find another way to do it.

Also avoid putting weight on any segments of the glass - it could break and giveaway, causing you to fall through it and injure yourself.

If you need to get taller, use a stepping stool (designed to stand on) or a small step ladder. Avoid balancing on chairs, benches, using extended ladders and other ideas that may seem useful at the time. Again - these alternatives can be a hazard to your safety, so it’s important to choose the right tool for the job.

3. Window Cleaning Preparation

If your windows haven’t been cleaned for a while, they may have a bit of build up - inside and outside - to clean off. Plus, outside you may have some leaves, creepy crawlies and cobwebs to clean off as well - but it’ll be worth it!

To begin, use a hand-held vacuum cleaner to remove all the leaves, creepy crawlies, cobwebs and excess grime that have built up. You may like to also go over it with a dust pan and broom.

4. Get your cleaning stuff together

You’re almost ready to get started, now you just need to gather together everything you’re going to need to clean your windows so you don’t get distracted.

Here’s what you will need:

• Gentle dishwashing liquid cleanser or white vinegar

• Two buckets

• Squeegees, with or without expansion shafts

• Huge wipes

• Elastic gloves

• A general purpose cleaner, without a scent

• Towels

Try to collect old shirts and other cloth and fabric items that you can use for this purpose. When you do use your old clothes to clean your windows, choose items that haven’t been treated with a cleansing agent - such as bleach or even fabric softeners. Conditioners can mark your windows. Similarly, never use paper towls to clean windows - it’ll create more build up.

5. The final touch to your clean windows

Now for the final touch!

For your outside/exterior windows, blend half a cup of white vinegar and half a cup of water, and combine them together in a bucket. If you don’t have white vinegar, water and dishwashing fluid will work similarly well - but only use a couple of drops of the dishwashing fluid (you don’t want too many suds in the water).

Fill another bucket with clean water for washing the combination off the window with the squeegee.

Here’s how it works:

Wipe with the cleaning mix you made, and then wash the windows with the clean water.

Wet the squeegee with the clean water and wipe it down to a clean finish.

Repeat

For cleaning your inside windows, use a towel to catch any trickles that may fall. If any ledges get wet inside, simply take a wipe or some fabric to mop it up.

For inside windows, use a clean wet fabric and a non-alkali cleaner to wipe the casings. Rinse the cleaner off.

Dry the edges promptly because water can stain wood. Clean and wipe the squeegee in the second bucket.

And there you have it! Spotlessly clean windows, shining inside your home - and you’re probably feeling great too! Plus, now it’s done, you can wait another year until your next spring clean on those upper windows again. Well done!

For more information about how to clean your windows, please contact the expert contributor.