Window Cleaning Secrets Of The Trade For Streak Free Windows

Written By: Archie Campbell on June 24, 2010 No Comment

Cleaning windows is probably one of the jobs that most people avoid doing until they absolutely must do it. The thought of all those streaks and smudges showing up even after hours of hard word discourages even the most fanatic housekeeper, especially one that dreams of shiny, sparkly windows to show off. With these window cleaning secrets of the trade, spotless windows may only be a squeegee away.

Just like cleaning the rest of your home, windows need special attention, techniques and tools. Grabbing a bottle of a brand name cleaner and a roll of paper towels may be good for cleaning up the mirrors in your home, but when it comes to windows it is going to take a bit more than that.

You never see a professional cleaning a window without a squeegee in hand, so why should you? A squeegee is an essential part of making sure there are no steaks ruining your work. If you have tall or large windows, a scrubbing wand will allow you to make sure they are cleaned properly, quickly. A couple cleaning towels on hand will be necessary for wiping up edges and cleaning your squeegee while you work. One tip that professionals use when it comes to their towels is to wash them several times before use to remove all lint and fuzz.

A good cleaning solution is absolutely necessary; otherwise no matter how good you are at mastering a squeegee, the job is never quite perfect. You can find a lot of these products on the market but a lot of people now choose to make their own. Mixing the right amount of water and dish soap is the key to success. A little trial and error will be needed here. Hard water can leave a buildup of minerals, so when possible, use soft water for your mix. The advice of most professionals is to stay away from ammonia and vinegar in your solution as they can dry out the rubber sealants around the window and crack them. If you have some hard water mineral buildup on the windows, then vinegar used with water will be a big help in removing that.

Mastering a squeegee will take some time and a lot of practice. The best part in learning is that if you mess up, you can start all over again. When the window is free from all the dirt that can build up, it is time to get started with the squeegee. At with the edges first, you’ll want to go in a back and forth motion, then up and down, making sure to wipe as you go along. When you are done with that, starting at the top, you angle the squeegee slightly and go from one side to the other, working your way down the window, making sure to wipe the squeegee and the edges as you work.

Wiping the squeegee constantly on the dry part of the towel is necessary, this helps prevent streaks and smudges. You also want to work fast, the slower you go, the faster the windows dry before you have a chance to finish. Another thing to remember, clean windows early in the day, when the sun is not shining directly on it or drying up the water faster than you can put it on. It is almost impossible to clean a window perfectly if you are working in the sun.

By remembering a few of these window cleaning secrets of the trade, you too can have windows that cause jealousy around the neighborhood. And the more you practice, the faster you’ll get and the easier it will be. You may even find that you enjoy cleaning windows after all and offer your squeegee services to friends and family.

We are glad window cleaners are around! We hired a good window cleaning service to clean our windows in our 2 story house and must say that they did a lovely job! Would you like to use that same service?