Cleaning your home’s windows. An often overlooked chore when it comes to yard work and housework. Since it is both inside and outside of the home, it is difficult to think of it as a task that should be done while doing yard work outside or while cleaning the house inside. Thus the humble windows stay dirty while other housework gets done. Not this year, though! It’s time to roll up our sleeves and give our windows some of the TLC they deserve. We’ve compiled an excellent list of do’s and don’ts for getting the most out of cleaning your windows inside and out. 

Gather Your Tools

You’ll want to get everything that you need together before starting. Surprisingly, cleaning your windows actually requires a good amount of unique tools. If you get everything on this list then we promise that it will make cleaning your windows much easier than without! Here’s what we recommend: 

• Window cleaning liquid (either store bought Windex or similar or you can make your own from 2 cups water to 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol)
• Large sized towel or several rags you don’t mind getting very dirty
• Paper towel roll
• Rubber squeegee tool (if you don’t have one, you should! They are a great investment.)
• Damp washcloth
• Several clean microfiber cloths
• Bucket with warm soapy water
• Ladder (for cleaning higher up windows, especially outside)
• Clean chalkboard eraser 

Once you have everything gathered, it’s time to start cleaning!

The Cleaning Process

This process can be used for both the inside and the outside facing parts of your home’s windows. 

• Prepare the surface for cleaning.
  • For outside facing windows, you can take your hose and spray the outside surfaces of your windows. For your inside windows, use your damp washcloth to get a good scrub down of the built up dirt and grime. 
• Spray the window down from top to bottom with a healthy amount of window cleaner solution. Place your large towel down at the bottom of the window so that it will absorb any cleaning agents as they drip down (mostly for inside facing windows). 
• Rub the windows from top to bottom with your microfiber cloth. Make sure to scrub out all of the spots and stains. You may have to go over it two or three times. 
• Take out your squeegee and wipe slowly from left to right and top to bottom. Wipe the squeegee several times on a dry paper towel to avoid streaks. 
• Use a damp paper towel to clean out the window sill area. You may need to vacuum it as well to get the larger pieces of dirt out. 
• If you have any streaks appear after your final squeegee wipe, then you can take your chalkboard eraser and spot clean those by wiping firmly over the affected areas a few times. Pat dry between uses. 

In Conclusion

Success! You are now prepared to clean your home’s windows from top to bottom inside and out. So, with a little elbow grease and some patience, you can have your home’s windows looking spotless in no time.  Let us know if you or someone you know may be in need of a residential or commercial cleaning service like ours. We can’t wait to hear from you. Give us a call or email us here. Have fun and stay safe out there!