Many people hire a professional window cleaner to clean their windows because the results are always excellent. Beautiful shiny windows without swirl marks or streaks just don’t happen compared to when you clean them yourself. But with the right knowledge, materials, and practice, you too can become a pro.
The right equipment and supplies
There are only two basic items you may need to buy at a cleaning supply house because your department store may not have them; a T-bar covered with a soft sheepskin cloth to dampen the glass and a 14″ squeegee. Squeegees come in different sizes, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 , but a professional window Cleaner generally finds the 14″ works for most windows and is easy to handle. You may want a 6″ for small crystals if you have a lot. Next, a microfiber cloth or t-shirt material, a bucket, dish soap, and plenty of dry cloths will round out your cleaning supplies.
Getting started with window cleaning
You don’t need a special soap or glass cleaner unless the weather is extremely cold and you find the water freezing on the windows. In this case, add a little alcohol to your dishwasher. A good window cleaner always starts with the top windows because the water will run down and wet the bottom windows. Wet down your panel with your T-bar submerged in your bucket of water. Starting with a good dry squeegee, place it on the top corner of the window and pull down. Wipe the squeegee clean with a dry cloth and move to the wet area next to your dry area. When you’re done, wipe down the sill with a cloth and then use your microfiber cloth or t-shirt to go around the edges.
Problems encountered with window cleaning
If you have a window that is marked with hard specks of dirt, you can take a glass scraper with you. One end is blunt to push out dirt and the other end has a razor sharp edge. A good window cleaner always makes sure the window is wet before using so as not to scratch the glass. Cleaning your windows will be much easier once you’ve removed any dirt bumps from the pane. A window cleaner expected to wash a skylight or window that is too tall for a standard ladder should use a stick with the squeegee on the end. These windows may not be perfect since you can’t even see the squeegee.
different types of windows
Not all types of windows are so simple for a window cleaner. There are lead/lattice, French/Georgian, sculptured, or tiny-paneled windows that can be quite the hindrance. You can’t use a squeegee on these due to the surface, shape, and size. The best thing to do is dampen with your T-bar, wipe most of the excess water off with a cloth, and shine with your microfiber cloth or t-shirt material.
The main thing to remember about window cleaning is to keep it simple. All the chemical-based products in the world won’t give you a better job or make you a better window cleaner than soap and water. The rest is practice.