Window Cleaning Tips – How to Clean Glass

We get a lot of questions from our residential window cleaning customers asking for tips on maintenance in between our regular cleanings.  There are a number of things that you can do to touch up your windows between cleanings.

Window Cleaning Products – What to Use

Before you can begin cleaning your windows, you’ll have to choose what glass cleaning solution to use.  When it comes to cleaning solutions, you have options ranging from DIY glass cleaners to store bought cleaning solutions. There are a number of ammonia-based glass cleaners, usually blue in color, in a spray bottle.  You can also buy glass cleaning products in an aerosol can from home improvement stores.  We prefer the aerosol can, as it is easier to get good coverage all over the glass, but the blue sprays work just fine.

TIP: One word of caution before choosing a window cleaner; if you have any kind of tint or film on your windows, you shouldn’t use an ammonia-based cleaner because the ammonia can dissolve the adhesive on your tint.

Window Cleaning Tools

Now that you have chosen your cleaning product, the next step is to determine what you’re going to use when cleaning your glass. You have a couple of cleaning tools to choose from.  As professional window cleaners, we use squeegees.  The drawback with using a squeegee is that without a lot of practice, getting a great result with a squeegee is very difficult to do.  For this reason, we recommend using a towel of some kind.  Lint-free towels are the best to use when cleaning glass.  Cloth diapers and huck towels (blue surgical towels) are the most readily available lint-free options to use.

How to Clean Your Windows

So, you have your cleaner and you have your towel.  Now what?  First, spray the cleaner evenly across the glass and allow it to sit for 30-60 seconds to penetrate the dirt. Next, wipe it off with a towel.  You’ll notice that after you wipe once, there is still a wet film on the glass.  Before this film dries, get a new, dry towel, and wipe the glass again.  If you leave the window wet and allow the cleaner to evaporate, you’ll end up with smeared glass, so be sure that you use the towel to dry all the liquid.

If you have stubborn stains that don’t come off, you may need to scrub the glass.  You have to be careful about what you use so you don’t scratch the glass.  Never, ever use a green kitchen scrubber.  These contain fiberglass and they will scratch your glass. Microfiber towels work well, and there is a good chance you already have some of these in your house.  You can also use #0000 grade steel wool, which you can find at any home improvement store.  Just make sure you clean the glass before using any scrubber.  If there is dirt on dry glass, even a towel can cause scratches.  Only scrub glass that is saturated with your cleaning solution.

Of course, the best way to get your glass clean is to call Western Reserve Window Cleaning at 330-346-0200 and schedule an appointment for a professional window cleaning.