11 Pro Window Cleaning Tips 

Window cleaning can seem like a real chore, but in reality, it’s easy with a little knowledge. 

Once you’ve wiped all that dirt and grime away, you’ll be amazed at how much brighter your home will look with sparkling clean windows. 

Following these top cleaning tips will show how anyone can save time and money, even if they’re not a professional window cleaner. 

Pre-Cleaning Window Tips 

1. Get the Right Tools and Supplies 

Start by gathering your window cleaning supplies, so you have everything on hand to clean your windows properly. Here’s what you’ll need: 

• Rubber-bladed squeegee 
• Sponge or brush 
• 2 Microfiber towels or lint-free cloths 
• 2 clean cloths or rags 
• Bucket 
• Washing up detergent (liquid dish soap)  
• White vinegar or store-bought window cleaning solution 
• Spray bottle 

2. Indoor Window Prep 

Remove any window fittings, like curtains, nets or blinds. Use this opportunity to give any drapes a good clean using a fabric freshener, using a small, dry brush or a vacuum cleaner. 

3. Cloudy Weather Is Your Best Buddy 

When it comes to cleaning windows, a dry but cloudy day will allow your cleaner to stay moist on your window panes for longer. This means there’s less chance of it drying and leaving a messy residue, and easier to see any streaks.  

4. Get the Magic Soup Ready 

It’s a trade secret that the two best DIY cleaning solutions are not only simple but actually work well: 

1. Fill your bucket with some warm water. Next, add a few drops of washing up detergent (dish soap), which has wetting agents that keeps the glass surface wet longer, so the squeegee can glide easily. The approximate mix ratio is 7 litres of water to 6 ml (one teaspoon) of dishwashing liquid. 
2. If you want a streak free home-made cleaning solution that you can use indoors, then try this. Add two cups of water and one quarter cup of white vinegar into a spray bottle. Optional: add 10 drops of essential oil to spruce up the scent. Shake the vinegar solution well.  

Window Cleaning Tips 

5. Build Firm Foundations 

Before you get started, sweep (or vacuum) away any dust from the window frame using a brush. Now wipe down the frame with a damp rag. This prevents you from spreading dirt around when you’re cleaning.  

For especially grimy windows, use a hose or a spray bottle to lightly spray water onto the windowpane. Then wash it with hot, soapy water using a soft brush. 

6. For Stubborn Stains 

Look at the window to see if there’s marks or stains on the window that might need some extra scrubbing. 

Outside windows can be particularly exposed to a wide range of harsh elements like city grime, insect splatters, bird droppings or water runoff from gutters, causing tough-to-remove stains. 

Avoid using a commercial window cleaner that contains ammonia or alcohol. It might seem like they would give a deeper clean but can often leave streaks or a thin film on the glass that attracts dust. For especially difficult spots, there a few different methods you could use: 

• Rub it using a clean cloth with a few drops of solvent (like acetone). Wipe dry, then you can continue cleaning your window as you usually would. 
• Spray the spot with white vinegar, and then wait for five minutes. Rub the stain using a cloth or sponge, then carry on with your regular cleaning. 
• For stubborn, caked in or crusty marks (and only as a last resort), you could try gently scraping using a new razor blade (microscopic rust particles on old blades can scratch glass). Never scrape a dry window, always make sure it’s wet.  

7. Nice ‘n Clean 

For windows with multiple small panes, clean using a sponge. Immerse your sponge into your magic soup of ordinary dishwasher detergent. Wring the sponge to take all the excess off. Gently scrub the window, be sure to get into all corners, making the detergent work on getting the dirt off. You’ll soon see the cleaning work its magic, with the dirt disappearing in front of your own eyes. 

8. Easy Squeegee 

For larger windows, wipe it dry using a clean, rubber-bladed squeegee. Start your first stroke from the top of the window. Angle the blade forward to create a channel so any excess water drips down and not across your blade. Gently (with no pressure) bring the blade slowly across the window, from left to right, right up to the edge. Continue down your window with each stroke, until you have cleaned right down to the bottom of the window.

Pro Tip: In between each stroke, wipe the top part of your squeegee blade with a clean, dry rag or lint-free cloth.  

To clean high outside windows without using a ladder, attach a decent squeegee to a broom handle or an extension pole. 

9. Poetry in Motion 

Now that you’re almost a window cleaning pro, you should know that the direction you wipe is super important.  

To avoid the dreaded streaks, or at least, to know which side they’re on, use a squeegee to wipe one side of the window vertically and the other horizontally. 

Still don’t get it? Well, say on the inside of the window, you wipe left to right, then wipe up to down when cleaning the exterior. Then you can easily visually find where the streak is coming from, saving you time. 

10. How to Get a Streak-Free Shine 

One of the best quality cloths for cleaning is made from split microfiber. This exceptionally durable fabric is woven together in a unique way, so as you wipe, it scoops up any dirt on the glass, but leaves no smears. 

Use one of the Microfiber cloths to clean up the edges of your windows. You can either use the cloth dry or damp, but it must be well wrung out. Keep flipping it over to a new part of cloth, until you’ve cleaned all the edges. 

Next, wipe away any drips from the window frames and sills using the other clean Microfiber cloth to get that streak-free finish. You want to make sure that the whole window system has been cleaned, not just the glass. 

11. Inspection Time

Finally, inspect using the natural daylight to make sure there’s no streaks and that you haven’t missed any spots of stubborn dirt or grime. 

If you’ve got this far, then well done! Having perfectly clean windows brings a vibrant, clean look to your entire home. Follow these handy tips to keep your windows crystal clear and comment below to tell us how it goes.