Window Cleaning Time

Common Mistakes That May Be Sabotaging Your Window Cleaning Efforts

18 November 2020

Lawrence Robinson

Do you clean your windows and then look back at them and think "that barely looks clean?" You're not alone. Window cleaning is harder than it seems, and it's so easy to be left with streaky windows that barely look like you touched them. Luckily, these poor results can usually be traced back to one or several of the following mistakes made in the cleaning process.

Mistake #1: Washing your windows when the sun is shining.

It's a nice, sunny, warm day, so you figure it's a good day to get wet and wash the windows. Sound familiar? While this strategy seems to be intuitive, it's actually a bad idea. When it's sunny outside, the window cleaning solution will start to dry on the windows, which contributes to the streaks. It's actually best to clean your windows on a cloudy day.

Mistake #2: Using hard water.

Hard water is water with a high concentration of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Most municipalities actually do have hard water. The problem is that these minerals deposit on the windows, contributing to spotting and streaks. If you have hard water, make sure the water used to wash your windows passes through a water softener first. Sometimes outdoor hose spigots take water from the pipe before the hook-up to the softener, so you may want to obtain the water used to wash your windows from inside the home instead. Or, if you don't have a water softener, use gallons of distilled water from the store.

Mistake #3: Using blue cleaner and newspaper.

The blue window cleaner most people use is actually not that great. It works for the occasional quick cleaning, but if you want to clean a really dirty window, or to clean the outside of a window, you are better off using soapy water and a squeegee. (Yes, you should avoid using newspaper, too — the ink can dissolve and leave streaks.)

Mistake #4: Waiting too long between cleaning sessions.

The longer you wait between cleaning sessions, the dirtier your windows will be, and the more likely you are to leave some grime behind. It's best to clean your windows at least twice a year for good results. If your home is close to the road and gets a lot of road dust, cleaning the windows quarterly may be preferred.

If you can manage to avoid the mistakes above, you should see far better results for your window cleaning efforts

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