Best way to clean outside of windows

Q: What is the best way to clean outside windows without streaking?

Immediately after youve sprayed your window with the cleaning solution, wipe it off from side to side using crumpled newspaper or a clean microfiber cloth. Work quickly to avoid streaks. If using a squeegee, wipe the squeegee over the window at an angle, from top to bottom.

Q: How do I clean the outside of my window I cant reach?

How to Clean Outside Windows You Cant Reach.

Compare a clean window with a dirty one, and the contrast is clear. Streak- and grime-free windows offer a lovely way to enjoy the outdoors, as well as an uninterrupted path for sunshine to enter into your home's interior. But many people avoid this task because they are unsure how to clean windows. Luckily, it takes just a bit of planning and a little elbow grease. Washing the windows is a good spring cleaning job for the family to help with, and clean windows will make the entire house look cleaner. Here are six must-follow steps for cleaning windows.

Brie Williams

How to Clean Windows Inside and Out

What You Need

Cleaning solution
Vacuum cleaner with hose attachment
Wet cloth
Garden hose with sprayer
Ladder (optional)
Warm soapy water
Clean coffee filters (optional)
Crumpled newspaper (optional)
Microfiber or flour sack towel (optional)
Squeegee with nick-free blade (optional)

Step 1: Test the Temperature

Don't want to waste a sunny day chasing away the dirt and grime on windows? You're not alone—and you're in luck. One of the best pieces of advice for how to clean windows is to pick a cloudy day. The absence of sunlight will help to minimize the chance of streaks because heat makes window cleaning solution evaporate faster than you can wipe it off. Lack of glaring sunlight also enables you to better see—and better clean—the windows. To quickly test the temperature, touch the window glass. If it's hot to the touch, wait for a cooler day.

Step 2: Remove Dust and Dirt from Windows

No window washing job is complete without using your vacuum first. Dust and dirt can accumulate inside the sills of your windows, and once that gets wet, you'll be left with muddy streaks to clean up. That's why an essential step in cleaning windows properly is to hook up the vacuum first, using hose attachments to clean out the interior side of your windows. While you're at it, use the vacuum to suck up dust or bugs that have gathered at the window closing. Then wipe off any lingering dirt and cobwebs with a wet cloth to reduce grimy smears.

Step 3: Clean Outside Windows

There's one crucial step that many people skip when learning how to clean windows: an exterior hose-down. Close all your windows and use a garden hose to spray the outside. You'll remove the first layer of dirt and make the detail work that much easier. Plus, on a summer day, you can use window washing as an excuse to splash in the water a little bit.

Step 4: Clean Inside Windows

How you wash individual windows depends on the type of windows you have. Newer versions flip open, enabling you to clean both the outside and inside from the same spot. Older ones might be stationary, which means you'll have to use a ladder to clean the exteriors. Most will allow you to remove the screens and clean them separately. Clean indoor glass panes with a window cleaner. Screens can be cleaned with warm, soapy water, either on a paved outside area or in a bathtub.

Step 5: Use a System for Cleaning Windows

Enlist the family for help cleaning windows. Have one person work inside, wiping windows horizontally, while another wipes outside vertically. That way you'll know which side the dirt or streaks are on. Be sure to find a ladder you feel comfortable on. If you have a window you'd have to reach for, leave it to the pros.

Step 6: Dry Window Glass

There are few things that can ruin freshly cleaned windows quicker than gobs of left-behind lint. Instead of paper towels, utilize a lint-free option, such as clean coffee filters, crumpled newsprint, or a microfiber or flour-sack towel. Alternatively, try a small squeegee with a sharp, nick-free rubber blade. This fool-proof trick will make you feel like a professional window cleaning service.

David Tsay

DIY Window-Cleaning Solution

There are many DIY window cleaner recipes available, but our favorite starts with a vinegar base. To make your own glass cleaner, you'll need the following ingredients:

What You Need

1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
1/3 cup vinegar
Distilled water
32 oz. spray bottle
Lint-free cloth

For best results, look for vinegar that says "made from grain" on the label. Funnel the ingredients into a 32-ounce spray bottle and lightly shake to mix. Spritz onto a lint-free cloth and clean your windows.

The Best Way to Clean Windows

Ideally, windows should be washed twice a year, but it’s a task most people don’t look forward to. Part of what makes DIY window cleaning such a chore is that homeowners insist on doing it with wadded-up paper towels or newspaper, spray cleaner, and a ton of elbow grease.

“All that rubbing isn’t a good idea,” says Brent Weingard, owner of Expert Window Cleaners in New York City. “You’re just moving dirt around from one spot to another and putting a static charge on the glass, which attracts dust and dirt. As soon as you finish, the window looks dirty again.”

As Weingard demonstrates, it’s easier and more effective to clean windows like the pros do: with a squeegee and a few other readily available tools. The techniques aren’t complicated, he says, and the results may surprise you.

"I don't know of anything that can transform living spaces so well. You don't know what you're missing until you do the windows," says Weingard. Here are two 3-step methods for how to get streak-free windows at home; one for picture windows and another for multipane windows. Got stubborn spots? Refer to the last section to help you with those.

For Picture Windows

Step 1: Wash with a strip applicator

Picture windows call for large tools. The long cloth head of a strip applicator soaks up a lot of soapy water and knocks dirt loose without scratching the glass. For a cleaning solution, Weingard uses just a squirt of dishwashing liquid in a bucket of warm water—the less suds, the better.

Step 2: Wipe clean with a squeegee

Starting at the top left, pull the squeegee over the soapy pane in a reverse-S pattern (left-handers would start at the top right). At the end of each stroke, wipe the squeegee's blade clean with a lint-free rag. Cloth diapers or old linen napkins are perfect for this task.

Step 3: Dry off remaining drips

Remove any water remaining on the edges of the glass with a damp, wrung-dry chamois, which soaks up wetness without leaving streaks. Dry the windowsill with a rag.

For Multipane Windows

Step 1: Customize the squeegee

To clean a divided-light window, you need a squeegee that fits the panes. Weingard uses a hacksaw to cut one to size. He trims the metal channel ¼ inch narrower than the window pane, then files the cut edges smooth. With a utility knife, he cuts the rubber blade to the pane's full width and fits it into the channel so that it projects 1/8 inch at each end.

Step 2: Scrub the panes

A handheld sponge or hog-bristle brush works best on multipane windows. Weingard prefers natural sponges. "They're firmer and more absorbent than synthetics," he says. Using the same solution of a squirt of liquid soap in water, he rubs each pane from left to right, top to bottom, working the sponge edges or brush bristles into the corners to loosen dirt.

Step 3: Wipe clean with a squeegee

Pull the squeegee down each pane in a single stroke from top to bottom. After each stroke, clean the blade with a rag so it doesn't leave streaks. (If the squeegee squeaks a lot, add a bit more soap to the water.) As above, remove any streaks on the glass with a chamois and dry the muntins and sill with a rag.

Getting rid of stubborn spots

Over time, hard-water runoff from masonry or rain falling through metal window screens leaves stubborn mineral stains on glass that normal washing can't erase. So after a regular cleaning, Weingard wets the glass and gently "supercleans" it either with fine 000 steel wool (if the panes are small) or with Barkeeper's Friend, which contains oxalic acid. (Other brands of powder may scratch the glass or fail to remove stains.) He mixes the powder into a paste on a wet towel, rubs away the stains, then rinses and squeegees the glass twice to remove the residue. Even with that treatment, the staining generally comes back in about six months.

To get rid of stains for good, Weingard recommends the application of 3 Star Barrier Glass Surface Protectant, a clear polymer coating. "After the stains are gone, you just put the coating on with a strip applicator and squeegee it off," he says. Protection against staining is permanent, as long as the polymer is reapplied after each regular cleaning.

Tools

What is the best way to clean outside windows?

For the outside of windows To get rid of water spots and other stains, start by rinsing the window down with your hose. Mix your vinegar or soap solution in a bucket, then use a sponge mop or microfiber cloth to go over the glass. Rinse again with the hose then use a squeegee to dry the window.

How do you clean windows outside like a professional?

Both men said the secret is to use regular water with a small amount of liquid dish soap in it. You can purchase special window-washing soaps for this purpose if you want. The second most important thing is to use the correct tool to clean the glass. Pros use a lambswool tool that they rub across the glass.

What is the best way to clean outside windows without streaking?

Immediately after you've sprayed your window with the cleaning solution, wipe it off from side to side using crumpled newspaper or a clean microfiber cloth. Work quickly to avoid streaks. If using a squeegee, wipe the squeegee over the window at an angle, from top to bottom.