Washing windows is one of those jobs that takes time and devotion. By choosing the right tools and techniques, the task can go much more quickly, and produce better results.
Gather all of your tools and supplies. Make sure you have all the necessary items at hand, to avoid doing a bad day’s cleaning.
Remove sliding windows if necessary to clean. Many (if not all) windows in high-rises can be removed simply by lifting up the sliding section and pulling into the room. (I say ‘simply’, however, for a large window, yes, this is probably not a job for a slight individual). You simply cannot clean very much of the exterior surface of a high-rise otherwise.
Fill a bucket or dishpan with warm water and add a small amount of the detergent of your choice.
Remove any windscreens that are hanging against the windows. Why clean the screens? You’ll remove some of the dust that the next rainstorm will knock onto your windows. You’ll also get rid of that stale window screen smell. To clean them:
- Lift them out of their tracks and rub them together under a running hose
- Rub them very gently with a rag or window wand.
Remove any cobwebs you might see with an old broom or old cloth.
Remove any excess dirt or dust from the outside windows with a garden hose. Rinse one window at a time, so that water spots don’t dry on the windows.
Clean the window frames thoroughly with a soaked sponge.
Soak your sponge in the bucket filled with water and you can start cleaning your windows following one of these methods:
- Start on the upper-left side of the window and make an s-shape downwards until you reach the bottom-right corner of the window.
- Start cleaning the window from the upper-left corner and drag the sponge straight down. Use a chamois or a dry rag to remove any excess water from the squeegee and start cleaning the next line until you reach the right side of the window.
- Don’t forget to dry your squeegee with a chamois or dry rag after each stroke you’ve made. Otherwise, you will have visible lines on the window pane.
Dry the window frames. After cleaning the window panes, dry off the windows using a chamois or dry cloth.