Spring is in the air, and homeowners everywhere are focusing on spring cleaning and home maintenance. Even if you don’t have time to scrub your house from top to bottom, you should at least take the time to thoroughly clean your windows. With clean windows, your whole home will look sunnier and cleaner.
To help you tackle the task at hand, here are some helpful tips for cleaning the windows in your Cincinnati home.
Forget bottles of window spray and wads of paper towels. When it comes to cleaning the exteriors of your windows, which are exposed to road dust and other serious grime, you need to think like the pros. You’ll need a squeegee and a strip applicator, both with as long of handles as you can find. You’ll also need a bucket of warm, soapy water. (Dish soap works perfectly well.)
To clean the outside surfaces of your windows, start by dipping your strip applicator in the soapy water. Then, apply the soap to the window, using the head of the applicator to swirl it around and scrub the window clean. This method helps loosen grime without leaving scratches.
Once the window is fully soapy, use your squeegee to wipe it clean. Start at the top left corner, and pull the squeegee to the right. Then, make a second stroke right under the first… and so forth. Wipe the squeegee clean between strokes.
Many modern windows, like the double-hung windows from Renewal by Andersen, tilt inward, allowing you to clean the outside of the window from inside your home. If your windows are older or do not operate this way, you may have to climb up on a ladder to clean their exteriors. Thankfully, strip applicators and squeegees with long or extendable handles make this easier.
With long-handled tools, you can set your ladder up next to the window or lower than the window and still reach the window to clean it effectively. This allows you to position yourself where you feel safe –and not just where you can reach the window.
It’s not always easy to clean in the crevices between the glass and the window sash or between the glass and grilles — but this tip will make the windows in your Cincinnati home gleam. Dip a cotton swab in your window cleaning solution, and then drag the cotton swab along the border of your window. You’ll be surprised how much grime accumulates on the swab. Repeat this process with new cotton swabs until you’ve removed all of the dirt. You can clean both the interior and exterior of your windows this way.
Cleaning your windows every spring will help keep them in good shape, and will also keep your whole home looking a lot cleaner.
If your windows are aging and tough to clean, contact Renewal by Andersen to learn more about our replacement windows. Our double-hung windows tilt to the inside, making them easier to clean. You can set up a free, in-home consultation to learn which products are best for your Cincinnati home.
Topics: Cincinnati home, cleaning your windows
