Window cleaning supplies

by Chris Devers

Whether you clean your home windows yourself or get in a professional to do them, there are certain basic materials, tools and procedures that seem to work well. Professionals cleaning shop and office windows, which include large expanses of glass sheets, sometimes use a different technique to that used on smaller home windows. They connect water purifiers to the hoses, so that chemicals and minerals are removed. This leaves no residue on the glass like ordinary tap water. The use of soap and/or cleaning chemicals is then unnecessary. At home this is not always the best solution. The frames of the windows tend to get dusty and grimy and need a good clean with some sort of mild detergent. There are a variety of specialised glass cleaners that you spray on or add to the water. Old home cleaning remedies often recommended the use of vinegar to the water.

However this should be very little, just enough to soften the water, or else the soap you use won’t work up a nice lather. This soapy lather is what really gets both windows and frames nice and clean. Many of the commercial window sprays work adequately, especially if you clean briefly and often – very useful way of going about it, if you have small children at home and lots of regular glass fingerprints! The sprays work really well to get the glass clean, but do little to clean the frames. Clean the frames first with regular household cleaner with warm water and cloth. When this is done, clean the glass, at the same time removing the smudges from cleaning the frames. I have found the best way to use the sprays is to wipe the glass with newspaper rather than a squeegee or cloths. There is something in the printer’s ink in the newspaper sheets that leaves a lovely shine on glass. However, if you prefer to give all your windows a thorough six monthly clean, you may need to look at something more professional. To start with, buy small quantities of professional window cleaning liquid each time and try the different ones out. See if you can find cleaners with anti static dust repellent. You get some with ‘anti mist’ and ‘anti dust’ properties that last from weeks to months. When you start your Big Clean, get yourself a nice bucket or plastic hamper so that you can keep all your equipment and materials together as you move around. Some professionals have a container fastened to their belts where they put their squeegees and mops for convenience. Then you will need a good squeegee and a window cleaning mop with a bucket that is big enough to take their heads. It is worth investing in a really good quality squeegee if you want the easiest and cleanest results. You may even need more than one. If you do have big picture windows, you get really big 24 inch squeegees, right down to tiny ones for small colonial type glass panes. You may need pole extensions for your mop and squeegee, if your windows are higher than your ladder can reach. You will need a mop to apply the soapy water, and possibly a little scraper to remove any hard materials such as paint or varnish flecks, insects, etc. Then, a good supply of cloth and rags. Soft towelling cloths, thinner cloths, and a microfibre cloth to remove smudges that the squeegee misses. You may even need a soft scourer if you have a bad grime build up on your frames. Use cold water to clean windows. Warm water tends to evaporate before the squeegee has done its job.

This is a weekly job. I’m using an 18″ Ettore swivel joint applicator with an Unger microfibre sleeve and an 18″ Wagtail Orbital squeegee. This video shows the full job start to finish including detailing (apart from taking down and putting back the plant pots!) It takes about 7 mins. The guy doesn’t want the bottom bits doing every week. (Thankfully!) Check out www.windowcleaningresources.co.uk . for video tutorials available and more resources such as the international directory of window cleaners at www.windowcleanerdirectory.co.uk.

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