Easy Tips to Help Keep Your Windows Clean Between Washings

If there’s one thing that keeps your house from looking and feeling clean, it’s dirty windows. And just the opposite holds true, the one thing that will help your house look and feel clean is clean windows. So, when your windows are dirty, you do one of two things: 1) you spend hours cleaning them yourself or 2) you pay a professional to come out and clean them for you (my personal preference!). But you don’t want to do either of these options every few weeks in order to keep your windows shining, so I have compiled a list of things you can do to keep them cleaner between washings.

Tips to keep your windows clean longer

Let’s begin with windows in general:

1. Paper is not intended to clean glass. So many people swear by using paper towels or newspaper along with a glass cleaner to clean their windows. This is a not a good practice. It is not true that less fiber is left behind from using paper, along with the fact that using these 2 things together to clean your windows can be very abrasive. Using a soft towel, cloth or sponge is the preferred method.
2. Use the right cleaning solution. Using the right cleaning solution  can make all the difference in getting and keeping your windows clean. (check the link for a good solution suggestion)
3. Use a squeegee. Rather than spraying on a glass cleaner, and rubbing it around to remove the dirt, clean your windows using a 2-step process. Apply and wash your cleaning solution with a cloth, then remove it using a squeegee

Keeping your inside windows cleaner longer:

• Keep your furnace filters clean, which will lower the amount of dust and dirt that floats around the air, which will eventually land on your windows, and start to buildup. Also, periodically have your air ducts cleaned; this will not only help to keep your windows cleaner, but the rest of your home will be cleaner too.
• Keep the oils and films off your kitchen windows by always running your ventilation fan while cooking.
• If you enjoy burning candles in your home, place them away from the windows to keep the smoke from forming a film on the glass. One thing to watch out for when you’re buying candles is the wick. Check it to see if it has a tiny wire in the center, if it does, don’t buy it! This type of wick puts off more black smoke than wicks without the wire. It’s interesting to compare the two, and watch the difference when you blow the candles out, you’ll be amazed at how much black smoke is emitted from the wick with the wire. (That smoke will cover your walls, ceilings and get into your lungs.)
• Speaking of lungs, cigarette smoke in the house will leave a gray film on your windows.

Keeping your outside windows cleaner longer:

• Dust and pollen get trapped between your screens and your windows, and will transfer onto your windows whenever it rains. So it’s best to have your screens cleaned whenever you have your windows cleaned. Also, during the colder months when you don’t open your windows, you can remove and store your screens until spring. Any windows that never get opened can have the screens removed permanently.
• I’ll bet you never thought your barbecue could be a promoter of dirty windows, but it can! If your barbecue is too close, not only will splatters from food, grease and oil get on your windows, but so will escaping smoke, leaving behind a dirty film.
• Don’t water your windows! Letting your sprinklers continuously water your windows causes mineral deposits to build up and stain your windows, which will, over time, etch the glass causing permanent damage.
• Your landscaping can cause your windows to get prematurely dirty as the shrubbery emits pollens that collect on your windows. So it’s best if your trees and shrubs are kept trimmed back, and away from your house.

Using these tips will help you keep your windows cleaner, longer. But when it is time to have them cleaned…

Give me a Call or Contact me for a Free quote!

 I’ll be happy to come out and make your windows shine so you don’t have to.