To many, cleaning glass windows or other glass materials is a difficult task that is often dreaded and they believe only glass cleaning professionals can handle it due to the fragile nature of glass windows and other glass materials.

In this article, we’ll share the best cleaning products, tools and techniques that will guide you on how to clean glass windows like an expert. This will enable you to always keep you glass windows sparkling, save money and eliminate the total reliance on glass cleaning experts.

Let’s get started to discover the tools, tips and tricks you can use to keep your glass windows and glass materials clear and sparkling inside and out.

Best tools to clean your glass and windows at home

With any work or task, having and using the right tools will reduce the complexity and difficulty of that work by more than 50%, and help you succeed in the chosen task.

Cleaning your windows is no different, you also need the right tools to help you achieve the best results and protect you from any danger in case of an accident.

For more comprehensive information about glass cleaning tools you can read our articles on best windows cleaning tools: 9 tools every windows cleaning professionals need.

Getting started to clean your glass windows like an expert

Always mix dishwashing liquid to your water

Water alone is never enough when cleaning glass materials – Always add dishwashing liquid to your clean water; this is the secret ingredient to making an effective window washing solution.

You may be wondering if the dish washing liquid we’re referring to is different from the one you use to wash your dishes. No, that’s the very one you should use. You can use Morning Fresh, Mama Lemon or any other brand – even the locally made ones. We recommend Morning Fresh due to its highly concentrated formula.

Now, get your bucket and fill it with clean water to the half level, then add you preferred washing liquid to the water using your discretion till you’re satisfied with the mixture.

Overall, the quantity of the washing liquid should not be excessive. The water to washing liquid ratio should be similar to what you would use to wash your dishes.

Remove solid dirt and thick dust from the glass surface

Before applying any cleaning solution to your window or glass materials, it’s important to ensure that the surface being cleaned is free of any dirt and dust particles. Use a glass scrapper or a micro fiber cloth to wipe away any loose debris, and prepare the surface for cleaning.

Apply the cleaning solution

Spray the cleaning solution generously on the surface of the glass, especially on areas where solid dirt have formed and wait for a few minute for the dirt to soften before you start cleaning – this will make the cleaning easier.

Always use the squeegee

In order to clean your glass windows or glass like a professional, we recommend using a squeegee to achieve the best results. In the absence of a squeegee, you can use a towel.

Squeegees do the best job, that’s the reason professional window cleaners would always ensure to have one with them. Rather than just moving the dirt and residue around, a good scrub and a squeegee eliminates the dirt and grime from the glass. Using a squeegee is faster than cleaning windows with a spray and wipe product. It takes a little bit to find your rhythm with the technique but play around and have some fun with it.

How to use a squeegee to clean like a pro

Once you have purchased a decent squeegee and you’ve mixed up a batch of window cleaning solution, you are set to start cleaning like a professional. However, there are some technical tips required for using a squeegee. To get started, the best technique to learn is what we call the ‘wipe and swipe’ method.

You will need the following items to effectively carryout this technique. You will need some dry towels or cloth materials and a clean microfiber cloth for best results. So let’s dive into how to execute the “wipe and swipe” method:

1. In case you’re cleaning from the inside of your home, you’ll need to place the dry towels or cloths on the ground where the glass or windows being cleaned are to collect excess water spilling from the glass or windows.
2. Now, use a soft rag or sponge to gently apply the cleaning solution to the glass surface. After the application of the cleaning solution, wait for a few minutes and start scrubbing the glass as necessary to remove the dust or stains. In case you encounter dirt like birds poop or mud that have become stubbornly solid and refuses to soften with the application of the cleaning solution, you may need to get and apply elbow grease cleaning paste in order to get rid of it.
3. This step takes practice to master but it’s fairly simple. So, to remove the dirt and water from the glass or glass window, place your squeegee at the top of the glass and pressing the squeegee slightly hard against the glass. With the pressure applied, move the squeegee from top to bottom repeatedly until the dirt and water is removed from the glass. At different intervals during the swiping of the squeegee from top to bottom, you will need to clean the squeegee with a towel in order to avoid wetting the glass again after each stroke.
4. To fully master the wipe and swipe technique, you need to angle the squeegee onto the already clean part of the glass, as this will expel dirty water from the back of the squeegee and ensuring that streaks are not left behind.
5. To complete the exercise, you will use your dry towel to clean the edges and outer areas of the glass frame or glass window to remove any water that spilled over during the cleaning.

Experts clean everything

After the successful cleaning of the glass, it’s important to clean every other part of the window or frame holding the glass such tracks, sills and screens; this ensures that you achieve an expert-grade cleaning.

Use a steel wool to tidy up

In case after cleaning, you still see some dirt or marks that you missed, you can use a steel wool to buff out the dirt. Avoid using cheap steel wools that may scratch the glass. In the absence of a steel wool you can use a clean dry towel to tidy up.

Leave the most difficult parts to the professionals

Cleaning windows yourself and using a window cleaner is not always mutually exclusive. If you would like to clean your own windows to save some money, but some parts of your home are too difficult, you can have a window cleaner quote the most difficult windows.

Here are some examples of what you could have a window cleaner do to make the job easier for yourself without breaking the bank:

• Windows in tall buildings that need to be accessed by a ladder, as well as windows that are only accessible from the roof.
• Exterior windows that are very dirty.
• Cleaning glass only, leaving tracks and screens to be done separately.

The best way to find out more about this option is to speak to a window cleaner in your local area.