How to Quickly Wash Windows After Winter: 7 Tips to Make the Task Easier

It seems like washing windows takes forever, but in reality it's not so. You just need to prepare everything in advance and follow this simple instruction.

What you'll need?

• sponge or brush with a long handle;
• two buckets: one with regular water and one with soapy solution;

• clean cloth (microfiber);
• a large towel or fabric to cover the floor.

When is the best time to wash windows?

Early in the morning or closer to evening, when the sun isn't shining directly into the glass. With bright sunlight, you won’t see all spots and water on the glass will dry quickly. So cloudy days are the best time for cleaning.

How to properly wash windows?

Prepare a window cleaning solution

There are many cleaning products for windows, but the most tested one remains a soapy solution. Instead of soap, you can add one teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, laundry gel, or white vinegar to a bucket of water.

Strong stains were once removed by our moms and grandmothers using starch. This lifehack can and should still be used now, as households are becoming more eco-friendly.

Baking soda is better not to use, as well as other abrasive substances. They leave tiny scratches on glass and frames that easily trap dirt afterward, reducing visibility and appearance.

Before starting to wash windows, lay down a cloth or towel to protect the floor from streaks.

Select modern equipment and tools

While natural cleaning agents can be used, in terms of cloths and brushes, progress has moved far ahead — two cloths won’t suffice anymore. Use sponges of varying hardness for applying soapy foam to the glass and microfiber cloths for drying windows. The finishing polish with newspapers is still popular, but paper towels are more convenient.

Very popular are brushes with rubber squeegees and foam rollers — so-called "squeegee" or "scrapers": they neatly gather dirty foam over large glass surfaces in one motion. A long telescopic handle (up to two meters) helps avoid many unnecessary movements with ladders or stools. And, of course, it’s safe to reach external sides of window panes at great heights.

Follow the process

First, dissolve dirt in a large amount of soapy foam (carefully, don’t splash water on wall trim inside and neighbors’ apartments!). If there’s too much dust on the windows, it should be brushed off the glass first with a wide brush, scrub brush, or dry cloth. Professionals immediately vacuum such windows.

After soaping with a brush-squeegee, gather the foam from top to bottom or horizontally, overlapping slightly to avoid gaps. Wipe frames, wash seals and drainage channels in the lower part of profiles.

Dry frames and glass with microfiber cloths or paper towels. If necessary, add a rinse with vinegar or glycerin additives — and dry the glass again with cloths.

How to speed up the process?Choose one direction of motion, for example, from top to bottom. Circular motions leave streaks.

Dry the glass thoroughly

There is a special rubber squeegee on window cleaning brushes that helps dry the glass. Place it in the upper left corner of the window and move strictly vertically to the bottom edge of the frame.

Then dry thoroughly and continue, each time setting the squeegee so that its left edge slightly extends onto already cleaned areas. At the end, dry all streaks on the glass and windowsill with microfiber: it absorbs moisture well.

How to speed up the process?When the rubber squeegee fades, replace it with a new one: this way you’ll get rid of streaks on the glass and finish faster.

Don’t forget about mosquito nets

They should be washed separately, preferably in the bathroom. To remove dust, pass water over the entire net using a showerhead, and stains can be wiped off with a brush with stiff bristles and the same soapy solution. The net can be dried with a microfiber cloth.

How to handle the outside of the window?

Stained glass is more exposed to pollution outdoors. If you need to remove tough stains, apply a cleaning agent directly onto the sponge and wipe.

How to speed up the process?Moisten the problematic area with vinegar from a spray bottle, leave for five minutes and then wipe with cloth.

Use gadgets and call in specialists

The market has recently seen the emergence of automatic window washers — they resemble handheld vacuum cleaners and operate on the same principle: you spray the glass with a sprayer, and smart technology collects dirty water and dries the surface. The device works three times faster than a householder doing it by hand. And it’s relatively inexpensive.

Another device mainly used by professionals is telescopic pole systems. The final length of the water supply handle for the brush can exceed ten meters. Specialists use these brushes to clean windows at height while remaining on the ground.

In home settings, such systems can be used if you live in an apartment with panoramic glass on a high floor and you simply can’t reach many panes. The downside of such technology is its extremely high cost for occasional use. Sometimes it’s easier to call a team of industrial climbers to wash your windows from the outside. True, this doesn’t cancel the need for interior cleaning. So our quite traditional recommendations will still come in handy.

Photo on cover: design by Angelika Makarevich.