Admittedly, my customers don’t usually (never really) ask me how to clean windows like a pro. I do however get asked by neighbors walking by a home where I’m cleaning the windows or while I’m chatting with someone in line at one of my favorite coffee shops and I’m more than happy to share some basics with them. Bear in mind, there is a LOT more to professional window cleaning than what I outline below, but for a homeowner looking for a ‘short and sweet’ outline of what to do, here it is. Let’s get started.

What tools do you need? (You can find all these tools at a ‘big box’ store)

Put a quarter-sized amount of dish soap in the bucket and mix the soap well in the water.

Wet the strip washer in the bucket and then ring it out so that it is not sopping wet and then scrub the entire window thoroughly.

Place the squeegee in the top-left corner of the window and pull across the window horizontally. Repeat this process with overlapping strokes making sure to wipe the squeegee with a lint-free cloth between each stroke or pull.

Using a lint-free cloth, soak up all that dirty water that’s sitting at the bottom of the window and dry any excess water on the edges of the glass.

But wait! “I have divided-lite (french panes) and the strip washer and squeegee I bought from the big box store don’t fit in the little panes” you say. No problem. Use a sponge instead of the strip washer and then use a hacksaw to cut the squeegee 1/4″ smaller than the width of the window panes. Then use a sharp knife to cut the squeegee rubber to the exact width of the window panes. Now you’re all set to tackle those little guys.

That’s it, you’re done! Now many of you may have divided-lite windows (french panes), storm windows, high transom windows, large picture windows, difficult-access windows, skylights in addition to stubborn mineral deposits, hard water stains, and other challenges that the pro window cleaner encounters everyday. If that’s the case, then it would probably be best to bring in a professional. Now get out there with your squeegee and have fun!