Spring Window Cleaning Tips: Cleaning Your Residential Glass in Alaska

Spring is finally setting in, which means homeowners everywhere are beginning their spring cleaning practices that they might have neglected throughout the winter months. Window cleaning is one of those common tasks.

Clean windows make your house look and feel much more inviting, and can help make you feel more relaxed when sitting inside your home. Here are some tips to help you more effectively clean your residential glass in Alaska:

• Start along the edges: Dirt and dust tend to build up right around the edges of the windows in the cracks and seams. Therefore, if you start at the center of the window, most of the dirt that’s built up there will just wash into the crevices. Spray your windows down from outside with a hose to get rid of any loose debris, then clean the perimeter with soapy water and a rag.
• Use cold water: While wiping down your windows from the outside, make sure you use cold water—hot water will evaporate more quickly, especially if it’s a sunny day. You can add a few squirts of detergent into the water to make clearing the dirt easier and to prevent any streaks from forming on the windows as they dry.
• Use a squeegee: Not only do squeegees help you avoid leaving particles behind on your windows (a common problem with paper towels), they also get the job done a lot faster and without any streaks. Make sure you replace the squeegee blade fairly regularly—if the edge of the blade has nicks or starts to become rounded, it will no longer work as effectively.
• Use microfiber cloths: Lots of people use paper towels or other cloths made of cotton when cleaning windows. However, these types of cloths can leave behind fibers and lint that will trap dirt and keep them on the window. Therefore, if you’re wiping up leftover water or wiping around the edges of the windows, you should use microfiber, which does not leave behind these trace materials.
• Get rid of hard water stains: You can use window cleaning products like Windex indoors or out to get rid of any hard water stains on your windows. If you don’t have any such cleaners on hand, you can also use a white vinegar mixture to break down those minerals and easily wipe them away.
• Remove tougher stains and debris: There are some types of debris that cannot easily be removed with a cloth, like bug splatters, bird droppings and dried-on paint. In these situations, you’ll need to either use a rough scrubbing sponge or a razorblade scraper. Avoid using metal scrubbers or steel wool—these will leave scratches on the glass.

These are just a few tips to help you get your windows looking great for this spring and beyond. If you have any additional questions about the best cleaning methods you can use for your residential or commercial glass in Alaska, we encourage you to contact the team at Replacement Glass today.

Categorised in: Checklists, Residential Glass