Ultimate Window Cleaning Tips — Inside & Out

Ultimate Window Cleaning Tips

By now, your windows have a thick sheen of streaks, dust and debris. That’s what happens when your windows withstand a relentless assault of smudgy fingers and seasonal elements. Don’t fret—backup is on the way. The cleaning pros here at Molly Maid bring you this complete window cleaning guide for clean windows — inside, outside, screens and sills!

Streak-free Solution

All it takes is a couple drops of dish soap and a warm bucket of water. But be careful: Too much soap will leave streaks.

Vinegar alternative: You can also use equal parts vinegar and water as a multipurpose solution. Vinegar manufacturer Heinz recommends using 100% vinegar to spot-clean stubborn streaks from windows.

Essential Equipment

• Bucket
• Dish soap
• Natural sponge
• Professional squeegee
• Microfiber cloth
• Old rags
• White vinegar
• Toothbrush
• Dust Mask
• Sturdy ladder

Newspaper?

For the best clean, we recommend using a squeegee. But when the squeegee won’t fit, you can use crumpled-up newspaper to wipe down your windows. Unlike paper towels, newspaper doesn’t leave behind residue.

Windowsills

Cleaning moldy windowsills requires an old toothbrush, some elbow grease, and a dust mask to protect you from mold spores. Using your vinegar solution, wet the toothbrush and start scrubbing the moldy spots. Use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe the surface clean. A chlorine bleach solution also works in place of vinegar, however, please use safety cautions when using bleach. We recommend wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands.

Window Screens

Pop out your screen and lay it down on a flat, clean surface. Using equal parts water and vinegar, scrub your screen with a microfiber cloth. Use a hose to spray off the screen and then shake the excess water away. Lean it against something where it won’t get dirty. Now clean the outside of the window before replacing the screen!

Window Cleaning Technique

We’re going one window at a time. Otherwise, your sudsy solution may dry on the window and cause some serious streaking.

1. Dip your sponge into the cleaning solution and wring it out lightly.
2. With circular strokes, apply the soap-and-water solution to the entire window.
3. Starting in the top-left corner, run your squeegee from left to right.
4. After each stroke, wipe the blade with a clean, old rag.
5. Continue working your way down the window, from left to right.
6. Use some crumpled newspaper or a microfiber cloth to dry any areas that you missed.

Use the same steps for your outside windows. But instead of using left-to-right strokes, run your squeegee top-to-bottom. That way, if there are any streaks, it’s easy to tell which side they’re on.

Paned Windows Are a Pain in the …

If you can’t easily remove your window panes, work around them! To dry, use a small squeegee to work each section from top to bottom. No squeegee? Break out the newspaper!

Cleaning by Molly Maid

Although we don’t typically clean windows, we do clean houses, covering every room and everything in between. Contact your local Molly Maid and we can set up a custom cleaning schedule that fits your needs.