Do you dread cleaning windows? I feel your pane (pun intended)! However, with the right products and tools it will feel effortless. 

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Screens

Start by removing window screens (if you have them) and placing them in a bathtub or a big plastic tote bin. Either spray them down thoroughly with Dawn® Powerwash or soak them in hot water and either powdered Tide® or Mr. Clean® (whatever you have on hand, just don’t mix them together!). Removing the screens first gets them out of the way so you can focus on the rest of the window.

Interior

Step 1: Vacuum the trim, frame, tracks, and sill using a horsehair brush (Canada) (USA)

Step 2: If you have very dirty window tracks, use undiluted Mr. Clean® and spray it directly onto the tracks. Scrub the tracks with a scrub brush or old toothbrush. You can also do this with dirty window cranks and locks. Soak up the dirt and Mr.Clean® using paper towels. We use paper towels here for their absorbency, as a cloth would just push the dirt around. If your tracks are fairly clean, you should be able to just give them a quick wipe with our water, bleach and Tide® recipe.

Step 3: Wipe down the rest of the window and frame, avoiding the glass, using hot water and Tide®. If there are sticky spots, you can use Mr Clean. For black scuffs, use a warm, wet cloth with a squirt of Bar Keepers Friend® to buff it out.

Step 4: Liberally spray the glass with Windex® and wipe it well using paper towel. If you have Mr. Clean® overspray on the window you might have to do a second round of Windex®. Lastly, you can use a polish cloth on the glass to wipe away any streaks and lint that may have been left behind.

Exterior

If you have a pressure washer, spray down your second and then first story windows. If you are able to hook up to soap, even better! If not, wipe down the window sill, frame, and glass (of the windows you can reach) using hot water and a liberal amount of blue Dawn® dish soap. Then rinse well. Do not get lazy during this step! Leaving dirt and suds behind will make the polishing step more difficult because you’ll leave streaks across the window. Once dry, use Windex® and paper towel to polish the glass. If you would like to take your window-cleaning to the next level, you may want to consider investing in the AquaBLADE® kit (Canada) (USA).

And lastly if you are short on time and would like a quick and efficient method of cleaning your windows using your garden hose, look into Windex® Outdoor window cleaner.

Tip: Do not let the suds sit and dry on your window. If it is hot outside, the suds will bake sooner, and therefore I recommend doing one window at a time.

I recommend cleaning the interior and exterior windows in the spring. If you don’t do both, you won’t be able to see the full effect. You’ve been looking through dirty windows all winter and it’s time to start seeing those spring flowers more clearly!For a list of our favorite products, click here.