Window Magic
(909) 392-9109
(909) 392-9109
Window Cleaning Tips and Tricks
'We Clean Your
Windows....Like Magic!
It's Window Cleaning Day!
Here are some things you can do to make your window cleaning appointment smooth and save you money too.
1. Please don't schedule your window cleaning appointment on the same day your gardener is coming. I love 'Mow and Blowers' when I'm not there. They blow dust all over your home getting the windows dirty and creating more business for me. Just not on the day that I'm cleaning the glass.
2a. If you decide to wash off your home, please do it at least 3 days prior to your window cleaning appointment. This way the outside vegetation, soil, and window sills/tracks will be dry when I arrive. This is especially true if you want the tracks cleaned. I've seen them full of water making it very difficult and time consuming to clean.*
2b. Before you wash off your home, remove your screens. If you hose them off and let them dry in place they will surely stain and I will have to charge you more to clean them.*
*Best thing to do is have an expert like me powerwash your home. I will remove your screens, de-cobweb your eves, and powerwash your home making it look like new again. Call for an estimate today!
3. Remove any fragile or valuable items from your inside window sills before I arrive. I'm as careful as possible with your stuff, but accidents happen. Why take the chance?
4. Some of my clients go to great lengths to clear a path to their windows for me. While I appreciate their efforts sometimes they go a bit too far. Most of the time I can move your furniture out of the way myself. Also, I'm 6' 4" tall so I can lean over and clean them from a distance too. Let me look at it before you strain your back.
5. Payment: I accept cash and checks only. Sorry, it's not practical for me to accept credit cards at this time.
Here are some things you can do to make your window cleaning appointment smooth and save you money too.
1. Please don't schedule your window cleaning appointment on the same day your gardener is coming. I love 'Mow and Blowers' when I'm not there. They blow dust all over your home getting the windows dirty and creating more business for me. Just not on the day that I'm cleaning the glass.
2a. If you decide to wash off your home, please do it at least 3 days prior to your window cleaning appointment. This way the outside vegetation, soil, and window sills/tracks will be dry when I arrive. This is especially true if you want the tracks cleaned. I've seen them full of water making it very difficult and time consuming to clean.*
2b. Before you wash off your home, remove your screens. If you hose them off and let them dry in place they will surely stain and I will have to charge you more to clean them.*
*Best thing to do is have an expert like me powerwash your home. I will remove your screens, de-cobweb your eves, and powerwash your home making it look like new again. Call for an estimate today!
3. Remove any fragile or valuable items from your inside window sills before I arrive. I'm as careful as possible with your stuff, but accidents happen. Why take the chance?
4. Some of my clients go to great lengths to clear a path to their windows for me. While I appreciate their efforts sometimes they go a bit too far. Most of the time I can move your furniture out of the way myself. Also, I'm 6' 4" tall so I can lean over and clean them from a distance too. Let me look at it before you strain your back.
5. Payment: I accept cash and checks only. Sorry, it's not practical for me to accept credit cards at this time.
Do It Yourself Tips
So your windows are dirty and you want to try to clean them yourself. Here's some advice to make your window cleaning experience easier.
1. Learn to use a squeegee. Using Windex, vinegar, or anything else with a rag, towel or newspaper will make your windows look good for about a week. Then the hidden swirls will show up and you'll be back where you started. When used correctly, the squeegee pulls all the soapy water over to the edge leaving most of the glass surface perfectly clean.
2. Use a bucket of water and a small squirt of Dawn or Palmolive dish soap. Less soap is better. Then you can use an professional applicator or a micro fiber rag to wash the glass.
3. Now take your rag and wipe the top and one side edge of the window. Starting in the dry area where you just wiped, pull the squeegee across the window. Wipe the edge of the squeegee and do it again overlapping the last pass until the window is clean.
4. Next use another microfiber rag to wipe up the extra water on the sills and around the edges after you squeegee the glass. Then use a lent free rag to detail the window edges.
5. Brush your screens and rinse them with your hose before you put them back in place. A dirty screen will make the window behind it dirty if the wind blows or if it rains. Be sure to pat them dry with a towel to get most of the water off of them so they don't stain. Our hard water in So. Cal. will stain anything.
6. Be sure to follow the safety directions on your ladders. You can find them printed on the sides of the ladder. Ladders are rated for weight too. Make sure the ladder you are using is sturdy enough. I know too many homeowners who have fallen off their roofs or ladders causing serious injuries. Safety first.
7. Be careful when using a razor scraper on tempered glass. Tempered glass may have defects in it that can cause you to leave scratches where ever you scrape.
8. If you find that during or after you finish your project you're aren't getting the results you wanted, please give me a call and I will come save you. Quality window cleaning is not as easy as it looks.
So your windows are dirty and you want to try to clean them yourself. Here's some advice to make your window cleaning experience easier.
1. Learn to use a squeegee. Using Windex, vinegar, or anything else with a rag, towel or newspaper will make your windows look good for about a week. Then the hidden swirls will show up and you'll be back where you started. When used correctly, the squeegee pulls all the soapy water over to the edge leaving most of the glass surface perfectly clean.
2. Use a bucket of water and a small squirt of Dawn or Palmolive dish soap. Less soap is better. Then you can use an professional applicator or a micro fiber rag to wash the glass.
3. Now take your rag and wipe the top and one side edge of the window. Starting in the dry area where you just wiped, pull the squeegee across the window. Wipe the edge of the squeegee and do it again overlapping the last pass until the window is clean.
4. Next use another microfiber rag to wipe up the extra water on the sills and around the edges after you squeegee the glass. Then use a lent free rag to detail the window edges.
5. Brush your screens and rinse them with your hose before you put them back in place. A dirty screen will make the window behind it dirty if the wind blows or if it rains. Be sure to pat them dry with a towel to get most of the water off of them so they don't stain. Our hard water in So. Cal. will stain anything.
6. Be sure to follow the safety directions on your ladders. You can find them printed on the sides of the ladder. Ladders are rated for weight too. Make sure the ladder you are using is sturdy enough. I know too many homeowners who have fallen off their roofs or ladders causing serious injuries. Safety first.
7. Be careful when using a razor scraper on tempered glass. Tempered glass may have defects in it that can cause you to leave scratches where ever you scrape.
8. If you find that during or after you finish your project you're aren't getting the results you wanted, please give me a call and I will come save you. Quality window cleaning is not as easy as it looks.
Window Magic
(909) 392-9109
(909) 392-9109
Wipe the edge first with a microfiber rag and then start your squeegee in the dry area. Pull smoothly across the window. After each pass, wipe the edge of the squeegee and then pull another pass.
_____________________________________
Helpful
Window Information
1. Are your windows getting harder to open? Here's some ideas that might help:
1a. Aluminum frame windows and Sliders: Clean the tracks and then spray some Silicon Spray on the bottom track. Silicon spray dries without residue and will keep your tracks working smoothly. The downside is it doesn't smell that great and you'll have to keep applying it about every two weeks or so. Most everyone gets tired of this and either replaces the windows or uses WD40 on the tracks which attracts dirt and leaves a gummy residue. Then they get dirty faster and wear out faster. Your decision....
1b. Plastic frame windows and Sliders: Clean the tracks and then spray some Pledge on the bottom track. You can also use this trick on windows that slide up and down. This is a cool trick and works great. The Pledge has wax that acts as a lubricant, it lasts a long time, repels dirt and smells good. What's not to love?
2. Sliding glass door screen sticking?
Make sure the tracks are clean before you try to adjust them. With most sliding screens, the top of the screen fits in-between a runner in the frame of the door and the bottom wheel rides on an razed lip. The wheels on bottom and top of the screen are adjustable with a small phillips screwdriver. Try to adjust the screen so it has a little play in it but not so it will fall off the track. Try a little silicon spray (aluminum) or Pledge (Plastic frame) too.
3. Foggy windows or permanent hard water stains?
You can spend lots of money replacing the window or you can hide the problem behind some sheer drapes. Sheer drapes let the light through but also allow for privacy and will effectively hide your window defect.
4. Hard water stains?
Don't let tap water sit on your glass for any length of time. Hard water stains form quickly and if you ignore them, it can do permanent damage to your glass. If it's only been a couple of weeks or less, try rubbing vinegar on them. Less than two months? Try CLR or Lime Away. Longer? Call me, I've got some professional cleaning chemicals that can clean most of the hard water stains you have. I can also apply a protectant that can help prevent any further damage.
1. Are your windows getting harder to open? Here's some ideas that might help:
1a. Aluminum frame windows and Sliders: Clean the tracks and then spray some Silicon Spray on the bottom track. Silicon spray dries without residue and will keep your tracks working smoothly. The downside is it doesn't smell that great and you'll have to keep applying it about every two weeks or so. Most everyone gets tired of this and either replaces the windows or uses WD40 on the tracks which attracts dirt and leaves a gummy residue. Then they get dirty faster and wear out faster. Your decision....
1b. Plastic frame windows and Sliders: Clean the tracks and then spray some Pledge on the bottom track. You can also use this trick on windows that slide up and down. This is a cool trick and works great. The Pledge has wax that acts as a lubricant, it lasts a long time, repels dirt and smells good. What's not to love?
2. Sliding glass door screen sticking?
Make sure the tracks are clean before you try to adjust them. With most sliding screens, the top of the screen fits in-between a runner in the frame of the door and the bottom wheel rides on an razed lip. The wheels on bottom and top of the screen are adjustable with a small phillips screwdriver. Try to adjust the screen so it has a little play in it but not so it will fall off the track. Try a little silicon spray (aluminum) or Pledge (Plastic frame) too.
3. Foggy windows or permanent hard water stains?
You can spend lots of money replacing the window or you can hide the problem behind some sheer drapes. Sheer drapes let the light through but also allow for privacy and will effectively hide your window defect.
4. Hard water stains?
Don't let tap water sit on your glass for any length of time. Hard water stains form quickly and if you ignore them, it can do permanent damage to your glass. If it's only been a couple of weeks or less, try rubbing vinegar on them. Less than two months? Try CLR or Lime Away. Longer? Call me, I've got some professional cleaning chemicals that can clean most of the hard water stains you have. I can also apply a protectant that can help prevent any further damage.
