There are different times of the year that you may want to have your windows cleaned. Spring is a good time. It’s great to have clean windows to see the pretty weather and things getting green. If you have a lot of pollen where you live, you may want to wait  until the middle of June when the pollen is not as bad. Some will have all their windows cleaned in and out in the Spring and then have just the outsides cleaned again late June or early July. Ether way it’s sure nice to have clean windows!

This is a common question with no right or wrong answer. The best time to clean your windows is when you notice they are dirty. That usually is when you are seeing the sun come through or when you are at your sink looking out the kitchen window. Insides can be cleaned anytime of the year. For the outsides there are a couple of things to consider. The pollen can be a problem on outside windows. We have found the pollen is usually not as bad by the middle of June. Unfortunately it’s hard to wait that long to have clean windows! Many have their windows cleaned inside and out early Spring and then again late Spring or early Summer. Nothing like clean windows!

Simple Green  We use Simple Green in many situations because you can dilute it with water to whatever strength you need. Check the label and you will see what I mean. Lowes Building Supply is the cheapest place I have found to buy it. We buy it by the gallon and put it into spray bottles as we need it.

Even though it’s still Winter, it can be a great time to start making a list of things you need to have done this Spring. How do the the windows look? Time to schedule a cleaning? Please let us know. How about those gutters? We can check them too. Now’s the time to start thinking about nicer weather and enjoying the outdoors again!

One way to touch up your windows without water is by using 0000 grade steel wool. It will remove stubborn spots with just a little effort. It works especially well on fingerprints left by little ones.  Also works for removing nose prints from pets. Make sure to use the oooo grade of steel wool so as not to scratch the glass. DO NOT USE on windows that have tinting film applied to them. It will scratch the tint. This type of steel wool can be found at Lowes, Home Depot and Wal-Mart.

Sometimes we find it necessary to use a spray glass cleaner. The one I prefer to use is Invisible Glass. It dries very quickly so it doesn’t usually leave streaks. As with most glass cleaning it’s best to avoid the Sun. It also works very well on light fixtures. You can usually find it at Ingles, Wal-Mart and Lowes.

Gutters really need to be cleaned whenever they are full to the point of slowing the water flowing out of the downspouts. The gutters job is to catch water and move it away from the house. If water can’t flow through the gutters and out the downspouts the water will remain too close to the house leading to all kinds of problems. As we get some warmer weather take notice if you see water dripping off the sides of the gutters. When it rains you can also make sure the water is flowing out of the downspouts. Usually the Spring and Fall are the best times to make sure your gutters are clean.

One important way to keep your gutters clean is to keep the leaves out of them. Leaves are the primary thing that clogs gutters and downspouts. A good way keep leaves out of gutters is to remove any branches that hang over or near your roof. If you will have this done your gutters will stay much cleaner. Clean gutters area must when it rains as much as it has this Spring and Summer!

One of the hardest types of windows to clean are storm windows. The first challenge can be just to remove them without breaking them. The second can be to make sure each storm is put back where it came from. If you happen to mix them up, you might wish you never tried to clean them. What we do when we clean storm windows is number each one. We number each individual storm and the screen. Also number the window frame where the set of storms came from. This will make putting the storms back in much easier. This also allows you to take the storms outside to clean them without the fearof knowing where they go. 

One thing that can be really annoying is cloudy shower doors. You scrub and scrub but they don’t come clean. Usually the problem is hard water stains. You might also notice this problem on windows where you water your outside plants. If the stains are not too bad, 0000 steel wool might take them off. CLR can also be effective. Be sure to try to test first in a spot that won’t be noticed to make sure you are not damaging the surface.