How To Clean Your Windows - Teaching Regular Readers To Suck Eggs

Your space: how to clean your windows - If you want to give your home an instant facelift, clean your windows. It does for your façade what Botox will do for your visage, only a great deal more cheaply. With a little effort anybody can have shiny, blemish-free glass, which is crucial if you want to make a good first impression. David Rathbone, of Strutt & Parker’s Guildford office, says: “On entering a room most people will be drawn to a window, so clean windows are essential.”

As with all successful grooming, for the best results you require professional kit. Do not be tempted to reach for a bottle of glass-cleaning spray and a roll of kitchen towel. You will not only get through loads of expensive product, but also do little more than spread the dirt around in circles, which will look awful when the sun shines through.

Real pros, such as Dave, the window cleaning coach (windowcleaningcoach.com), use proper tools for the trade. He recomends a T-bar to apply water and detergent (far better than a sponge), a 14in squeegee (or 6in one if you have small panes), a glass scraper to remove stubborn dirt and a microfibre cloth. A rectangular bucket will allow you to dip your T-bar more easily than a traditional round one, and a window-cleaning pole is particularly useful for reaching conservatory roofs.

You can buy a very basic starter kit from Tesco Direct (direct.tesco.com) for only £12.99, but for professional equipment go to windowclean centre.co.uk. There you can buy stainless steel or brass (loved by the masters because it won’t scratch glass) squeegees in their component parts. It may cost you more initially but you can replace the rubber blades when they become worn.

Dave the window cleaning coach says that cold water and washing-up liquid is fine, but Ettore’s Squeegee Off solution (£5.41 for 500ml from clickcleaning.co.uk) will help you to do the job faster. Speed is essential in hot weather, when evaporating water can leave streaks.

Technique is also paramount. Get the window really soaking, but remember that every drop of water on the window has to be wiped off. Virtuosos can clean most of a window in one movement by starting at the top and snaking all the way down — the more breaks you have, the more marks you could leave. Novices may have to start with individual strokes, though. Just remember to wipe the squeegee with a lint-free cloth after every swipe and finish the job by buffing the glass with a dry cloth.