I first just want to state the reason why we make this content for both you the homeowner and other exterior cleaning companies. Most other business’s or peers will say why do you give away your processes? It’s what gives you the upper hand and our response to this question is always, we’re not here to make a quick buck. Our mission with AquaMen Pro-Wash is so much bigger than that. We’re here to help grow and pioneer the industry. To be leaders with in the pressure washing community. That is why we share our knowledge. This info is not to just help the do it yourselfers, but to help the guy or gal understand the process to a certain degree so they know what to look out for when hiring a professional. Ignorance is not bliss!
To ensure the best results possible, one of the very first steps to cleaning your windows is the assessment step. What is the assessment step you ask? Let me explain. There are many different types of contaminants that can cause your windows to look dirty. Organic growths, dirt or just simply visible streaks. Perhaps you have all three! Which ever your your circumstance, we need to know what we’re cleaning to know what method to use.
Let’s just assume for example, your windows are are to the extreme of the spectrum. There’s that slimy green algae growing on them, tons of dirt all over the framing of the window and just an overall eye sore to the curb appeal of your home.
What would be the first course of action to start cleaning this stuff? Would you pressure wash it all off? Would you grab a bucket of water and soap and start to hand wash it? These are valid questions, so we are going to dive right into how we at Aquamen Pro-Wash clean windows and how you can too with some simple home remedies!
The first thing we are going to want to do is get rid of that green algae growth. Pressure washing this off or trying to hand wash it is not going to yield lasting results. We need to kill this organic growth entirely. Simply trying to wash it off is only getting rid of the top visible portion of the growth and not the tiny little spores that cause it to grow in the first place. Applying a light mix ratio of bleach and water is enough to kill the organic matter entirely. This will ensure it wont grow back any time soon.
The next course of action we like to do, is to clean the surrounding siding and trim. Again this is a bit overkill and most other window cleaning companies will skip this portion by just brushing off the visible dirt, but we like to do this to ensure the best overall results. We use our soft wash system ( Your Garden Hose Will Do Just Fine ) to clean the window trim and J Channel siding to guarantee no surrounding dirt or contaminant will eventually work its way on to the glass window itself by wind or rain. To be clear, we are not using any pressure here. A pressure washer will potentially damage the surrounding trim or worse crack the window.
Now that the trim around the windows are clean, we can now start washing the glass itself. We use a Tbar style scrubber that has different types of sleeves you can use from wool to micro fiber. For surfactant ( soap ) we like to use dawn soap. This helps with keeping the surface wet and also get rid of surface contaminants. To pre wash the surface you’re going to want to make sure that when you apply the dawn solution, its not drying up. You need the glass to stay lubricated for the next step.
Simply using a rag to wash the glass is not going to remove those pesky bug spots. We need something more abrasive that can effectively remove these smudge spots revealing a polished mirror clean. This is why it’s so important to make sure you have the correct water to surfactant ratio to ensure the proper lubrication for the this process. We like to use #0000 steel wool to polish the glass. We do not recommend using anything more abrasive as you can run the risk of causing scratches.
Using the same Tbar or rag you used for the pre wash, we need to now re wash the glass to clean the contaminants we just polished off. This will be the final wash for the window. At this point the only thing that should be on the window is the dawn soap/water mix. All other contaminants should be cleaned off at this step.
Now that your window is clean, it is now time to extract the soap and water from the surface of the glass. To do this properly, we need a squeegee. We recommend you don’t use a rag for this as it will more than likely cause streak marks. If you’ve never used a squeegee before, we recommend as a beginner either the swipe motion method or the “s” motion technique. There are plenty of videos online to watch and learn how to do these techniques properly. At the end of the day, as long as you’re not leaving any streak marks you’re good to go!
There you have it! If your someone who is comfortable on ladders and are willing to put in the time and effort to learn and clean your own windows. You now have the base understanding of how to do so! It’s all trial and error from here. Be patient and eventually you will get the hang of it!
