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Crazy good ideas for your life, home, and business!

Washing Windows Like A Pro

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Do you love doing housework? If you answered No, then you are probably in the majority vote!

how to wash windows

However I think if housework were easier we would enjoy it more. Over the years we’ve found out many easy tips to clean things faster and better. Like how to remove scratches from white dishes or how to shine dull floors in minutes. But one of the best tips we have isn’t just something we’ve discovered, it’s a tip we actually got from the professionals and we are sharing that tip with you!

 WASHING WINDOWS, is a pain! But not if you have Secrets from the pros!! 

 This is a tried and true method used by the professional window washers around the world. We want to teach you the secret to washing windows like a pro.

Washing Windows Like the Pros

I cannot take credit for this discovery; however I can tell you that it works!  In my opinion this is the best way for washing windows.  A cleaning company shared this tip with me four years ago, I was using glass cleaner, vinegar and newspapers.  Nothing I did completely cleaned the window. This is the only thing I use now.

 Items Needed for Washing Windows Like a Pro

*these links are for your shopping convenience they are affiliate links which means we make a commission if you purchase from Amazon. 

The Best Window Cleaner

Steps for Washing Windows Like a Pro

  1. Place a few drops of Dawn in your container with a couple inches of water.
  2. Dip the scrubby pad into the water and squeeze out.

Washing Windows like the Professionals do it

      3. Scrub the glass.

      4. The Dawn along with the scrubby gets the dirt off and does not leave a residue.

    5. Squeegee the window, starting at the top and working down, wiping off the “blade “each time with a cloth.

There are all types of Squeegees on the market. The better the quality, the less streaking and better clean.cleaningtips

washing5551

The Best way to Wash Windows

washing windows like a pro

    6. Wipe around the edges to absorb any leftover water and dirt.

One Pane shiny and clean,  look at the difference…AMAZING!!!!

how to wash windows

 Who would have known this is all it takes to get professional results? Give it a try and see if you like the Washing Windows like A Pro Method.

More Cleaning Tips

 

Comments

    • Hi Roxie, great question. I have used all types of scrubby pads and have not ever noticed scratches. However, I use ones that are not super abrasive. The one in the picture has netting type material on it. I use Scotch-Brite scrubbies to do pots and pans and when those wear down they are great to use as well. Thanks for stopping by.

  3. does this also work on mirrors? I hate the residue glass cleaners leave (but of course they all claim not to leave a residue, ha ha)

    • I know exactly what you mean Cyndee about residue and yes this does work on mirrors. Just use a scrubby pad that is not too abrasive. Thanks for the question!

  4. Nice! One trick I learned as a custodian, is to use Rain-x on the exterior of windows after you wash it if it gets hit by sprinklers-especially if you have hard water. It beads up the water so it doesn’t leave a film. Reapply every other month or so.

    • Its a great cleaner, BUT ever notice your sponges smell fast after using it when using at the kitchen sink? Its from Dawn. For dishes I use Palmolive and my sponges last forever without a bad odor. Just a tip so you don’t have to toss your sponges regularly.

        • If you want to use Dawn and your scrubbies or sponges are getting smelly, try microwaving them for 10-15 seconds. This kills all the bacteria and quickly gets rid of the yucky odor.

          • You can also put the sponge or the scrubber attachment in the dishwasher. The heat kills the bacteria and keeps them fresh. =)

            I can’t wait to try this window cleaning technique!

  6. Hi, This is fantastic! I’m a huge fan of Dawn, and now even more so! I was hoping to join your email group, but the “go” button doesn’t seem to work. I entered my email address and clicked several times. I’d love to be added to your email list if possible. Thanks!
    Stefanie

    • Stefanine, We love Dawn too. Thanks so much for letting me know about the problem with the email subscription. I will check it out today, it’s readers like you that keep me in the loop when something like that happens. I will try to get it up and working by tonight so you can subscribe! Thanks again!

  7. My husband’s company uses this method and swears by it! He has the number one cleaning company in Sarasota Florida…

    • Mel, That’s Awesome. It’s amazing how something so simple works so well. Congrats to your husband in all his success! Thanks for letting us know how it’s worked for his company too!

  8. Hate spring cleaning but love a clean house. I tried this tip and my windows never looked so clean. I will never use newspaper, ammonia, white vinegar again. They really sparkle. Just remember to wipe the squeegee blade after each pass.

    • Hi Susie, I know exactly what you mean. I really disliked washing windows, because they never looked clean. FRUSTRATING! That is what led me to question the professional cleaner. So glad he shared this secret.

  10. thank you for this.., I’m so gonna try this at home 🙂
    more power and god bless 🙂

  12. HI guys, my cleaning lady also ditched the window cleaners for a soap formula with the squeegee but she uses Fabuloso,,,,,,and let me tell you it is fabulous-Oh. a very weak formula gets that film off windows and mirrors. i actually just use a paper towel because i don’t have a squeegee. But the benefits don’t stop there, mix it in your bucket for mopping floors, use a weak formula and nearly dry mop to shine and clean sealed hardwood floors. It makes granite shine like when you first put it in (if you dry the countertop completely) and to top it all off,,,,,,it smells good!

    • Heather, I just mopped my tile kitchen floor with Fabuloso and it worked fabulous! I love the smell. It smells so fresh and clean. Thanks again for the tip.

    • Heather, I’m 20 and STILL live at home with my family but I like to help out with the cleaning. I’m broke and they only buy Dawn. do you think it would work to mop your floor with that instead of Fabuloso? And how weak of a solution would you make to clean your floors?

      • Rebecca, Just in case Heather doesn’t respond, I use Dawn on my floors when I don’t have other products or don’t want to spend the $$$. Just a few drops. The only thing that the I can find on the net is that it may dull the shine on high gloss hardwood floors.

  13. I tried this yesterday, and OMG. My windows will be cleaned more often (I might have cleaned them two years ago or so….) It took me less time to clean the windows than it did to dust the blinds and the windows look awesome!

    • Melynda, I’m afraid that the water hose would leave a residue of dirt and water. The method of using the squeegee and wiping the blade removes the excess water and dirt from the window. Thanks for your question.

    • Sharon, That’s the great thing about the squeegee method, it gets all the soap off. We’ve never had a need for rinsing 🙂

  16. Hi Denise!!
    Someone sent me this blog link and I want to thank you so much for the Dawn idea for windows!!!
    I’ve also sent it along to others- thanks again 🙂
    Sue

    • Sue, you are welcome and thanks for passing it along. I am also working on a post for the best way to clean the inside of your windshield. Stay tuned.

  17. I live in South Africa and love what you have posted here, but am not sure of what I could use as a substitute for Dawn. Is it dish washing liquid?

    • Hi, Liesl. Yes, Dawn is a dishwashing liquid soap. It is known here in the US as the best for cutting grease. However, others have said that other types of dishwashing liquid work well too. Good luck and I’m so glad you found us all the way in South Africa!

  18. What a great tip, thank you so much for sharing! I usually use Windex.. and then curse because the bottle promised me a “streak free shine” and once again broke that promise!! I have a feeling I will only be using your method from now on!
    Thanks again,
    Asia

    • Hi Asia. I washed my double patio doors with this method today. It was so easy and the windows sparkle. I don’t dread doing windows anymore. Windex is fine for touch ups like on mirrors and such, but for dirty windows, Dawn is the way to go!

  19. I just took your advice and cleaned my huge patio windows! What an easy way to clean them! Took very little time, too!

    Thanks so much for your hint.

    Barbara in Athens, GA

  20. What works best in place of the squeegee for smaller windows where a squeegee doesn’t fit?

    • Hi Pat, I would use a micro fiber cloth or the windshield washing tool that we featured is great for smaller areas as well.

  21. When your sponge starts to smell, pop it in the microwave on high for 20 or 30 sec. It will kill all germs. Your sponge will smell clean again.

  22. I used this method on my windows last weekend and LOVED it. Thank you so much for sharing this method. My windows are spotless. I am so happy not to have to pay someone to clean my windows.

    • Tanya, how wonderful that you have clean windows and more $$$$$! Thanks so much for sharing your success with us.

  23. I just cleaned 12 windows using dawn, a dollar store scrubber and a clean white towel. They are sparkling. I didn’t have a squeegee but I woke up motivated, and decided to try without one. worked perfectly.

  24. I have used Dawn to clean the inside of my vehicle windows for years. It was one of those things that I just thought of trying because Dawn takes grease away so I figured it would work on smoke. Best thing I could have ever done. So much easier.

  25. This worked really well. We are having a big birthday party for my daughter soon, and I was able to do every window inside and out in about an hour and a half. Luckily we have a one-story home. Thanks!

  26. Wow! I usually clean my windows only once a year-right before my family comes in July. I’ve been procrastinating because it’s quite a job. I have an enclosed porch on the South side of the house, encased with 8 sets of slider windows, 4 sets sliding glass doors, along with the rest of the windows & doors on our first level. I’d seen your post on Pinterest so thought I’d get started tackling the job today. Much to my suprise, using the scouring pad with just a little Dawn in the water cleaned the fly specs off without all the scrubbing that it took with a wet rag! I got the squeegie from the shower & started cleaning like a pro! I didn’t tackle all of them today, as the temps here in the MidWest were in the 100 degree range this afternoon, but I got a good start on them & will get them all done by the end of the week. Perhaps my windows will now get to sparkle more than just once a year! Thanks so much for the tip!! 🙂

    • Woo Hoo Jean! So glad the information has helped you. You really have a lot of windows there! The sliding glass doors are a challenge, I am sure. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Happy window washing!

  27. I have always used Dawn to clean my reading glasses also it cleans them so well and I just dry them off with a clean soft cloth after I rinse in the sink. It cleans better than the eyeglass cleaner that I have. I will be trying this on my windows also

  30. I just wanted to check if any dishwashing detergent would do or does it specifically need to be Dawn. I am from Australia and not sure if we have that brand here…it’s not the one I use.

    • Ros, you can try others but the main thing that “Dawn” is know for is it’s ability to cut through extremely tough grease. I would try to find a brand that is comparable to Dawn in that manner. Good Luck!

  31. Thank You!

    I have thought of trying these out but was afraid the scrubber would scratch the glass.
    Dawn works beautifully on greasy stained engine oil jeans, and dishes, and car seats.Now it does windows too….*\o/* yeah DAWN*\o/*.

  32. Thanks for the great tip! I didn’t have Dawn, but had some Palmolive with aloe. I was concerned that the aloe might leave a residue, but I tried it anyway and it worked perfectly.

    Also, I thought I would need a good squeegee but since you used a cheap one, I used a cheap old squeegee we had purchased for the shower and it worked fine. Thanks!

    • That’s great to know because we have lots of people asking from other countries if other soaps work, thanks for letting us know.

  33. Hi,
    I have used a lambswool covered (about 8″ wide) squeegee type handled device (that I can screw a pole in when I have to reach windows) with dish soap/water and then just use with a 8″ squeegee for years -ever since I saw what our window cleaner used — it’s so fast & easy. I’ve used this method on my vehicle windows too.
    I bought them at the local vacuum/cleaning supply store.
    I plan to try Dawn detergent to see if there are improvements. Thanks! (from Chilliwack, BC)

    • Vikki,
      Mom says that you just need to use less water. You can also place a towel across the bottom of the window and then make sure you still have one on hand as you squeegee. If you have squeezed out most of the water you shouldn’t have much more liquid than if you were using a spray on your window. Thanks for asking.

    • Awesome. I haven’t tried it yet but Mom swears by it. I have my supplies now I just have to find the time because our windows are creepy looking!!!

  36. Just curious to see if I could just use paper towels to wipe the windows or mirrors instead of a squeegee? If it would still work just as well, makes it seem easier than a squeegee.

    Thanks for the great ideas! I can’t wait to try them tomorrow!

    Vicky

    • Hi Vicky, it is actually much much easier to use the squeegee than paper towels. Just remember to wipe the squeegee off with each swipe. I have never had any success with using paper towels to clean windows. They smear and streak and leave behind fibers. Hope this helps!

  37. Can’t wait to try this! Where did you get you squeegee? I just bought a large one and it doesn’t get all the water off. Thank you, cindy

    • Awesome. So glad that you can use it. And thanks for sharing. My son demonstrated it for his 4-H class and won first place it works great and is so simple. (the teacher loved it, not sure about the kids lol)

  39. I can’t wait for nice weather to try this! We moved into a new home … The former owners washed the outside siding on the house & never bothered to wash the chemicals off the windows. There is a film we can’t get off! Have tried everything including vinegar . Hopefully
    this will work

  40. Don’t know what I did wrong but I ended up with a smeary film on my sliding door. So I went back to my now-still-favorite method – plain water on a microfiber cloth. That’s right – just plain water. No odor, doesn’t irritate my skin and completely safe around kids and pets. But I’ll definitely grab the Dawn when I need some extra cleaning power.

    • Uh oh, Not sure what went wrong either. Maybe it will work somewhere else. We use this method all the time. Thanks for sharing your method as well!

    • You may have used too much dawn or it was on the window to long or the sun was too hot, just go back over with plain water 🙂

  41. I was bought here by Pinterest and tried this today. It works great. I’m in UK and used our version of Dawn dish soap – Fairy. It worked really well. I did use a micro fibre towel to dry off rather than a squeegy tho. I’d been using dish soap mixed with vinegar and water to clean the bathroom and that works a treat too!

  42. Love this technique, i’m a housekeeper and this is one of my old secrets, for mirrors I just use a micro fiber cloth withwater and and a.drop of dawn then wipe and squeegee buff if needed with a dry cloth! Agree with the comment about rain x we actually use it on the insides of shower doors to keep residue from building, I keep a mix of vinegar and dawn and use it to clean everything!

  43. WAY better than this mess is a good microfiber towel. All you have to do is wet it, wring it out real good and clean. When the rag gets yucky, just go rinse it out The microfibers actually hang onto the yuck and you can feel the friction from grime so that you know when it’s clean. No residue to gather new dust and grime and I can do all of the windows in my little house, inside and out, in less than 20 minutes. I LOVE microfiber!!

  46. I have known of this wonderful mixture for a few years but never took the time to find the measurements. Today I read this site, mixed my ingredients and did the windows to my back door. GUESTS ARE NOW WELCOME! 2oz Dawn Ultra with 24oz white vinegar, a plastic scrubber and a sock rag. (gonna get me a squeegee) Absolutely NO streaks! Thank you! also. . . I have used Dawn on my laundry stains, forever. I am a cook and hubby is a mechanic. Any spots on our clothes get a splash of Dawn before the wash. Never fails, grease spots are gone. Cleaning doesn’t have to make us miserable! Thanks again.

  48. Hello! I`m from Romania and I just washed some windows with your method! I made my windows shine! So pleased and grateful! I didn`t have Dawn, but it worked perfect with my usual dish detergent (from Sano). Kisses

  52. You did the right thing. Asking for and following the professional’s advice is worth the effort. By doing so, you surely saved yourself a lot of time and energy. Thanks for sharing this useful tip!

  53. I have used various types of detergents, but I get better results using vinegar and water, or if the window is really dirty (dog nose prints) ammonia and water. The vinegar and ammonia cut through any film really well.

  54. Hi I live in South Africa. I use a squirt of our dish washing liquid soap, Sunlight Liquid, in a bucket of warm water. Using a cloth, I wash the window and immediately dry it off with newspaper. Cheap and it really does work.

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