How often should you clean your windows?
How often you clean your windows is dependent on your personal preferences. As a general guide, cleaning the glass every month and cleaning the frames every two months will keep them free from dirt and looking their best.
Cleaning the glass from the inside and the outside
- Spray your glass with a multipurpose cleaner or glass spray. Use a multipurpose cloth or sponge and wipe across the glass from left to right and top to bottom.
- If there are still streaks on the window, try using a squeegee to remove them, working from left to right and top to bottom. Alternatively, you can use an old t-shirt working across and down the window in the same way.
- For stubborn residue in the corner of the glass use cotton buds to remove. This will avoid damaging the frame.
Reducing streaks – tips to consider
Streaky windows are often an issue after cleaning and there are lots of different theories as to the best way to reduce streaks. If you find streaks a consistent problem you could try some of the following techniques or solutions to help:
- Try using newspaper. A lot of people swear by newspaper as the single best way to avoid streaks and they may well be correct. Newspapers are made of dense fibres that don’t contain materials like silica or calcium carbonate that can cause scratching. Unlike paper towels, they won’t leave lint on the windows which you then have to brush off. In the past, petroleum-based inks could leave smears and stains on the windows. These days the majority of newspapers use soy-based ink so this isn’t an issue. If you are using a recent, mainstream newspaper you won’t risk stains.
- Use a squeegee. Professional window cleaners generally use two types of squeegees – a soft, sponge squeegee for an initial clean followed by a more precise, rubber squeegee (similar to a car window wiper) to get rid of streaks.
- Homemade cleaners can work well as long as you don’t use anything too strong (as this can damage the frames if it drips on to them). Combine 1 tablespoon of white vinegar with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, then pour this into one cup of hot (not boiling) water. Shake together and spray on to your windows instead of a bought cleaning product.
- Clean your windows on a cloudy day. The sun can prematurely dry the windows, leaving marks.
Cleaning aluminium frames – general points to consider
If your frames are powder-coated, as they will be if purchased from Origin, they are specifically designed to need little upkeep. The quality of the powder coating is exactly what protects the frames from scratches, abrasions and permanent marks.
For this reason, when cleaning, don’t use any products or techniques that are going to compromise the finish on your powder coating. Harsh cleaning products that contain bleach and other strong chemicals or abrasive cloths risk damage. Regular cleaning of the frames both inside and out should avoid tough stains happening in the first place. Most of the time a gentle wipe down with a mild household detergent and warm water will do the job.
Cleaning the frames from the inside
- Wipe the frames with a non-abrasive cloth or sponge soaked in warm water and a mild household detergent suitable for metal surfaces. Paraffin-based cleaning solutions and non-abrasive liquid cream cleaners will be suitable. Don’t use any heavy-duty household cleaners as these may compromise the finish of your window and cause damage. This should sufficiently clean your frames.
- For stubborn stains, try using an ink rubber. If the stain doesn’t start to shift easily, don’t keep scrubbing away as you may cause damage.
- Dry the frames with a soft cloth.
Cleaning the frames from the outside
- Use a hose to spray down the frames with water to remove any superficial dirt.
- Scrub the frames with a mild detergent solution (the same you have used on the inside of the frames) to remove dirt.
- Wipe down the frames with a damp cloth to make sure dirty water doesn’t drip down to the bottom of the frames and dry there.
- Use a hose to rinse down the frames.
