Cleaning windows after you have renovated or built a property, whether a home or a place of business, is a precarious endeavor. Glass is a material easily scratched or damaged, meaning that there are many dangers to navigate when cleaning your windows, sliding doors and louvers after the builder and tradesmen have done their work. Professional window cleaners are all too aware of these difficulties and have developed methods and work-arounds to get windows looking sparkling clean after construction work. However, building a new property is an expensive enterprise, not everyone has the budget for window cleaning at the end of the project. Let’s run through some basic techniques to enable you to DIY your own window cleaning post construction.
- Take your time.
Scratching or damaging glass is often irreversible. With that in mind you don’t want to be rushing into it like a bull in a china store. Take your time and make sure you have the right tools and that any products you use to remove builders’ residue are not going to do any damage. It is always best to test out such products on a small area of glass out of the line of vision before starting. 
- It’s involves more than just glass.
Remember that cleaning windows involves more than just the glass. For example, often the window and sliding door tracks fill with dust and builders’ residue like plaster-dust and sawdust. For best results agitate the dust up with a brush of some sort and then suck-up the loosened sediment with a wet-dry vacuum. You also have to take into consideration fly-screens. These also gather dust and dirt throughout the building process. These can either be hosed off or dusted off with a wet-cloth according to your preference and the type of screen. - Use the right tools.
The best tool for cleaning windows is a squeegee, this is the least abrasive cleaning tool for glass. For example, if you use a spray-on product that you spread around and clean off with paper-toweling you will likely pick up a piece of grit or sand which will easily scratch the glass. Squeegee’s are easy to use with a little practice and do an excellent job of cleaning windows, far better than you can achieve with other products. - Methods for removing paint or tough builders’ residue.
Often tradesmen will get all sorts of building material on the windows that can be hard to remove; for example, paint, plaster, concrete and silicone. Also, often windows are installed with factory stickers left on them. All of these substances can be removed with the right tools.
A razor blade easily removes unwanted builders’ residue and stickers. Again, it is best that you test the blade out on a small piece of glass before rushing into using it. Clean the reside off the blade after every scraping movement. Be VERY careful when using razor blades not only for the glass but for your own safety.
Steel wool is indispensable to window cleaners, particularly for builders cleans. It sounds like it might be an awful idea to use steel wool on glass, however, if you purchase ‘super fine’ graded steel wool you shouldn’t have any problems scratching your glass. The wool is abrasive enough to take off residue but soft enough not to damage the glass. - Dishwashing detergent is the best cleaning solution.
Good news! You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a window cleaning solution. In fact, you probably have some sitting in your home right now. That’s right, simple dishwashing detergent makes for the best window cleaning solution to use with your squeegee. Add a generous amount to a bucket of hot water for best results. You can apply the soapy solution and lightly scrub the windows with a sponge or rag.
These simple window cleaning tips should give you the skills to get your newly installed windows tidied up for you to enjoy. Gold Coast window cleaners have been using these techniques to achieve great results for their clients. As you can see it doesn’t have to be expensive and if you take your time, carefully testing the glass before going ahead, you shouldn’t have any problems doing your own after-build clean. Often clean windows make or break the ambience of a home or workplace.
