The most common question that is first posed when considering window cleaning is whether to carry out the chore yourself or hire a professional to complete the window cleaning. Each option has many of its own benefits, with no real option standing out as the primary winner. For example, one of the main benefits to hiring a professional window cleaner is to save time. As a professional will carry out window cleaning all day long, they become experts in both speed and effectiveness, allowing them to clean a whole house of windows in approximately half the time it would take the average homeowner. Furthermore, professional window cleaners will often clean windows throughout the day and during a normal working week, allowing for the homeowner to not have to take a percentage out of their cherished weekend to clean their home’s windows.

The second point that has to be noted is that whilst hiring a professional window cleaner may be more time efficient, it can be quite costly. For a normal sized semi-detached house with three bedrooms, a window cleaner will charge in the region of $30 to $80 or more. It may not seem a considerable amount at once, but if they came every two weeks, over the year it would amount to between a considerable $780 and $2080. When considering water is effectively free and cleaning solutions can have a minimal price tag, you could, in theory, save yourself hundreds of pounds by deciding to clean your windows yourself.

A professional window cleaner will generally have their own favorite type of cleaning products and accessories. Although professional cleaning products are considered to be better than normal household products, it is very easy, with a little research, to match if not better these products. Some of the best window cleaning solutions are of the homemade variety, which can have a very inexpensive price tag. Each home window cleaner will have their own personal window cleaning solution, although one of the most popular ones has been passed down over several generations. Mixing together a tablespoon of vinegar and a tablespoon of cornstarch, add a few drops of lemon juice and approximately half a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Add this to a bucket of warm water and it will ensure that your windows are not only clean, but sparkling and glimmering in the daylight.

It has to be noted that whilst many people opt to clean their own windows rather than hiring a professional, in some cases it is far more beneficial to hire a professional window cleaner, particularly if the house has many windows, or, for example, a conservatory. The time, effort and money needed to clean a large amount of windows effectively are not generally worth it and a professional window cleaner should be hired.

For many home owner window cleaners, their preferred method of cleaning is to use a homemade solution. One of the easiest, although not most effective, is the simple mixture of a bucket of warm water with a small amount of washing up liquid. Cheap and effective (to an extent), this mixture is favored by many usually purely for the fact that is cheap and cleans windows to an acceptable degree.  You have to be a little careful that you don’t use this on speciality windows as it can leave serious streaks; for example, it does not work well on uPVC windows.

However, cleaning windows with washing up liquid and water, after a while, begins to leave windows looking greasy or streaky. After a search on the internet, a look in a local book store or library or speaking to a friend, most home owners will opt for a much more traditional way of cleaning windows. Although on first looking at the ingredients it doesn’t sound as effective as using warm water and washing up liquid, cleaning windows using newspaper, water and vinegar can have fantastic results. Mixing the vinegar with water in a strong ratio (approximately 1 part vinegar for every 4 parts of water), apply to the windows with an appropriate cloth, such as a chamois and dry then buff with crumpled up pieces of newspaper. Whilst a little more effort may be needed on stubborn marks, this process of cleaning windows has worked for many years and is one of the most used ways of cleaning windows all across the world.

Even though most home owner window cleaners do not use any accessories, taking note of the tools professional window cleaners use may help the window cleaning process. For example, it is often said that any non-professional window cleaner should own a squeegee. A squeegee is a tool that is in the shape of a ‘T’ – with the horizontal line being a rubber, windscreen wiper-like blade and the vertical line being a handle – that provides some amazing assistance when cleaning windows. Once the windows are wet and any marks have been removed, the squeegee should be moved over the window, from top to bottom, to remove any excess water. It may seem simple, but using a squeegee will almost guarantee that the window is left streak and smudge free.

One of the more modern ways to clean windows is to use a steamer. Available for use all around the home, they make excellent work of windows – regardless of how clean or dirty the windows are. Fill the steamer with water, plug it in, allow for it to boil and then use the connecting hose and accessory on the window. The steam produced will remove any marks from the window and, once moved over with a squeegee, will leave them looking brand new and as though they have just been cleaned by a professional window cleaner.

Water – without water, cleaning windows is almost impossible. Fresh, clean, warm water provides the basis for almost all cleaning solutions. Whether homemade or professional, the majority of window cleaning solutions will involve, to some degree, a large amount of warm water.

However, it must be noted that in recent years there have been several window cleaning solutions created that require no diluting with water whatsoever. Still in their infancy, these products are designed to not only allow for remarkably clean windows, but to reduce the amount of water needed to clean windows – which can be considerable, particularly for professional window cleaners.

Bucket – Whilst water may be the primary component to any window cleaning solution, having something to put that water in is obviously another major requirement. Although many people simply opt to use their bowl from their kitchen sink, a strong bucket is highly recommended. The tough, sturdy handle will allow for the bucket to be moved between places safely, whilst the added depth (when compared to a kitchen bowl), will mean that more water can be transported around the building, resulting in a reduction in time when cleaning windows.

Sponge / chamois – Having a high quality sponge, chamois or other cloth will aid with the window cleaning process tremendously. With many dedicated window cleaning cloths on the market, a lot of window cleaners simply recommended a quality cleaning cloth. Personal preference is usually the only way to distinguish between a sponge and a chamois in regards to window cleaning, although many believe that the sponge’s texture is a better attribute for cleaning windows.

Squeegee – in essence, a squeegee is simply a windscreen wiper with a handle on it. The idea behind the squeegee is to move it over the window once it has been cleaned using a sponge. Moved from left to right, top to bottom, the squeegee will reduce the amount of streaks or smudges that appear on many windows after cleaning and in most cases will ensure there are no marks left at all.

Ladder – like the squeegee, a ladder is not a mandatory accessory for cleaning windows. However, a ladder can be extremely helpful, not only when cleaning second floor and above windows, but simply for the extra height they provide when cleaning ground floor windows. It may be easy to effectively clean the majority of a ground floor window, but it is difficult to reach and clean properly in the top corners, which is where a ladder provides that extra assistance, ensuring no marks are left on the window once the window cleaning process has been completed.

Will and intention – Without good will or the intention of carrying out a good job, window cleaning will become a chore that is only half-heartedly completed. Thinking about the task in hand and not rushing window cleaning will ensure that all windows cleaned are as clean as they can possibly be.

Although there are many internet and offline stores that sell professional window cleaning solutions in mass quantities that carry out their purpose, some of the more popular window cleaning solutions are those that are completely homemade.

One of the more popular homemade window cleaning solutions is that made from two simple ingredients, both of which are available in most homes. Mixing warm water with vinegar at the ratio of 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water; apply to the window with a sponge or cleaning cloth. Once wet, dry the windows thoroughly with a piece of newspaper, and then buff until appropriately shiny with a fresh piece of newspaper. Simple yet extremely effective, this window cleaning solution is favored by many.

Furthermore, the use of alcohol for cleaning and sterilizing purposes has been used for decades and is the main ingredient in a popular homemade window cleaning solution. Taking 2 cups of rubbing alcohol and a half a cup of ammonia, this should be mixed with 1 teaspoon of washing up liquid and added to approximately 1 gallon of warm water. Providing an effective window cleaning solution, one gallon should be enough to thoroughly clean a whole house worth of windows.

Of course, there aren’t only homemade solutions available for home window cleaning. Many supermarkets stock a wide range of window cleaning solutions, from their own brand to nationally and often globally recognized companies. Although more costly than a homemade solution, these shop bought solutions can often be very effective, especially when cleaning windows with stubborn stains.

Aside from window cleaning solutions for cleaning windows at home, whether it’s homemade or shop bought, there are many window cleaning solutions available for window cleaning on a larger scale. Of the large scale window cleaning solutions available, the Titan brand of solutions is highly purchased. Cheap and effective, these window cleaning solutions come in quantities of a minimum of 1 liter, with it being possible to receive large discounts when ordering over 100 liters.

Although not as cheap as Titan, Unger is a famous window cleaning brand, especially with professional window cleaners. Creating accessories and solutions, their most current window cleaning solution is not actually a liquid, but a gel. Currently not widely available, this gel is said to provide the best streak-free windows of any window cleaning solution on the market. It may seem odd to use at first, due to its consistency, but many professional window cleaners are seeing it as the future of window cleaning solutions.

Everyone has their own, personal favorite window cleaning solution. Professionals and homeowners alike, the best way to choose a window cleaning solution – whether it’s homemade, shop bought or professional – is to simply try several and choose the one window cleaning solution that best suits your individual needs.