5 easy tips for cleaning really dirty glass

Here at 1st Choice Fix, we have over 10 years of experience dealing with glass and a wealth of knowledge that I’m going to share with you here. We are going to try to answer how to clean very dirty glass windows easily while reducing the risks of scratching or further damaging your glass. If you want to clean a shower screen specifically check out our other blog, as this post focuses on general glass around your home or business where dirt settles on the glass, rather than water etching.

Now, this applies mainly to external glass as hosing down the glass is the best way to safely remove the bulk of dirt on the face of the glass. Going straight in with a microfiber and glass cleaner with lots of dirt on glass, salt build up and other contamination can result in scratches. Hosing down with a garden hose or even a high-pressure cleaner will safely wash the glass making the next steps quicker and easier.

For internal glass where hosing isn’t possible, a towel placed at the bottom of the glass and a soaking wet microfiber light wipe will be as good. This step can be skipped in general glass cleaning and should only be used when grime build up is excessive.

Generally, most homeowners have some microfiber cloths and paper towels, this is fine for a quick wipe down but if you want perfectly clean and clear glass, investing in some quality gear will reduce the need to rely on chemicals so much. A trip down to your local hardware store and $50 will be more than enough to purchase some great gear.

• A quality squeegee – the rubber is the most important part, a cheap squeegee will suffice for 1 or 2 cleans but purchase some quality replacement rubbers also.
• A 2L pump bottle or garden sprayer – this is much easier than the bucket. It makes less mess and uses less water.
• A pack of white scourers, microfibers and white foam eraser pad.

Technique makes a big difference; over time you’ll develop your own little tricks and habbits that can’t easily be described but here are a few tips to start:

• Vacuum the tracks first! You don’t want to be wiping up mud.
• Put down a towel, when inside chuck a towel down to stop water soaking your floors and tracks.
• Clean the glass when in shade, not always possible but makes a massive difference with streaks.
• Clean with water and dishwashing liquid, the dishwashing liquid helps the glass clean easier and squeegee glide better.
• The easiest way to clean a glass window is to spray your glass down, get your white scourer and scrub the glass well.
• Spray the glass again as required to ensure it doesn’t dry and leave streaks when you use your squeegee.
• Once wet and scrubbed, wipe the top edge with a microfiber then squeegee from there down. This will also reduce streaks.

Keeping on top of your glass cleaning and having a good schedule will reduce the time required to clean your glass. If you don’t let grime and dirt on your glass build up, you’ll find you’re spending less time scrubbing and you won’t have to hose down the glass each time. A 4-bedroom house shouldn’t take longer than 2 hours to clean if it’s cleaned regularly. Every 3 months is a good timeframe for most homes, but in high salt areas this could be monthly, same with areas with lots of dust. Regular cleaning makes the cleaning faster.

If you want to make your glass easier to clean, require less cleaning and look like new well into the future, consider sealing your glass with EnduroShield. 1st Choice Fix is a professional applicator for EnduroShield Professional. We seal homes, commonly pool fences and shower screens, but all glass can benefit for EnduroShield. It seals the glass making less dirt stick, more wash off with hosing or rain, and reduces cleaning time dramatically. Think of it like a nonstick frypan, but better! New glass gets a 10-year warranty and you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.

There you go! 5 tips for cleaning really dirty glass. Now go on and clean that glass, the change in light alone is stunning. You never realise how dirty your glass was until it’s clean, so go on and get it done!