How To Clean Windows Outside Safely With Or Without Ladders

We offer plenty of tips for cleaning the exterior of your windows, making this sometimes daunting task more manageable.

How to Clean Outside Windows: A Step-by-Step Guide

Cleaning exterior windows can be challenging, particularly due to factors like height and stubborn stains.

Neglecting regular cleaning can negatively impact your home’s kerb appeal, so it’s important to give your windows the attention they deserve.

While many homeowners opt for professional cleaning services, some prefer to handle it themselves. For those do-it-yourselfers, we’ve created a step-by-step guide to help you clean your outside windows safely and effectively.

Before You Start Cleaning

The weather can be the difference between your window cleaning going smoothly or not. It’s important to avoid stormy weather of course, but the best conditions are mild and overcast days for preventing streaks.

Once you have ideal conditions, collect a few tools, such as microfibre cloths, squeegees, a bucket, and a highly rated cleaning solution.

For windows that are particularly hard to reach, perhaps on the second or third floor, might require ladders or extension poles to get the job done.

A squeegee being used to clean a window

Scrubbing, Rinsing, and Drying Techniques

The first thing you’ll need to do is get rid of any debris from the window surfaces and use a hose to get the stubborn dirt loosened. Scrub the windows to remove grime with a sponge or brush that has been soaked in soapy water.

For thorough cleaning, the best method for cleaning is a circular motion one. Once you are happy that the dirt has been removed, rinse the windows with clean water.

The final step is important for preventing streaks or any water spots and that’s to dry the windows with a microfibre cloth or squeegee.

A lady cleaning her window with a cloth

How to Clean Windows Outside With or Without a Ladder

When cleaning windows on the second or third floor with a ladder, it’s crucial to place the ladder on stable ground and ensure it’s positioned at the correct angle.

Maintain three points of contact at all times and avoid overreaching to areas that aren’t directly in front of you.

If you prefer to avoid using ladders, consider using water-fed poles with extendable brushes and jets. These tools allow you to clean your windows effectively while staying safely on the ground.

A lady using an extended pole and squeegee to clean a window

For any advice, cleaning or otherwise, speak to the advisors at Visual. You can also check our collection of Helpful Guides for more support on how to take care of our products.

Tilt and turn windows are a great option for homeowners especially concerned with the ease of cleaning as they give you access to both sides of the glass from the inside, so you won’t need a ladder to reach the external side.

Get a quote for Visual’s popular tilt and turn windows, or any other window in our collection, right here.

LOOKING TO REPLACE YOUR WINDOWS?

We have a fantastic range to choose from so whether it’s a modern style or traditional timber effect windows – we are confident that we will have windows to improve any home to give it the finished look with elegance.

VIEW WINDOW RANGE

LOOKING TO REPLACE YOUR WINDOWS?

We have a fantastic range to choose from so whether it’s a modern style or traditional timber effect windows – we are confident that we will have windows to improve any home to give it the finished look with elegance.

VIEW WINDOW RANGE

REQUEST YOUR FREE QUOTE

Simply fill in your details for your free, no obligation quotation, and click "Get Quote"

Your details
What would you like a quote for?
Content Block
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

VISIT OUR MIRFIELD SHOWROOM

We’d love to see you in our Mirfield showroom, where you can sit down with one of our very experienced consultants and chat through all the requirements you have.

GET DIRECTIONS

Want to speak with an Advisor? Give us a call on 0800 542 0165

Our friendly team will be pleased to help with any questions you may have.

Back To Our Blog