The Squeegee Dividend

Mark Dosch, who calls himself the Window Wizard, studied for the priesthood before turning from "spiritual pains to window panes." That was 20 years ago, and the lanky window washer with the crooked grin still wields a wicked squeegee.

Dosch uses a product called Glass Gleam 4, which costs $14 per quart from http://www.JRacenstein.com. Considering that you use only 1/4 ounce per gallon of water, that's about a lifetime supply for most homeowners.

There's a lot of hype about professional products. "The reality is you can use any dishwashing soap," he said. "A two-second squirt of Joy into a pail would be enough. More is not better when it comes to soap."

The exception is in homes with smokers; then he'll boost the cleaning power with a slosh of ammonia. "Smoke," he said, "is like cutting mud."

A mild detergent solution is fine on inside windows with natural woodwork, as well. "Don't let it linger more than half a minute or so. And don't do too many panes at once," he cautioned. You want the squeegee to glide, and you don't want a lot of drips.

Carolyn Forté of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute recently tested six store-bought solutions, a homemade solution of ammonia and water, and three pre-moistened towels.

"We made a lab mixture of greasy, dirty soil; let it dry; then applied a measured amount of each cleaner," she said. The winner was Hope's Perfect Glass, available at Bed Bath & Beyond and other major retailers. "It was best overall for cleaning and removing streaks." Regular Windex was a close second.

Besides the right cleaner, you'll also need appropriate tools.

Cleaning like a pro, Dosch said, requires a squeegee, a gizmo that looks like a windshield wiper with a handle in the middle. Ideally, each window is cleaned with a single downward swoop.

With so many odd-size windows in this area, Dosch has "about 20 different sizes, in quarter-inch increments, in the bucket at all times." They're made in only about 10 lengths, and you'll find far fewer than that at the local hardware store, so he cuts his with a hacksaw.

A horsehair brush for soaping, an old terry cloth towel and a surgical towel complete the kit. Surgical towels are cheaper than microfiber and just as lint-free and washable. "Surgeons can't afford to sew lint into a body, and they're thick to soak up the blood -- let's get some drama into this," he said with a grin.

Dosch demonstrates, preparing for action by flinging the terry towel over his left shoulder, the surgical towel over the right, soap brush in left hand, squeegee in right. Dip, swish with the brush, squeegee down. Go around the edges with the terry towel and zap that one smudge with the surgical towel. Done. That took . . . five seconds. Wow.