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The Squeegee Dividend
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Warning: To avoid smears, you must firmly wipe the blade with the terry towel after every pass. And work in the shade, if possible; sunshine causes streaks.
Dosch also carries a razor blade for paint drips and 0000 steel wool for bird droppings and other foreign substances, such as aluminum dust from old window screens. Neither will scratch the glass unless you really work at it.
A squeegee, however, wasn't Good Housekeeping's favorite for polishing panes. "We found microfiber cloth the best," Forté said. "The squeegee involves a technique -- I've never been able to master it."
Newspapers didn't rate highly either. "People swear by it, but newspaper was messy," she said, "and it made our hands a mess. It didn't absorb as well and didn't leave windows as streak-free as microfiber."
Meanwhile, Burrows sniffed at taking shortcuts with windows on upper floors with extension pole systems that connect to a home's water supply, slosh the panes with sudsy water and then switch to a clear-water rinse. "Those water-fed pole systems are okay . . . if they are operated correctly," Burrows said. "But if they're not, it's spot city . . . a complete nightmare."
Maybe you're blessed with an exhausting number of windows, or just had your nails done. If so, you might want to call in a pro.
The going rate for window-washing ranges from $6 to $14 per window, Dosch said, but it also depends on screens, storms and the number of panes involved. "So many homes are gigantic. Even if you're the best, it takes a lot of time."
And choose carefully, scouting out referrals and checking references. "There are horror stories of cheap window washers that left streaks, broke things, dropped dirty water," he said. "If you can avoid disaster, generally you get called again."
Window cleaners -- and do-it-yourselfers -- endure hazards of their own. "Guillotine windows. Undo the latch and whomp." Dosch shook his head. "Usually clients warn me."
One surprise that probably shouldn't be: "Spring is not necessarily the best time to clean the windows," Dosch said. "It's the height of pollen season."
But Forté said that's when everyone wants to do it. "The daylight is longer, the curtains are opened, people want the connection with the outdoors. Clean windows give the biggest psychological boost."
Never mind the sparkle they put in the eyes of home buyers.
