Bucket + extension pole + brush + rags = no ladder

My house sits on very hilly terrain so figuring out a flat surface to prop a ladder is nearly impossible. Mix that difficulty with my lifelong fear of ladders and I was pretty committed to figuring out a way to clean my windows without risking my life.

Needed tools

My goal was to do it without having to go purchase a bunch of stuff.

I have had one of the Mr. Long Arm Pro-Pole Extension Poles for years. This pole has allowed me to do a whole lot of painting without a ladder, especially ceilings, and I love the thing. The pole extends up to 12 feet.

I had a brush on a broom pole for scrubbing outside decks, but the brush was really stiff so not the best for windows. I used the brush, but wrapped towels around it secured with binder clips.

The only other things needed was a bucket large enough to dunk the towel wrapped brush head into the cleaning solution.

Cleaning solution

I figured a clean rinsing solution was critical to my success. I found two posts; one at She Wears Many Hats The Best Window Cleaner Ever … Like Ever  and the other at Made by Pinterest The Magic Way to Clean Your Windows. I have them both pinned on my Pinterest board Recipes, How To for Cleaning, etc.

I think Dawn Dishwashing Liquid is one of the modern wonders of the world. It is so good at cleaning so many things, cutting grease and oil, and leaving no residue behind, so it was a no-brainer to use it. Since white vinegar is also a great cleaner I added some of that and a small squirt of Jet Dry for sheeting the water off the windows.

Technique

Even with the extension pole all the way out I still had to use a step-ladder to reach one window. It wasn’t a big deal — I positioned the bucket of cleaning solution so I could reach it while up on the ladder.

The extension was a little ungainly to handle, especially with the added weight of the towel dripping wet with cleaning solution, but once I had it up by the window it was easy to scrub up and down.

After I had scrubbed the whole surface of the window I sprayed with clear water to rinse. I cheated with the one window that was really high up and dragged out the electric pressure washer to rinse that one. I’m not sure I could have reached it with the hose sprayer.

Results

I am amazed at how clean and unspotted the windows turned out.

I think the key to this method is washing your windows every few months so they’re not too terribly dirty. If they were long neglected with a lot of build up it would require a trip up the ladder so you could scrub harder and use a glass scraper.

I love cleaning the windows this way. Since I will be using my extension again,  I plan to start looking for a soft bristle brush I can attach to it.

I doubt I will ever use a ladder to wash windows again.